Import data form text files

Question

I wish to import multiple text files into one table in SQL Server 2008 but I don't have SSIS
capability. I wish for the format of the file to stay the same (no formatting or modification of data) and I wish for each file to be dumped into its own row under one column heading (e.g. 'Data')

Answer 1

Please use BULK INSERT to bring the text files into a SQL table...but you have to know the layout of the data, and create destination table
(whether it's a "staging" table or the real table) before you do anything else.you also need to know how the file is delimtied...comma delimited , tab delimited, or fixed width, or some custom delimiter. Sample :
BULK INSERT MULTIPLE FILE
-a table to loop thru filenames drop table ALLFILENAMES
CREATE TABLE ALLFILENAMES(WHICHPATH VARCHAR(255),WHICHFILE varchar(255))
--the source table: yours already exists, but needed for this example.
CREATE TABLE BULKACT(RAWDATA VARCHAR (8000))
--some variables
declare @filename varchar(255),
@path varchar(255),
@sql varchar(8000),
@cmd varchar(1000)
--get the list of files to process:
SET @path = 'C:\DB\'
SET @cmd = 'dir ' + @path + '*.txt /b'
INSERT INTO ALLFILENAMES(WHICHFILE)
EXEC Master..xp_cmdShell @cmd
UPDATE ALLFILENAMES SET WHICHPATH = @path where WHICHPATH is null
SET @path = 'C:\DB2\'
SET @cmd = 'dir ' + @path + '*.txt /b'
INSERT INTO ALLFILENAMES(WHICHFILE)
EXEC Master..xp_cmdShell @cmd
UPDATE ALLFILENAMES SET WHICHPATH = @path where WHICHPATH is null
SET @path = 'C:\DB3\'
SET @cmd = 'dir ' + @path + '*.txt /b'
INSERT INTO ALLFILENAMES(WHICHFILE)
EXEC Master..xp_cmdShell @cmd
UPDATE ALLFILENAMES SET WHICHPATH = @path where WHICHPATH is null
SET @path = 'C:\DB4\'
SET @cmd = 'dir ' + @path + '*.txt /b'
INSERT INTO ALLFILENAMES(WHICHFILE)
EXEC Master..xp_cmdShell @cmd
UPDATE ALLFILENAMES SET WHICHPATH = @path where WHICHPATH is null
--cursor loop
declare c1 cursor for SELECT WHICHPATH,WHICHFILE FROM ALLFILENAMES where WHICHFILE like '%.txt%'
open c1
fetch next from c1 into @path,@filename
While @@fetch_status <> -1
begin
--bulk insert won't take a variable name, so make a sql and execute it instead:
set @sql = 'BULK INSERT BULKACT FROM ''' + @path + @filename + ''' '
+ ' WITH (
DATAFILETYPE = ''char'',
FIELDTERMINATOR = ''||||'',
ROWTERMINATOR = ''\n'',
FIRSTROW = 1
print @sql
exec (@sql)
fetch next from c1 into @path,@filename
end
close c1
deallocate c1
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