Convert TSV to SQL Server SQL

How to convert a TSV file to SQL Server

Tab-delimited exports are everywhere — from spreadsheets, log pipelines, and database dumps. Getting one into SQL Server normally means BULK INSERT or the Import Wizard, both of which need file access. SQLified gives you the portable route: drop the TSV and get a CREATE TABLE + INSERT script in T-SQL, ready to paste into SSMS or Azure Data Studio.

1. Drop your TSV onto the converter above (.tsv, .tab, or tab-delimited .txt).
2. Review the schema. Adjust inferred types, nullability, rename columns, or set a primary key.
3. Generate the SQL — a CREATE TABLE plus INSERT statements batched at 1,000 rows.
4. Run it in SSMS or Azure Data Studio.

The 1,000-row limit — where bulk imports get stuck

SQL Server allows at most 1,000 row-tuples in a single INSERT ... VALUES. Go over and you get “The number of row values in the INSERT statement exceeds the maximum allowed number of 1000.” This is the wall most people hit when bulk-loading a big tab-delimited file from a SQL console. SQLified emits a fresh INSERT every 1,000 rows automatically, so the whole file runs start to finish — no manual splitting.

What the generated SQL looks like

CREATE TABLE [events] (
  [event] NVARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  [occurred_at] DATETIME2 NOT NULL,
  [value] DECIMAL(18,2) NOT NULL
);

INSERT INTO [events] ([event], [occurred_at], [value]) VALUES
('login', '2026-01-04 08:12:00', '0.00'),
('purchase', '2026-01-04 08:15:30', '49.99');

Identifiers are bracket-quoted ([column]) per T-SQL convention.

SQL Server type inference

• Whole numbers → INT / BIGINT (by range).
• Decimals → DECIMAL(18, n).
• Dates and timestamps → DATETIME2.
• true/false → BIT.
• Text → NVARCHAR(255).

Frequently asked questions