Batch convert pipe delimited text files to SQL files

Shiji Pan

1 year ago

Want to batch convert TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files to SQL files?

Try Withdata Data File Converter, a desktop TXT to SQL converter for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, Batch convert TXT to SQL, Easy and Fast.

Can run in GUI mode, Step by Step, just a few mouse clicks.
Can run in Command line, for Scheduled Tasks and Streams.
Convert files locally and privately, avoid uploading large TXT file(s) to online services.
Support Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Batch convert TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files to SQL files

Click “Start a New Convert” at task dialog.

then show the wizard.

Select From “Files” “TXT” To “Files” “SQL”.

And config the first source TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file.

List source TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files.

After converting, you can view output SQL files.

Value kind	in Pipe-delimited	in SQL
Int	`1234`	`INT`
Bigint	`9007199254740993`	`BIGINT`
Decimal	`1234.56`	`DECIMAL(p,s)`
Float	`1.234e+10`	`DOUBLE PRECISION`
Text	`quoted only when it contains a pipe or a quote`	`VARCHAR(n)`
Long text	`must be quoted; line breaks inside force multi-line records`	`TEXT / CLOB`
Date	`2026-09-18`	`DATE`
Datetime	`2026-09-18 14:30:00`	`TIMESTAMP`
Binary	`not representable - base64 or hex string`	`BLOB / BYTEA`
Boolean	`TRUE / FALSE, or 1 / 0 depending on the writer`	`BOOLEAN / SMALLINT`
JSON	`the whole JSON value quoted, with internal quotes doubled`	`JSON / TEXT`

Both Pipe-delimited and SQL are file formats, so what differs below is how each one chooses to represent a value.

Property	in Pipe-delimited	in SQL
identifiers	`Double quotes; a literal quote is doubled ("" )`	`Two competing conventions: single-quoted literals and diale...`
dates	`Conventional text: 2026-09-18 or 2026-09-18 14:30:00`	`Depends on the dialect: DATE literals, TO_DATE(), or plain ...`
binary	`Not supported`	`Dialect-specific: X-quoted literal, 0x hex, or decode()`
separator	`Pipe "\|"`	`Statement terminators (;)`
encoding	`No declaration - UTF-8 works only with a BOM`	`No declaration`
typing	`None - every field is text`	`Types belong to the target database, and they differ betwee...`
shape	`Flat table, optional header row`	`Statements; a dump usually means CREATE TABLE plus INSERT rows`
ceiling	`No formal limit; row count bounded by memory`	`No formal limit, but a single INSERT statement has to fit i...`

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