dbForge Studio for SQL Server enables you to import data from a wide range of external sources into SQL Server tables or Azure SQL. You can use data import to populate new tables, update existing data, or migrate data between servers and systems.
dbForge Studio provides the Data Import wizard, which helps you configure how data is imported into a database. You can control which columns are imported, define data formats and conversions, filter rows, and configure table grid options.
After you configure the import, you can save the settings to a template file (.dit) and reuse it for future import operations. This approach is useful when you need to repeat the same import configuration or automate recurring imports.
dbForge Studio supports automating data import operations by using the command-line interface. You can use the command-line wizard to save the import settings to a command-line execution file (.bat) and then run the file as part of scheduled tasks or automated workflows.
The following table describes the file formats supported in dbForge Studio for SQL Server for data import.
| File format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Text (TXT) | .txt | A plain text format. |
| MS Excel (XLS) | .xls | A Microsoft Excel binary spreadsheet format. |
| MS Excel 2007 (XLSX) | .xlsx | A spreadsheet format for Excel 2007 and later. |
| Google Sheets | N/A (cloud-based) | A file format source type used for opening, editing, and sharing data online in Google Sheets. |
| MS Access (MDB) | .mdb, .accdb | A database format used by Microsoft Access (2003 and later). |
| XML | .xml, .xsd | A markup language and file format for storing and transmitting data. |
| JSON | .json | An open, human-readable text format for transmitting data objects using attribute-value pairs. |
| CSV | .csv | A text-based format for storing tabular data with comma-separated values. |
| ODBC | N/A | A file format source type used for accessing data from various database management systems. |
| DBF | .dbf | A database file format used by FoxPro, dBase III, dBase IV, and dBase 7. The ANSI character set is used during import. |
Watch this tutorial to learn how to export and import data in SQL Server.