Want to parse RDF file and save to SQL Server ? Want to schedule and automate this importing task?
To import Xml format RDF file (.rdf, .owl) to SQL Server, https://www.withdata.com/blog/rdftomssql/sql-server-import-rdf.html
To import RDF Turtle file (.ttl, .n3) to SQL Server, https://www.withdata.com/blog/rdftomssql/ttl-to-sql-server.html
To import RDF N-Triples file (.nt, .ntriples) to SQL Server, https://www.withdata.com/blog/rdftomssql/n-triples-to-sql-server.html
To import RDF N-Quads file (.nq, .nquads) to SQL Server, https://www.withdata.com/blog/rdftomssql/n-quads-to-sql-server.html
RDF → SQL Server reference
Type mapping
| Value kind | in RDF | in SQL Server |
|---|---|---|
| Int | "1234"^^xsd:int | int |
| Bigint | "9007199254740993"^^xsd:long | bigint |
| Decimal | "1234.56"^^xsd:decimal | decimal(p,s) |
| Float | "1.234e10"^^xsd:double | float |
| Text | plain literal without a datatype | nvarchar(n) |
| Long text | plain literal; newlines allowed inside | nvarchar(max) |
| Date | "2026-09-18"^^xsd:date | date |
| Datetime | "2026-09-18T14:30:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime | datetime2 |
| Binary | "base64..."^^xsd:base64Binary | varbinary(max) |
| Boolean | "true"^^xsd:boolean | bit |
| JSON | a literal, or reified as its own sub-graph | nvarchar(max) |
Dialect differences
RDF 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 RDF | in SQL Server |
|---|---|---|
| port | — | 1433 |
| identifiers | XML attribute quoting; entities for reserved characters | [square brackets] |
| row limit | — | SELECT TOP n |
| dates | xsd:dateTime typed literals | datetime, datetime2, date, time |
| long text | — | nvarchar(max) |
| binary | xsd:base64Binary typed literals | varbinary(max) |
| separator | XML elements (rdf:Description / rdf:resource) | — |
| encoding | Declared in the XML declaration | — |
| typing | Every value is a resource or a typed literal | — |
| shape | Graph of triples; there are no rows or columns | Tables of rows and columns |
| ceiling | Whole document is usually parsed into memory | — |
Command line
| Side | Command |
|---|---|
| SQL Server | bcp |
| SQL Server (load) | bcp, or BULK INSERT |
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