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I have a multi-database setup that I need to work with and both have their own bcp versions that do not act the same way. Plus both are in my %PATH% and the Sybase one is listed before the MS SQL exe so calling "bcp" from the command line always hits the Sybase exe.

First, the versions are "different":

Sybase BCP: Sybase CTBCP Utility/15.0/P-EBF17890 ESD #24/PC Intel/BUILD1500-123/OPT/Thu May 13 02:45:43 2010 (for Adaptive Server Enterprise/15.7/EBF 23008 SMP SP130 /P/RS6000/AIX 6.1/ase157sp13x/3819/64-bit/FBO/Sat Aug 23 02:49:06 2014)

MS SQL BCP: Version: 11.0.2100.60 (queries hitting SQL 2008 R2 and 2012 SP3 dbs)

They definitely do not handle output to a file the same way and the docs for each show that. Everything I read on bcp says that bcp should work the same between Sybase and MS SQL but I have to call the full MS SQL bcp.exe path for a queryout call to MS SQL because the Sybase bcp does not support the queryout the same way.

My process uses a batch script to call multiple queries that hit the Sybase DBS and then MS SQL databases to output data to a staging db, will I always have to differentiate between the Sybase and MS SQL bcp's or can I use just one without issue? If so, which one is the "right" one to use (not trying to spark a debate here on which is better). Also, I see nothing showing that the version numbers have any relation what so ever so knowing which is the "latest" and using that one is proving difficult.

Nazim Kerimbekov
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S.G.
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    No you always have to differentiate. Even if they worked perfectly now, they might change in a future upgrade and you need to allow for that. – Nick.Mc Feb 28 '17 at 01:42

1 Answers1

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Keep in mind that MS SQL Server was identical to Sybase ASE back in 1994 (the called Sybase SQL Server), but after that, they slowly started to move apart. So the concept of BCP is still there and similar, but the details are different. For one thing, do not expect to be able to interchange client tools for these databases: Microsoft has made changes to the TDS protocol that makes it impossible to connect a client to the other vendor's databases.

If you've got a clash between to two executables with the same name, common solutions include (i) explicitly specifying the executable's pathname (ii) setting the right environment variables before calling one or the other executable (iii) renaming one of the executables. YMMV.

Nazim Kerimbekov
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RobV
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  • Thanks, I was hoping I could get away from having to use them both but I will continue to use explicit paths to each when being called. – S.G. Feb 28 '17 at 14:23