Want to batch export data from SQL Server tables to TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files?
Try Withdata DBToFile, a SQL Server to TXT converter for Windows, Linux, and macOS, Export SQL Server data to TXT, Easy and Fast.
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- Support Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Batch export data from SQL Server tables to TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files
Login to SQL Server -> Select SQL Server tables -> Set TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file options -> Export SQL Server tables to TXT
Choose SQL Server and logon.
Click “Export All Tables” at task dialog.
Select TXT file type.
1. Select SQL Server tables to export.
2. Set TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) options.
3. See SQL Server tables to be exported.
4. Set rows options.
5. Export SQL Server data to TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files.
After exporting, you can view output TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files.
More about SQL Server to TXT converter
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See also:
- Export SQL Server table to TXT (pipe delimited text)
- Export SQL Server query results to TXT (pipe delimited text)
- Export multiple similar SQL Server tables to one TXT (pipe delimited text) file
SQL Server → Pipe-delimited reference
Type mapping
| Value kind | in SQL Server | in Pipe-delimited |
|---|---|---|
| Int | int | 1234 |
| Bigint | bigint | 9007199254740993 |
| Decimal | decimal(p,s) | 1234.56 |
| Float | float | 1.234e+10 |
| Text | nvarchar(n) | quoted only when it contains a pipe or a quote |
| Long text | nvarchar(max) | must be quoted; line breaks inside force multi-line records |
| Date | date | 2026-09-18 |
| Datetime | datetime2 | 2026-09-18 14:30:00 |
| Binary | varbinary(max) | not representable - base64 or hex string |
| Boolean | bit | TRUE / FALSE, or 1 / 0 depending on the writer |
| JSON | nvarchar(max) | the whole JSON value quoted, with internal quotes doubled |
Dialect differences
SQL Server is a database server and Pipe-delimited is a file format, so the gap is wider than a dialect difference – the rows below are where values and structure stop lining up.
| Property | in SQL Server | in Pipe-delimited |
|---|---|---|
| port | 1433 | — |
| identifiers | [square brackets] | Double quotes; a literal quote is doubled ("" ) |
| row limit | SELECT TOP n | — |
| dates | datetime, datetime2, date, time | Conventional text: 2026-09-18 or 2026-09-18 14:30:00 |
| long text | nvarchar(max) | — |
| binary | varbinary(max) | Not supported |
| separator | — | Pipe "|" |
| encoding | — | No declaration - UTF-8 works only with a BOM |
| typing | — | None - every field is text |
| shape | Tables of rows and columns | Flat table, optional header row |
| ceiling | — | No formal limit; row count bounded by memory |
Command line
| Side | Command |
|---|---|
| SQL Server | bcp |
| SQL Server (load) | bcp, or BULK INSERT |
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