[sql] How to produce an csv output file from stored procedure in SQL Server

Is it possible to generate a csv file from a stored procedure in SQL Server? I created my stored procedure and I want to stored some result as csv, does someone know how to achieve this?

You can do this using OPENROWSET as suggested in this answer. Reposting Slogmeister Extrarodinare answer:

Use T-SQL

INSERT INTO OPENROWSET ('Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0','Text;Database=D:\;HDR=YES;FMT=Delimited','SELECT * FROM [FileName.csv]')
SELECT Field1, Field2, Field3 FROM DatabaseName

But, there are couple of caveats:

1. You need to have the Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0 provider available. The Jet 4.0 provider will work, too, but it's ancient, so I used this one instead.

2. The .CSV file will have to exist already. If you're using headers (HDR=YES), make sure the first line of the .CSV file is a delimited list of all the fields.

Just to answer a native way to do this that finally worked, everything had to be casted as a varchar

ALTER PROCEDURE [clickpay].[sp_GetDocuments] 

@Submid bigint

AS
BEGIN
-- SET NOCOUNT ON added to prevent extra result sets from
-- interfering with SELECT statements.
SET NOCOUNT ON;
   DECLARE @raw_sql varchar(max)

DECLARE @columnHeader VARCHAR(max)
SELECT @columnHeader = COALESCE(@columnHeader+',' ,'')+ ''''+column_name +'''' FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'Documents'

DECLARE @ColumnList VARCHAR(max)
SELECT @ColumnList = COALESCE(@ColumnList+',' ,'')+ 'CAST('+column_name +' AS VARCHAR)' FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'Documents'

SELECT @raw_sql = 'SELECT '+ @columnHeader +' UNION ALL SELECT ' + @ColumnList + ' FROM ' + 'Documents where Submid = ' +  CAST(@Submid AS VARCHAR)

-- Insert statements for procedure here
exec(@raw_sql)
END

I think it is possible to use bcp command. I am also new to this command but I followed this link and it worked for me.

I have tried this and it is working fine for me:

sqlcmd -S servername -E -s~ -W -k1 -Q  "sql query here" > "\\file_path\file_name.csv"

Found a really helpful link for that. Using SQLCMD for this is really easier than solving this with a stored procedure

http://www.excel-sql-server.com/sql-server-export-to-excel-using-bcp-sqlcmd-csv.htm

I also used bcp and found a couple other helpful posts that would benefit others if finding this thread

Don't use VARCHAR(MAX) as your @sql or @cmd variable for xp_cmdshell; you will get and error

Msg 214, Level 16, State 201, Procedure xp_cmdshell, Line 1 Procedure expects parameter 'command_string' of type 'varchar'.

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1071530-338-1.aspx

Use NULLIF to get blanks for the csv file instead of a NUL (viewable in hex editor, or notepad++). I used that in the SELECT statement for bcp

How to make Microsoft BCP export empty string instead of a NUL char?

This script exports rows from specified tables to the CSV format in the output window for any tables structure. Hope, the script will be helpful for you -

DECLARE 
      @TableName SYSNAME
    , @ObjectID INT

DECLARE [tables] CURSOR READ_ONLY FAST_FORWARD LOCAL FOR 
    SELECT 
          '[' + s.name + '].[' + t.name + ']'
        , t.[object_id]
    FROM (
        SELECT DISTINCT
              t.[schema_id]
            , t.[object_id]
            , t.name
        FROM sys.objects t WITH (NOWAIT)
        JOIN sys.partitions p WITH (NOWAIT) ON p.[object_id] = t.[object_id]
        WHERE p.[rows] > 0
            AND t.[type] = 'U'
    ) t
    JOIN sys.schemas s WITH (NOWAIT) ON t.[schema_id] = s.[schema_id]
    WHERE t.name IN ('<your table name>')

OPEN [tables]

FETCH NEXT FROM [tables] INTO 
      @TableName
    , @ObjectID

DECLARE 
      @SQLInsert NVARCHAR(MAX)
    , @SQLColumns NVARCHAR(MAX)
    , @SQLTinyColumns NVARCHAR(MAX)

WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0 BEGIN

    SELECT 
          @SQLInsert = ''
        , @SQLColumns = ''
        , @SQLTinyColumns = ''

    ;WITH cols AS 
    (
        SELECT 
              c.name
            , datetype = t.name
            , c.column_id
        FROM sys.columns c WITH (NOWAIT)
        JOIN sys.types t WITH (NOWAIT) ON c.system_type_id = t.system_type_id AND c.user_type_id = t.user_type_id
        WHERE c.[object_id] = @ObjectID
            AND c.is_computed = 0
            AND t.name NOT IN ('xml', 'geography', 'geometry', 'hierarchyid')
    )
    SELECT 
          @SQLTinyColumns = STUFF((
            SELECT ', [' + c.name + ']'
            FROM cols c
            ORDER BY c.column_id
            FOR XML PATH, TYPE, ROOT).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 2, '')
        , @SQLColumns = STUFF((SELECT CHAR(13) +
            CASE 
                WHEN c.datetype = 'uniqueidentifier' 
                    THEN ' + '';'' + ISNULL('''' + CAST([' + c.name + '] AS VARCHAR(MAX)) + '''', ''NULL'')' 
                WHEN c.datetype IN ('nvarchar', 'varchar', 'nchar', 'char', 'varbinary', 'binary') 
                    THEN ' + '';'' + ISNULL('''' + CAST(REPLACE([' + c.name + '], '''', '''''''') AS NVARCHAR(MAX)) + '''', ''NULL'')' 
                WHEN c.datetype = 'datetime'
                    THEN ' + '';'' + ISNULL('''' + CONVERT(VARCHAR, [' + c.name + '], 120) + '''', ''NULL'')' 
                ELSE 
                ' + '';'' + ISNULL(CAST([' + c.name + '] AS NVARCHAR(MAX)), ''NULL'')'
            END
            FROM cols c
            ORDER BY c.column_id
            FOR XML PATH, TYPE, ROOT).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 10, 'CHAR(13) + '''' +')

    DECLARE @SQL NVARCHAR(MAX) = '    
    SET NOCOUNT ON;
    DECLARE 
          @SQL NVARCHAR(MAX) = ''''
        , @x INT = 1
        , @count INT = (SELECT COUNT(1) FROM ' + @TableName + ')

    IF EXISTS(
        SELECT 1
        FROM tempdb.dbo.sysobjects
        WHERE ID = OBJECT_ID(''tempdb..#import'')
    )
        DROP TABLE #import;

    SELECT ' + @SQLTinyColumns + ', ''RowNumber'' = ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY ' + @SQLTinyColumns + ')
    INTO #import
    FROM ' + @TableName + ' 

    WHILE @x < @count BEGIN

        SELECT @SQL = STUFF((
        SELECT ' + @SQLColumns + ' + ''''' + '
        FROM #import 
        WHERE RowNumber BETWEEN @x AND @x + 9
        FOR XML PATH, TYPE, ROOT).value(''.'', ''NVARCHAR(MAX)''), 1, 1, '''')

        PRINT(@SQL)

        SELECT @x = @x + 10

    END'

    EXEC sys.sp_executesql @SQL

    FETCH NEXT FROM [tables] INTO 
          @TableName
        , @ObjectID

END

CLOSE [tables]
DEALLOCATE [tables]

In the output window you'll get something like this (AdventureWorks.Person.Person):

1;EM;0;NULL;Ken;J;Sánchez;NULL;0;92C4279F-1207-48A3-8448-4636514EB7E2;2003-02-08 00:00:00
2;EM;0;NULL;Terri;Lee;Duffy;NULL;1;D8763459-8AA8-47CC-AFF7-C9079AF79033;2002-02-24 00:00:00
3;EM;0;NULL;Roberto;NULL;Tamburello;NULL;0;E1A2555E-0828-434B-A33B-6F38136A37DE;2001-12-05 00:00:00
4;EM;0;NULL;Rob;NULL;Walters;NULL;0;F2D7CE06-38B3-4357-805B-F4B6B71C01FF;2001-12-29 00:00:00
5;EM;0;Ms.;Gail;A;Erickson;NULL;0;F3A3F6B4-AE3B-430C-A754-9F2231BA6FEF;2002-01-30 00:00:00
6;EM;0;Mr.;Jossef;H;Goldberg;NULL;0;0DEA28FD-EFFE-482A-AFD3-B7E8F199D56F;2002-02-17 00:00:00