Want to import data from TSV file to SQL Server via Command Line Interface (CLI) on Linux (Ubuntu/RedHat/CentOS…)?
Using mssql-cmd, a Command Line Interface (CLI) client for SQL Server, you can import data from TSV file to SQL Server easily and fast. Direct Interaction or Scripting and Automation.
- No need to install SQL Server client library.
- Convenient to deploy to cloud. No need to run installation file, just uncompress and run, immediately.
- Commands are entered into a terminal or command prompt, accessed from local or remote (like SSH).
- Support Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
Download mssql-cmd Linux version 
Import data from TSV file to SQL Server via command line on Linux (Ubuntu/RedHat/CentOS…)
1. In interactive mode:
mssql-cmd> load loadtype=replace
> table=media_messages
> datafile=/data/media_messages.tsv
> delimiter=,
> quote="
> header=y;
2. In batch mode:
mssql-cmd dsn="pan:withdata@192.168.0.102/test" task=load loadtype=replace table=media_messages datafile=/data/media_messages.tsv delimiter=, quote=" header=y quit=y
“loadtype=replace” will delete all data in table before inserting.
See parameters detail.
More about mssql-cmd – Command Line Interface (CLI) tool for SQL Server
Download mssql-cmd Linux version
TSV → SQL Server reference
Type mapping
| Value kind | in TSV | in SQL Server |
|---|---|---|
| Int | 1234 | int |
| Bigint | 9007199254740993 | bigint |
| Decimal | 1234.56 | decimal(p,s) |
| Float | 1.234e+10 | float |
| Text | unquoted; a tab in the value splits the column | nvarchar(n) |
| Long text | unquoted; newlines break the row | nvarchar(max) |
| Date | 2026-09-18 | date |
| Datetime | 2026-09-18 14:30:00 | datetime2 |
| Binary | not representable | varbinary(max) |
| Boolean | TRUE / FALSE | bit |
| JSON | the whole JSON value as-is (its own quotes stay) | nvarchar(max) |
Dialect differences
TSV is a file format and SQL Server is a database server, so the target has to be told the types the file never carried – the rows below are where the two sides diverge.
| Property | in TSV | in SQL Server |
|---|---|---|
| port | — | 1433 |
| identifiers | Rarely used, which is exactly why tabs in data break it | [square brackets] |
| row limit | — | SELECT TOP n |
| dates | Conventional text: 2026-09-18 or 2026-09-18 14:30:00 | datetime, datetime2, date, time |
| long text | — | nvarchar(max) |
| binary | Not supported - must be encoded | varbinary(max) |
| separator | Tab | — |
| encoding | No declaration - UTF-8 works only with a BOM | — |
| typing | None - every field is text | — |
| shape | Flat table, optional header row | Tables of rows and columns |
| ceiling | No formal limit | — |
Command line
| Side | Command |
|---|---|
| SQL Server | bcp |
| SQL Server (load) | bcp, or BULK INSERT |
Convert your data online, free
Free in-browser converters for CSV, Excel, JSON, XML and SQL: Withdata Online Data Conversion. Large files, batch conversion or scheduling? See the offline desktop apps, or browse all data conversion tools.
New to the format? Read what a TSV file is (and how it differs from CSV).
