Export SQL Server data to XML

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible, human- and machine-readable file format designed to store and transmit data, regardless of the software or hardware used.

To export data to XML:

1. Open the Data Export wizard in one of these ways:

On the Start Page, select Data Pump > Export Data.
In Database Explorer, right-click the required database or server connection and select Tasks > Export Data.
In Database Explorer, right-click the required table or view and select Export Data.
On the menu bar, select Database > Tasks > Export Data.
In Data Editor, click or right-click in the grid and select Export Data. You can export either the selected rows or the entire table.

2. On the Export format page, select XML, then click Next.

Tip

Click Load Template to load export options from a template file if you saved it previously.

Note

To move between pages, click Next or select a page directly from the navigation pane on the left.

To return to the previous step and review or change your settings, click Back.

To close the wizard without saving your changes, click Cancel.

Export format

3. On the Source page, specify the connection details and select tables and/or views that you want to export, then click Next.

Note

The Source page is unavailable if you open the Data Export wizard from Data Editor.

3.1. In Connection, select a server connection for the database. You can also create a new connection or update an existing one.

Tip

To create or update a server connection:

1. In Connection, select Manage.

2. In the Connection Manager dialog, click New to create a connection or Edit to modify an existing one.

3. In the Database Connection Properties dialog, configure connection settings.

4. In the Connection Manager dialog, click OK to use the connection for the export.

3.2. In Database, select the database.

3.3. In Schema, select the appropriate database schema.

3.4. In the grid, select the required tables and/or views.

Tip

To export all tables and views, select Tables and Views.

To search for tables and views, enter a search query in the search box.

Source

4. On the Output settings page, configure the output options for the exported data, then click Next.

4.1. Choose how you want to save the exported data.

Export data into separate files – Exports each selected table or view to a separate .xml file. Specify the path to the folder where the exported files will be saved.
Export data into single file – Exports all selected tables or views to a single .xml file. Specify the path to the file where the exported data will be saved.

The files selected for export appear in the Exported files preview area.

Note

When exporting data from a single table, Export data into single file is selected by default, and Export data into separate files is unavailable.

When exporting data from multiple tables, Export data into separate files is selected by default. To export all tables to a single file, select Export data into single file.

4.2. Optional: Select additional options for the exported files.

Append timestamp to the file name – Adds a timestamp to the file names. By default, the option is selected. To exclude the timestamp, clear the checkbox.
Auto delete old files – Automatically deletes exported files that are older than the specified number of days or when the number of exported files exceeds the specified limit.
Use compression (ZIP) – Creates an archive file with your exported data. Specify the compression level (No Compression, Best Speed, Fast, Default, Good, or Maximum), add a comment, encrypt your archive with AES128 or AES256, and specify a decryption password.

Note

Auto delete old files is available only when Append timestamp to the file name is selected.

Output settings

5. On the Options page, choose whether to use the Unicode character encoding for the exported data, then click Next.

Note

Use Unicode is selected by default. To export data without the Unicode encoding, clear the checkbox.

Options

6. On the Data formats page, select the columns for export and specify their data formats, then click Next.

6.1. On the Columns tab, select the columns for export and check or edit their aliases and data types.

6.2. On the Formats tab, change the default format settings for Date, Time, DateTime, Currency, Float, Integer, Boolean, and Null String, and select the required binary encoding from the dropdown list.

Data formats

7. On the Exported rows page, specify the rows to export, then click Next.

Export all rows – Exports all rows in the table.
Export selected rows only – Exports only the rows selected in Data Editor.
Export a range of rows – Exports a specified range of rows. Enter the starting row and the number of rows to include in the export. To export all rows following the specified starting row, set Count to 0.

Exported rows

8. On the Errors handling page, choose how to process errors and how they should be logged.

8.1. Select one of the following error handling options:

Abort at the first error – Stops the export immediately when the first error occurs.
Prompt a user for an action – Stops the export when an error occurs and prompts the user to choose an action.
Ignore all errors – Continues the data export, skipping any errors without interruption.

8.2. Optional: To create a log file, select Write a report to a log file, then click the ellipsis (…) and select the folder where you want to save the file.

Errors Handling

Note

To save your export settings as templates for recurring scenarios, expand the Save menu and select Save Template. You can then use the templates to export data from the command line.