FreeTDS(January 10, 2004)               FreeTDS(January 10, 2004)



NAME
       freebcp  -  bulk  loading utility for Sybase and Microsoft
       databases

SYNOPSIS
       freebcp [database.[owner].]table_name {in | out} datafile
       { -c | -n | -f formatfile }
       [-b batchsize] [-F firstrow] [-L lastrow] [-e errfile]
       [-I interfaces_file] [-m maxerrors] [-t field_term] [-r row_term]
       [-S servername] [-U username] [-P password]

DESCRIPTION
       freebcp is a utility  program  distributed  with  FreeTDS.
       freebcp replicates (in part at least) the functionality of
       the "bcp"  utility  programs  distributed  by  Sybase  and
       Microsoft.

       freebcp makes use of the dblib bcp api built into FreeTDS.
       This api is also available to application developers.

       The manual pages or online help for Sybase or  SQL  Server
       can  be  referenced for more detailed information on "bcp"
       functionality.

TABLES AND FILES
       database
              is optional if the table being copied  is  in  your
              default  database or in master. Otherwise, you must
              specify a database name.

       owner  is optional if you or the database  owner  are  the
              owner of the table being copied.

       table_name
              is  the  name  of  the  database  table you wish to
              access.

       in | out
              is the direction of the bulk copy operation.   file
              into a database table, 'out' indicates that data is
              being copied from a database table to a host  file.

       datafile
              is  the full path name of an operating system file.

OPTIONS
       -c     specifies that the host data file is in 'character'
              format.   Briefly,  this  means the following: that
              all data in the file is (or  will  be  written)  in
              ASCII;  that the  (tab) is the default field termi-
              nator; that (newline) is the default  row  termina-
              tor.

       -n     specifies  that  the  host data file is in 'native'
              format.  This is a format that freebcp will be able
              to process, but is not portable or readable.

       -f formatfile
              specifies  that the format of the host data file is
              described by the specified formatfile.  The  format
              of  formatfile  is  identical to that understood by
              Sybase  or  MS  bcp,  but  is  too  complicated  to
              describe here.

       -b batchsize
              is  the  number  of  rows per batch of data copied.
              Batching applies only when  you  are  bulk  copying
              into  the  database.  each  batch of data is effec-
              tively 'committed' into the database.  the  default
              value for batchsize is 1000.

       -F firstrow
              is  the  number  of  the first row to copy from the
              input file or database table  the  default  is  the
              first row.

       -L lastrow
              is the number of the last row to copy from an input
              file  or database table the  default  is  the  last
              row.

       -r row_term
              specifies  the  row  terminator. Default is newline
              ('\n')

       -t field_term
              specifies the  field  terminator.  Default  is  tab
              ('\t')

       -S servername
              specifies  the name of the Database Server to which
              to connect.

       -U username
              specifies a database login name.

       -P password
              specifies a database password.



NOTES
       To date, freebcp has been tested against  Sybase  ASE  11,
       and  SQL  Server  2000.  There  are  currently a number of
       restrictions on its use.

       When  connecting  to  a  Sybase  database  server,  it  is
       required  that the TDS 5.0 protocol be used. When connect-
       ing to a Microsoft SQL Server 2000  database  server,  the
       TDS 8.0 protocol is required.

       Theoretically  both  Sybase  and Microsoft support the TDS
       4.2 protocol, but in reality they implement the  bcp  por-
       tion  of TDS 4.2 differently.  Freetds has no way of know-
       ing which type of server it's connected to, hence TDS pro-
       tocol 4.2 is not supported.

HISTORY
       freebcp first appeared in FreeTDS 0.60

AUTHORS
       The  freebcp  utility was written by Bill Thompson (thomp-
       bil@exchange.uk.ml.com)

BUGS
       Currently, there is no support  for  text  data  types  in
       freebcp, when SQL Server 2000 is the target database.

       The following parameters are accepted but unimplemented

              [-e errfile]

              [-I interfaces_file]

              [-m maxerrors]



                               0.62     FreeTDS(January 10, 2004)