BULK INSERT - A general question

Hi NG,
I am working with BULK INSERT`s have some general questions about BULK
INSERT:
- how does a BULK INSERT really works within the database? Why is it
faster?
- why can I only pass a file to a BULK INSERT?
- are there ways to tune the BULK INSERT performance?
Thank you very much
Rudi> how does a BULK INSERT really works within the database? Why is it faster?
BULK_INSERT is a firehose cursor. This means data is directly streamed from
its original location to SQL Server.

> - why can I only pass a file to a BULK INSERT?
Other types of locations, like a database, require special drivers.

> - are there ways to tune the BULK INSERT performance?
Through batch size primarily, either KB per batch or rows per batch.
Explicitly setting the code page, etc., can help, but only slightly.
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA
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<rudolf.ball@.asfinag.at> wrote in message
news:1132145686.696338.65250@.g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi NG,
> I am working with BULK INSERT`s have some general questions about BULK
> INSERT:
> - how does a BULK INSERT really works within the database? Why is it
> faster?
> - why can I only pass a file to a BULK INSERT?
> - are there ways to tune the BULK INSERT performance?
> Thank you very much
> Rudi
>