EISQL/W is another query tool based on the popular ISQL/W query tool released by Microsoft. This version, created by the same designer that created WinSQL, adds BCP (Bulk Copy Program) functionality to its list of functions.

BCP is used to transfer data from one database to another from either native (SQL server specific format) or character mode (ASCII format) files. ASCII text format is the most common used for transferring data between SQL server and other systems. This tool allows you to use BCP in a graphical format, but if you have the SQL tools from an installation of SQL 6.5 there is also a command line utility as well, which is fully documented in the SQL Books Online that comes on the installation CD. Keep in mind that while this tool will allow you to transfer data from one database to another, it does not translate the structure of the table along with it. Thus, you need to have the table that you are going to transfer data into from your file created beforehand to accept the data you will be using BCP to transfer.

Below are screenshots of the BCP interface within EISQL/W. To see the screenshots of the EISQL/W query interface, click here. To download EISQL/W, click here.

The beginning interface looks exactly the same as the ISQL/W interface; you are going to enter the server information, user ID, and password information, as is shown below.

Next, go to the Tools menu and select Visual BCP as the option, shown as follows:

Next, depending on which direction you are going (in or out), click the direction button and click next. Let's assume for a moment that you are transferring data from an existing server out to a local file, which is shown below. Click the Out button and press next to continue.

The Visual BCP tool will then present you with a list of database information that you are looking to transfer out. Scan down the list of available databases and select your database, and choose the table that you are looking to copy this data from. Once that is highlighted, you must select the name of a file that you are going to copy the information into. By clicking on the elipse (...) to the right of the data file field, you can browse to the directory you want to store the file in, and then name it whatever you want. In this example, I have named the file c:\testbcp, which creates a file in the root of the C:\ drive called testbcp, as is shown below.

Next, you will need to set the File Info variable based on what you are looking to use this data with. There are 3 types of formats available; character, native, and custom. Character mode will take the data from your existing SQL server and dump it into ASCII text format, allowing you the freedom of browsing your information via any sort of text editor, as well as being able to import it into any ASCII compliant database. Native mode is used to transfer information from one SQL server to another SQL server, so you would use this if you had a SQL database already that you were looking to import data from. The third and last type of format is Custom, in which you would write a format file that contains a list of rules on how to handle database imports. This should only be used if the other two formats do not work or will not transfer your data exactly as you need it. For information on how to write custom format files, visit the Microsoft support website. If you aren't sure of which one to use, use Character, as that it is the easiest format to transfer data from and to, as is shown in the screenshot below.

Lastly, click finish.

Upon clicking finish, debugging information and any errors that might arise while you are copying the information in or out of your database will appear in the transfer status window, along with the total time / number of data rows that were successfully transferred from your database to the file that we created. When successful, the window will look as is shown below.

Transferring data in is exactly the same, only in reverse order. First, click the In button in the Visual BCP window, and then click the next button.

Select the database table you are looking to transfer into and the file you want to transfer it from, and press next to continue. Please note that in order to transfer data into the database, you must have a table created in it to receive the data that is formatted to handle the type of data in your file.

Upon selecting the type of file that the data is in (native, character, or custom), press next to continue,

And then finish,

And you will see similiar information in your Transfer Status window letting you know that your BCP transfer of data was successful.