SQL Server VARBINARY

In SQL Server, there isn’t a data type named BLOB like in some other database systems. However, it offers several data types to store binary data, including VARBINARY, BINARY, and IMAGE (although IMAGE is deprecated as of SQL Server 2005 and should be avoided in new development).

Here’s a comprehensive introduction to working with VARBINARY / BINARY in SQL Server:

1. VARBINARY and BINARY Data Types

BINARY: This is a fixed – length binary data type. When you define a BINARY column, you need to specify the length of the binary data it can hold. For example, BINARY(10) can store exactly 10 bytes of binary data.
VARBINARY: It is a variable – length binary data type. You can specify a maximum length for it, and it will only use as much space as required to store the actual binary data. For instance, VARBINARY(MAX) can store up to 2^31 – 1 bytes of binary data.
Creating a Table with VARBINARY

-- Create a table to store binary data
CREATE TABLE BinaryDataTable (
ID INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
FileName NVARCHAR(255),
BinaryContent VARBINARY(MAX)
);


2. Inserting Binary Data

You can insert binary data into a VARBINARY column in different ways. One common approach is using programming languages with ADO.NET.
Inserting Binary Data using C# and ADO.NET

using System;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string connectionString = "Data Source=YOUR_SERVER;Initial Catalog=YOUR_DATABASE;User ID=YOUR_USER;Password=YOUR_PASSWORD";
        using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString))
        {
            string filePath = "path\\to\\your\\file.jpg";
            byte[] fileBytes = File.ReadAllBytes(filePath);

            string insertQuery = "INSERT INTO BinaryDataTable (FileName, BinaryContent) VALUES (@FileName, @BinaryContent)";
            using (SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand(insertQuery, connection))
            {
                command.Parameters.AddWithValue("@FileName", "example.jpg");
                command.Parameters.AddWithValue("@BinaryContent", fileBytes);

                connection.Open();
                command.ExecuteNonQuery();
            }
        }
    }
}

You can use DBBlobEditor to Batch insert SQL Server table IMAGE / VARBINARY(MAX) data from files

3. Querying Binary Data

When querying binary data from a VARBINARY column, you can retrieve it and save it to a file.
Retrieving Binary Data using C# and ADO.NET

using System;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string connectionString = "Data Source=YOUR_SERVER;Initial Catalog=YOUR_DATABASE;User ID=YOUR_USER;Password=YOUR_PASSWORD";
        using (SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString))
        {
            string selectQuery = "SELECT BinaryContent FROM BinaryDataTable WHERE ID = 1";
            using (SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand(selectQuery, connection))
            {
                connection.Open();
                SqlDataReader reader = command.ExecuteReader();
                if (reader.Read())
                {
                    byte[] binaryData = (byte[])reader["BinaryContent"];
                    string savePath = "path\\to\\save\\retrieved.jpg";
                    File.WriteAllBytes(savePath, binaryData);
                }
                reader.Close();
            }
        }
    }
}

You can use DBBlobEditor to Batch export SQL Server table IMAGE / VARBINARY(MAX) data to files

Storage: Storing large binary data can quickly consume a significant amount of disk space. You might want to consider storing files on the file system and only keeping a reference (such as the file path) in the database.
Performance: Retrieving and inserting large binary data can be slow. You may need to optimize your application and database configuration, such as adjusting buffer sizes and using appropriate I/O settings.

Here are some common use cases for storing binary data using the SQL Server VARBINARY data type:

1. Storing Images

Images can be stored as SQL Server VARBINARY data.

2. Audio and Video Storage

You can store the media (Audio and Video) files SQL Server VARBINARY data.

3. Document Storage

You can store various types of documents such as PDFs, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets SQL Server VARBINARY data.

In summary, SQL Server’s VARBINARY data type serves as a practical alternative to the BLOB concept found in other databases for handling binary data, but it comes with its own storage and performance considerations.