Comments on: SQLXML : How To Save XML Query Results to a File Using BCP

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 06 May 2011 10:48:06 +0000

The output from mine returned the following and did not create the file, as expected.

NULL
Starting copy…
NULL
1 rows copied.
Network packet size (bytes): 4096
Clock Time (ms.) Total : 1 Average : (1000.00 rows per sec.)
NULL

The BCP line reads as follows:

bcp “SELECT * FROM mytable FOR XML PATH(”), ROOT(‘DATA’), TYPE ” queryout C:\data\test1.xml -w -T -Smyserver

I executed the query part which produced valid XML

SELECT * FROM mytable FOR XML PATH(”), ROOT(‘DATA’), TYPE

By: Shawn in NC

Shawn in NC — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:58:18 +0000

Thanks, Belle! I had everything going right, could read the XML in SSMS but not a browser. Needed the little word ‘TYPE’. Your example saved my day, but I still need to go back and learn what in the world ‘TYPE’ had to do with my XML failing.

By: Lydia

Lydia — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:44:30 +0000

I got error:
Error = [Microsoft][SQL Native Client][SQL Server]Login failed for user ‘NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM’.
I checked the DB , it has user ‘NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM’

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:35:57 +0000

This is very cool … thanks so much for posting this.

By: emime

emime — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:13:48 +0000

I want to add a very important note. With bigger result sets I got a line brakes (and consequently the stored xml corrupted). The only thing that solved the problem was to add the options -r -t without argument. This instructs bps to override newline (default \n) and tab (default \t) with a null character (that is your final xml will not have line brakes or tabs but will be well formed!!!).
Furthermore, you can use batch to fix the limit size. Here the final instruction fragment for the bcp I used:
SELECT @SQLCmd = 'bcp ... queryout ... -w -r -t -b 4000'

By: emime

emime — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:01:18 +0000

Thanks, it’s useful and worked for me.
Just a note:
* the -S option is required only in case of remote execution of bpc. I had to cut it.
* VARCHAR(500) may be too much limiting

By: belle

belle — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:55:58 +0000

Thanks John! Happy to hear that!

By: John

John — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:33:50 +0000

Less is more. Besides being short, sweet, and very elegant I use the little script in processing my XML almost every day.

Keep it up Belle!