ID Number: Q50636
1.10 1.11 4.20
OS/2
Summary:
You can read in only specified columns by using BCP and making
modifications to the format file, with some restrictions. You can
modify the .FMT file to enable a bulk copy of data from only specific
columns. The remaining columns will be filled with NULLS and the column
format must be set up to allow NULLs when the table is created.
To do this, do the following:
1. Use BCP to create the output data file and the format file.
2. Load the format file into a text editor.
For example, if your table consists of four tables of simple integer
data with column names of a, b, c, and d, you will see a format file
that looks similar to the following (if you are using SQL Server
version 4.2, substitute "4.2" for "4.0" in the first line of this
example):
4.0
4
1 SYBINT4 0 4 "" 1 a
2 SYBINT4 0 4 "" 2 b
3 SYBINT4 0 4 "" 3 c
4 SYBINT4 0 4 "" 4 d
To modify this file to read in only the first and last columns of
data, you need to change the file to the following (if you are using
SQL Server version 4.2, substitute "4.2" for "4.0" in the first line
of this example):
4.0
2
1 SYBINT4 0 4 "" 1 a
2 SYBINT4 0 4 "" 4 d
The important changes are made on the second line, which specifies the
number of descriptors to follow, and the column specifiers, which are
the numbers "1" and "4" in the next-to-last column. The actual names
of the columns (a,d) are not important to the process.
Once the .FMT file has been modified and saved, perform a BCP call
that reads back into the database (or a different or newly created
database), specifying this format file with the -f option.