[sql-server] SQL Server String or binary data would be truncated

I am involved in a data migration project. I am getting the following error when I try to insert data from one table into another table (SQL Server 2005):

Msg 8152, Level 16, State 13, Line 1
String or binary data would be truncated.

The source data columns match the data type and are within the length definitions of the destination table columns so I am at a loss as to what could be causing this error.

The answer is


This error is thrown when the column of a table puts constraint [ mostly length ]. . E.g. if database schema for column myColumn is CHAR(2), then when your call from any of your application to insert value, you must pass String of length two.

The error basically says it; string of length three and above is inconsistent to fit the length restriction specified by database schema. That's why SQL Server warns and throws data loss/ Truncation error.


SQL Server 2019 will finally return more meaningful error message.

Binary or string data would be truncated => error message enhancments

if you have that error (in production), it's not obvious to see which column or row this error comes from, and how to locate it exactly.

To enable new behavior you need to use DBCC TRACEON(460). New error text from sys.messages:

SELECT * FROM sys.messages WHERE message_id = 2628

2628 – String or binary data would be truncated in table ‘%.*ls’, column ‘%.*ls’. Truncated value: ‘%.*ls’.

String or Binary data would be truncated: replacing the infamous error 8152

This new message is also backported to SQL Server 2017 CU12 (and in an upcoming SQL Server 2016 SP2 CU), but not by default. You need to enable trace flag 460 to replace message ID 8152 with 2628, either at the session or server level.

Note that for now, even in SQL Server 2019 CTP 2.0 the same trace flag 460 needs to be enabled. In a future SQL Server 2019 release, message 2628 will replace message 8152 by default.


SQL Server 2017 CU12 also supports this feature.

Improvement: Optional replacement for "String or binary data would be truncated" message with extended information in SQL Server 2017

This SQL Server 2017 update introduces an optional message that contains the following additional context information.

Msg 2628, Level 16, State 6, Procedure ProcedureName, Line Linenumber
String or binary data would be truncated in table '%.*ls', column '%.*ls'.
Truncated value: '%.*ls'.

The new message ID is 2628. This message replaces message 8152 in any error output if trace flag 460 is enabled.

db<>fiddle demo


ALTER DATABASE SCOPED CONFIGURATION

VERBOSE_TRUNCATION_WARNINGS = { ON | OFF }

APPLIES TO: SQL Server (Starting with SQL Server 2019 (15.x)) and Azure SQL Database

Allows you to enable or disable the new String or binary data would be truncated error message. SQL Server 2019 (15.x) introduces a new, more specific error message (2628) for this scenario:

String or binary data would be truncated in table '%.*ls', column'%.*ls'. Truncated value: '%.*ls'.

When set to ON under database compatibility level 150, truncation errors raise the new error message 2628 to provide more context and simplify the troubleshooting process.

When set to OFF under database compatibility level 150, truncation errors raise the previous error message 8152.

For database compatibility level 140 or lower, error message 2628 remains an opt-in error message that requires trace flag 460 to be enabled, and this database scoped configuration has no effect.


I wrote a useful store procedure to help identify and resolve the problem of text truncation (String or binary data would be truncated) when the INSERT SELECT statement is used. It compares fields CHAR, VARCHAR, NCHAR AND NVARCHAR only and returns an evaluation field by field in case of being the possible cause of the error.

EXEC dbo.GetFieldStringTruncate SourceTableName, TargetTableName

This stored procedure is oriented to the problem of text truncation when an INSERT SELECT statement is made.

The operation of this stored procedure depends on the user previously identifying the INSERT statement with the problem. Then inserting the source data into a global temporary table. The SELECT INTO statement is recommended.

You must use the same name of the field of the destination table in the alias of each field of the SELECT statement.

FUNCTION CODE:

DECLARE @strSQL nvarchar(1000)
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM dbo.sysobjects where id = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo].[GetFieldStringTruncate]'))
    BEGIN
        SET @strSQL = 'CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[GetFieldStringTruncate] AS RETURN'
        EXEC sys.sp_executesql @strSQL
    END

GO

SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO

/*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Description:    
                    Syntax 
                    ---------------
                    dbo.GetFieldStringTruncate(SourceTable, TargetTable)
                    +---------------------------+-----------------------+
                    |   SourceTableName         |   VARCHAR(255)        |
                    +---------------------------+-----------------------+
                    |   TargetTableName         |   VARCHAR(255)        |
                    +---------------------------+-----------------------+

                    Arguments
                    ---------------
                    SourceTableName
                    The name of the source table. It should be a temporary table using double charp '##'. E.g. '##temp'

                    TargetTableName
                    The name of the target table. It is the table that receives the data used in the INSERT INTO stament.

                    Return Type
                    ----------------
                    Returns a table with a list of all the fields with the type defined as text and performs an evaluation indicating which field would present the problem of string truncation.

                    Remarks
                    ----------------
                    This stored procedure is oriented to the problem of text truncation when an INSERT SELECT statement is made.
                    The operation of this stored procedure depends on the user previously identifying the INSERT statement with the problem. Then inserting the source data into a global temporary table. The SELECT INTO statement is recommended.
                    You must use the same name of the field of the destination table in the alias of each field of the SELECT statement.

                    Examples
                    ====================================================================================================

                    --A. Test basic

                        IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.objects  WHERE OBJECT_ID = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo].[tblDestino]') AND TYPE IN (N'U'))
                            DROP TABLE tblDestino

                        CREATE TABLE tblDestino
                        (
                            Id INT IDENTITY,
                            Field1 VARCHAR(10),
                            Field2 VARCHAR(12),
                            Field3 VARCHAR(11),
                            Field4 VARCHAR(16),
                            Field5 VARCHAR(5),
                            Field6 VARCHAR(1),
                            Field7 VARCHAR(1),
                            Field8 VARCHAR(6),
                            Field9 VARCHAR(6),
                            Field10 VARCHAR(50),
                            Field11 VARCHAR(50),
                            Field12 VARCHAR(50)
                        )

                        INSERT INTO dbo.tblDestino
                        (
                             Field1 ,
                             Field2 ,
                             Field3 ,
                             Field4 ,
                             Field5 ,
                             Field6 ,
                             Field7 ,
                             Field8 ,
                             Field9 ,
                             Field10 ,
                             Field11 ,
                             Field12
                            )
                        SELECT 
                             '123456789' , -- Field1 - varchar(10)
                             '123456789' , -- Field2 - varchar(12)
                             '123456789' , -- Field3 - varchar(11)
                             '123456789' , -- Field4 - varchar(16)
                             '123456789' , -- Field5 - varchar(5)
                             '123456789' , -- Field6 - varchar(1)
                             '123456789' , -- Field7 - varchar(1)
                             '123456789' , -- Field8 - varchar(6)
                             '123456789' , -- Field9 - varchar(6)
                             '123456789' , -- Field10 - varchar(50)
                             '123456789' , -- Field11 - varchar(50)
                             '123456789'  -- Field12 - varchar(50)
                        GO  

                    Result:
                        String or binary data would be truncated


                    *Here you get the truncation error. Then, we proceed to save the information in a global temporary table. 
                    *IMPORTANT REMINDER: You must use the same name of the field of the destination table in the alias of each field of the SELECT statement.


                    Process:

                        IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..##TEMP') IS NOT NULL DROP TABLE ##TEMP
                        go
                        SELECT 
                             [Field1] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field2] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field3] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field4] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field5] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field6] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field7] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field8] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field9] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field10] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field11] = '123456789' ,
                             [Field12] = '123456789'  
                        INTO ##TEMP

                    Result:
                    (1 row(s) affected)

                    Test:
                        EXEC dbo.GetFieldStringTruncate @SourceTableName = '##TEMP', @TargetTableName = 'tblDestino'

                    Result:

                        (12 row(s) affected)
                        ORIGEN Nombre Campo        ORIGEN Maximo Largo  DESTINO Nombre Campo     DESTINO Tipo de campo   Evaluación
                        -------------------------- -------------------- ------------------------ ----------------------- -------------------------
                        Field1                     9                    02 - Field1              VARCHAR(10)             
                        Field2                     9                    03 - Field2              VARCHAR(12)             
                        Field3                     9                    04 - Field3              VARCHAR(11)             
                        Field4                     9                    05 - Field4              VARCHAR(16)             
                        Field5                     9                    06 - Field5              VARCHAR(5)              possible field with error
                        Field6                     9                    07 - Field6              VARCHAR(1)              possible field with error
                        Field7                     9                    08 - Field7              VARCHAR(1)              possible field with error
                        Field8                     9                    09 - Field8              VARCHAR(6)              possible field with error
                        Field9                     9                    10 - Field9              VARCHAR(6)              possible field with error
                        Field10                    9                    11 - Field10             VARCHAR(50)             
                        Field11                    9                    12 - Field11             VARCHAR(50)             
                        Field12                    9                    13 - Field12             VARCHAR(50)             

                    ====================================================================================================

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Responsible:    Javier Pardo 
    Date:           October 19/2018
    WB tests:       Javier Pardo 

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*/

ALTER PROCEDURE dbo.GetFieldStringTruncate
(
    @SourceTableName AS VARCHAR(255)
    , @TargetTableName AS VARCHAR(255)
)
AS
BEGIN
    BEGIN TRY

        DECLARE @colsUnpivot AS NVARCHAR(MAX),
            @colsUnpivotConverted AS NVARCHAR(MAX),
           @query  AS NVARCHAR(MAX)

        SELECT @colsUnpivot = stuff((
                    SELECT DISTINCT ',' + QUOTENAME(col.NAME)
                    FROM tempdb.sys.tables tab
                    INNER JOIN tempdb.sys.columns col
                        ON col.object_id = tab.object_id
                    INNER JOIN tempdb.sys.types typ
                        ON col.system_type_id = TYP.system_type_id
                    WHERE tab.NAME = @SourceTableName
                    FOR XML path('')
                    ), 1, 1, '')
                ,@colsUnpivotConverted = stuff((
                    SELECT DISTINCT ',' + 'CONVERT(VARCHAR(MAX),' + QUOTENAME(col.NAME) + ') AS ' + QUOTENAME(col.NAME)
                    FROM tempdb.sys.tables tab
                    INNER JOIN tempdb.sys.columns col
                        ON col.object_id = tab.object_id
                    INNER JOIN tempdb.sys.types typ
                        ON col.system_type_id = TYP.system_type_id
                    WHERE tab.NAME = @SourceTableName
                    FOR XML path('')
                    ), 1, 1, '')


        --https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11158017/column-conflicts-with-the-type-of-other-columns-in-the-unpivot-list
        IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..##TablaConMaximos') IS NOT NULL DROP TABLE ##TablaConMaximos

        set @query 
          = 'SELECT u.d AS colname, MAX(LEN(u.data)) as [maximo_largo]
            INTO ##TablaConMaximos
            FROM 
            (
                SELECT ' + @colsUnpivotConverted + '
                FROM ' + @SourceTableName + '
            ) T
            UNPIVOT
             (
                data
                for d in ('+ @colsunpivot +')
             ) u
             GROUP BY u.d'

        PRINT @query

        exec sp_executesql @query;

        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        SELECT --'Nombre de campo' = RIGHT('00' + ISNULL(CONVERT(VARCHAR,col.column_id),''),2) + ' - ' + col.name + ' '
            --, 'Tipo de campo' = ISNULL(CONVERT(VARCHAR,upper(typ.name)),'') + '(' + ISNULL(CONVERT(VARCHAR,col.max_length),'') + ')'
            [ORIGEN Nombre Campo] = tcm.colname
            , [ORIGEN Maximo Largo] = tcm.maximo_largo
            , [DESTINO Nombre Campo] = DESTINO.[Nombre de campo]
            , [DESTINO Tipo de campo] = DESTINO.[Tipo de campo]
            , [Evaluación] = CASE WHEN DESTINO.maximo_largo < tcm.maximo_largo THEN 'possible field with error' ELSE '' END
            --, * 
        FROM tempdb.sys.tables tab
            INNER JOIN tempdb.sys.columns col
                ON col.object_id = tab.object_id
            INNER JOIN tempdb.sys.types typ
                ON col.system_type_id = TYP.system_type_id
            RIGHT JOIN 
                (
                    SELECT column_id
                        , [Nombre de campo] = RIGHT('00' + ISNULL(CONVERT(VARCHAR,col.column_id),''),2) + ' - ' + col.name + ' '
                        , [Tipo de campo] = ISNULL(CONVERT(VARCHAR,upper(typ.name)),'') + '(' + ISNULL(CONVERT(VARCHAR,col.max_length),'') + ')'
                        , [maximo_largo] = col.max_length
                        , [colname] = col.name
                    FROM sys.tables tab
                        INNER JOIN sys.columns col
                            ON col.object_id = tab.object_id
                        INNER JOIN sys.types typ
                            ON col.system_type_id = TYP.system_type_id
                    WHERE tab.NAME = @TargetTableName
                ) AS DESTINO
                    ON col.name = DESTINO.colname
            INNER JOIN ##TablaConMaximos tcm
                ON tcm.colname = DESTINO.colname

        WHERE tab.NAME = @SourceTableName
            AND typ.name LIKE '%char%'
        ORDER BY col.column_id

    END TRY
    BEGIN CATCH
        SELECT 'Internal error ocurred' AS Message
    END CATCH   

END

For now only supports the data types CHAR, VARCHAR, NCHAR and NVARCHAR. You can find the last versión of this code in the next link below and we help each other to improve it. GetFieldStringTruncate.sql

https://gist.github.com/jotapardo/210e85338f87507742701aa9d41cc51d


I had a similar issue. I was copying data from one table to an identical table in everything but name.

Eventually I dumped the source table into a temp table using a SELECT INTO statement.

SELECT *
INTO TEMP_TABLE
FROM SOURCE_TABLE;

I compared the schema of the source table to temp table. I found one of the columns was a varchar(4000) when I was expecting a varchar(250).

UPDATE: The varchar(4000) issue can be explained here in case you are interested:

For Nvarchar(Max) I am only getting 4000 characters in TSQL?

Hope this helps.


If you’re on SQL Server 2016-2017: to fix it, turn on trace flag 460

DBCC TRACEON(460, 1);
GO

and make sure you turn it off after:

DBCC TRACEOFF(460, 1);
GO

source


Yes,I am also face these kind of problem.

REMARKS VARCHAR(500)
to
REMARKS VARCHAR(1000)

Here, I've change REMARKS filed length from 500 to 1000


This can be a challenging error. Here are some notes taken from https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/339410/ look for AmirCharania's comment.

I've adjusted the answer given by AmirCharania for data selected into an actual table, instead of a temp one. First select your dataset into a development table then run the following:

WITH CTE_Dev
AS (
    SELECT C.column_id
        ,ColumnName = C.NAME
        ,C.max_length
        ,C.user_type_id
        ,C.precision
        ,C.scale
        ,DataTypeName = T.NAME
    FROM sys.columns C
    INNER JOIN sys.types T ON T.user_type_id = C.user_type_id
    WHERE OBJECT_ID = OBJECT_ID('YOUR TARGET TABLE NAME HERE, WITH SCHEMA')
    )
    ,CTE_Temp
AS (
    SELECT C.column_id
        ,ColumnName = C.NAME
        ,C.max_length
        ,C.user_type_id
        ,C.precision
        ,C.scale
        ,DataTypeName = T.NAME
    FROM sys.columns C
    INNER JOIN sys.types T ON T.user_type_id = C.user_type_id
    WHERE OBJECT_ID = OBJECT_ID('YOUR TEMP TABLE NAME HERE, WITH SCHEMA')
    )
SELECT *
FROM CTE_Dev D
FULL OUTER JOIN CTE_Temp T ON D.ColumnName = T.ColumnName
WHERE ISNULL(D.max_length, 0) < ISNULL(T.max_length, 999)

One other potential reason for this is if you have a default value setup for a column that exceeds the length of the column. It appears someone fat fingered a column that had a length of 5 but the default value exceeded the length of 5. This drove me nuts as I was trying to understand why it wasn't working on any insert, even if all i was inserting was a single column with an integer of 1. Because the default value on the table schema had that violating default value it messed it all up - which I guess brings us to the lesson learned - avoid having tables with default value's in the schema. :)


I am going to add one other possible cause of this error just because no one has mentioned it and it might help some future person (since the OP has found his answer). If the table you are inserting into has triggers, it could be the trigger is generating the error. I have seen this happen when table field definitions were changed, but audit tables were not.


As others have already said, one of your columns datatypes in the source table is larger than your destination columns.

A simple solution is to simply turn off the warning and allow truncation to take place. So, if you're receiving this error but you are sure it is acceptable for data in your old database/table to be truncated (cut to size) you can simply do the following;

SET ANSI_WARNINGS  OFF;
-- Your insert TSQL here.
SET ANSI_WARNINGS ON;

As above, always remember to turn warnings back on again afterwards. I hope this helps.


I've built a stored procedure that analyses a source table or query with several characteristics per column among which the minimum length (min_len) and maximum length (max_len).

CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[sp_analysetable] (
  @tableName varchar(8000),
  @deep bit = 0
) AS

/*
sp_analysetable 'company'
sp_analysetable 'select * from company where name is not null'
*/

DECLARE @intErrorCode INT, @errorMSG VARCHAR(500), @tmpQ NVARCHAR(2000), @column_name VARCHAR(50), @isQuery bit
SET @intErrorCode=0

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..##tmpTableToAnalyse') IS NOT NULL BEGIN
  DROP TABLE ##tmpTableToAnalyse
END
IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..##tmpColumns') IS NOT NULL BEGIN
  DROP TABLE ##tmpColumns
END

if CHARINDEX('from', @tableName)>0
  set @isQuery=1

IF @intErrorCode=0 BEGIN
  if @isQuery=1 begin
    --set @tableName = 'USE '+@db+';'+replace(@tableName, 'from', 'into ##tmpTableToAnalyse from')
    --replace only first occurance. Now multiple froms may exists, but first from will be replaced with into .. from
    set @tableName=Stuff(@tableName, CharIndex('from', @tableName), Len('from'), 'into ##tmpTableToAnalyse from')
    exec(@tableName)
    IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..##tmpTableToAnalyse') IS NULL BEGIN
      set @intErrorCode=1
      SET @errorMSG='Error generating temporary table from query.'
    end
    else begin
      set @tableName='##tmpTableToAnalyse'
    end
  end
end

IF @intErrorCode=0 BEGIN
  SET @tmpQ='USE '+DB_NAME()+';'+CHAR(13)+CHAR(10)+'
  select
    c.column_name as [column],
    cast(sp.value as varchar(1000)) as description,
    tc_fk.constraint_type,
    kcu_pk.table_name as fk_table,
    kcu_pk.column_name as fk_column,
    c.ordinal_position as pos,
    c.column_default as [default],
    c.is_nullable as [null],
    c.data_type,
    c.character_maximum_length as length,
    c.numeric_precision as [precision],
    c.numeric_precision_radix as radix,
    cast(null as bit) as [is_unique],
    cast(null as int) as min_len,
    cast(null as int) as max_len,
    cast(null as int) as nulls,
    cast(null as int) as blanks,
    cast(null as int) as numerics,
    cast(null as int) as distincts,
    cast(null as varchar(500)) as distinct_values,
    cast(null as varchar(50)) as remarks
  into ##tmpColumns'
  if @isQuery=1 begin
    SET @tmpQ=@tmpQ+' from tempdb.information_schema.columns c, (select null as value) sp'
  end
  else begin
    SET @tmpQ=@tmpQ+'
      from information_schema.columns c
      left join sysobjects so    on so.name=c.table_name  and so.xtype=''U''
      left join syscolumns sc    on sc.name=c.column_name and sc.id  =so.id 
      left join sys.extended_properties sp on sp.minor_id = sc.colid AND sp.major_id = sc.id and sp.name=''MS_Description''  
      left join information_schema.key_column_usage kcu_fk    on kcu_fk.table_name = c.table_name     and c.column_name = kcu_fk.column_name
      left join information_schema.table_constraints tc_fk    on kcu_fk.table_name = tc_fk.table_name and kcu_fk.constraint_name = tc_fk.constraint_name
      left join information_schema.referential_constraints rc on rc.constraint_name = kcu_fk.constraint_name
      left join information_schema.table_constraints tc_pk    on rc.unique_constraint_name = tc_pk.constraint_name
      left join information_schema.key_column_usage kcu_pk    on tc_pk.constraint_name = kcu_pk.constraint_name
 '
  end
  SET @tmpQ=@tmpQ+' where c.table_name = '''+@tableName+''''

  exec(@tmpQ)
end

IF @intErrorCode=0 AND @deep = 1 BEGIN
  DECLARE
    @count_rows int,
    @count_distinct int,
    @count_nulls int,
    @count_blanks int,
    @count_numerics int,
    @min_len int,
    @max_len int,
    @distinct_values varchar(500)
  DECLARE curTmp CURSOR LOCAL FAST_FORWARD FOR
    select [column] from ##tmpColumns;
  OPEN curTmp
  FETCH NEXT FROM curTmp INTO @column_name
  WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0 and @intErrorCode=0 BEGIN
    set @tmpQ = 'USE '+DB_NAME()+'; SELECT'+
      '  @count_rows=count(0), '+char(13)+char(10)+
      '  @count_distinct=count(distinct ['+@column_name+']),'+char(13)+char(10)+
      '  @count_nulls=sum(case when ['+@column_name+'] is null then 1 else 0 end),'+char(13)+char(10)+
      '  @count_blanks=sum(case when ltrim(['+@column_name+'])='''' then 1 else 0 end),'+char(13)+char(10)+
      '  @count_numerics=sum(isnumeric(['+@column_name+'])),'+char(13)+char(10)+
      '  @min_len=min(len(['+@column_name+'])),'+char(13)+char(10)+
      '  @max_len=max(len(['+@column_name+']))'+char(13)+char(10)+
      ' from ['+@tableName+']'
    exec sp_executesql @tmpQ,
                       N'@count_rows int OUTPUT,
                         @count_distinct int OUTPUT,
                         @count_nulls int OUTPUT,
                         @count_blanks int OUTPUT,
                         @count_numerics int OUTPUT,
                         @min_len int OUTPUT,
                         @max_len int OUTPUT',
                       @count_rows     OUTPUT,
                       @count_distinct OUTPUT,
                       @count_nulls    OUTPUT,
                       @count_blanks    OUTPUT,
                       @count_numerics OUTPUT,
                       @min_len        OUTPUT,
                       @max_len        OUTPUT

    IF (@count_distinct>10) BEGIN
      SET @distinct_values='Many ('+cast(@count_distinct as varchar)+')'
    END ELSE BEGIN
      set @distinct_values=null
      set @tmpQ = N'USE '+DB_NAME()+';'+
        '  select @distinct_values=COALESCE(@distinct_values+'',''+cast(['+@column_name+'] as varchar),  cast(['+@column_name+'] as varchar))'+char(13)+char(10)+
        '  from ('+char(13)+char(10)+
        '    select distinct ['+@column_name+'] from ['+@tableName+'] where ['+@column_name+'] is not null) a'+char(13)+char(10)
      exec sp_executesql @tmpQ,
                         N'@distinct_values varchar(500) OUTPUT',
                         @distinct_values        OUTPUT
    END
    UPDATE ##tmpColumns SET
      is_unique      =case when @count_rows=@count_distinct then 1 else 0 end,
      distincts      =@count_distinct,
      nulls          =@count_nulls,
      blanks         =@count_blanks,
      numerics       =@count_numerics,
      min_len        =@min_len,
      max_len        =@max_len,
      distinct_values=@distinct_values,
      remarks       =
        case when @count_rows=@count_nulls then 'all null,' else '' end+
        case when @count_rows=@count_distinct then 'unique,' else '' end+
        case when @count_distinct=0 then 'empty,' else '' end+
        case when @min_len=@max_len then 'same length,' else '' end+
        case when @count_rows=@count_numerics then 'all numeric,' else '' end
    WHERE [column]=@column_name

    FETCH NEXT FROM curTmp INTO @column_name
  END
  CLOSE curTmp DEALLOCATE curTmp
END

IF @intErrorCode=0 BEGIN
  select * from ##tmpColumns order by pos
end

IF @intErrorCode=0 BEGIN --Clean up temporary tables
  IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..##tmpTableToAnalyse') IS NOT NULL BEGIN
    DROP TABLE ##tmpTableToAnalyse
  END
  IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..##tmpColumns') IS NOT NULL BEGIN
    DROP TABLE ##tmpColumns
  END
end

IF @intErrorCode<>0 BEGIN
  RAISERROR(@errorMSG, 12, 1)
END
RETURN @intErrorCode

I store this procedure in the master database so that I can use it in every database like so:

sp_analysetable 'table_name', 1
// deep=1 for doing value analyses

And the output is:

column description constraint_type fk_table fk_column pos default null data_type length precision radix is_unique min_len max_len nulls blanks numerics distincts distinct_values remarks
id_individual NULL PRIMARY KEY NULL NULL 1 NULL NO int NULL 10 10 1 1 2 0 0 70 70 Many (70) unique,all numeric,
id_brand NULL NULL NULL NULL 2 NULL NO int NULL 10 10 0 1 1 0 0 70 2 2,3 same length,all numeric, guid NULL NULL NULL NULL 3 (newid()) NO uniqueidentifier NULL NULL NULL 1 36 36 0 0 0 70 Many (70) unique,same length,
customer_id NULL NULL NULL NULL 4 NULL YES varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
email NULL NULL NULL NULL 5 NULL YES varchar 100 NULL NULL 0 4 36 0 0 0 31 Many (31)
mobile NULL NULL NULL NULL 6 NULL YES varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
initials NULL NULL NULL NULL 7 NULL YES varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
title_short NULL NULL NULL NULL 8 NULL YES varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
title_long NULL NULL NULL NULL 9 NULL YES varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
firstname NULL NULL NULL NULL 10 NULL YES varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
lastname NULL NULL NULL NULL 11 NULL YES varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
address NULL NULL NULL NULL 12 NULL YES varchar 100 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
pc NULL NULL NULL NULL 13 NULL YES varchar 10 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
kixcode NULL NULL NULL NULL 14 NULL YES varchar 20 NULL NULL 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
date_created NULL NULL NULL NULL 15 (getdate()) NO datetime NULL NULL NULL 1 19 19 0 0 0 70 Many (70) unique,same length,
created_by NULL NULL NULL NULL 16 (user_name()) NO varchar 50 NULL NULL 0 13 13 0 0 0 1 loyalz-public same length,
id_location_created NULL FOREIGN KEY location id_location 17 NULL YES int NULL 10 10 0 1 1 0 0 70 2 1,2 same length,all numeric, id_individual_type NULL FOREIGN KEY individual_type id_individual_type 18 NULL YES int NULL 10 10 0 NULL NULL 70 0 0 0 NULL all null,empty,
optin NULL NULL NULL NULL 19 NULL YES int NULL 10 10 0 1 1 39 0 31 2 0,1 same length,


this can also happen when you dont have adequate permissions


I was using empty string '' on on table creation and then receiving error 'Msg 8152, String or binary data would be truncated' on subsequent update. This was happening due to the update value containing 6 characters and being larger than the column definition anticipated. I used "SPACE" to get around this only because I knew I would be updating in bulk following the initial data creation i.e. the column was not going to remain empty for long.

SO BIG CAVEAT HERE: This is not a particularly slick solution but is useful in the case where you are pulling together a data set e.g. for one-off intelligence requests where you are creating a table for data mining, applying some bulk processing/interpretation and storing before and after results for later comparison/mining. This is a frequent occurrence in my line of work.

You can initially populate using the SPACE keyword i.e.

    select 
           Table1.[column1]
          ,Table1.[column2]
          ,SPACE(10) as column_name
    into table_you_are_creating
    from Table1
    where ...

Subsequent updates to "column_name" of 10 characters or less (substitute as applicable) will then be allowed without causing truncate error. Again, I would only use this in scenarios similar to that described in my caveat.


I came across this problem today, and in my search for an answer to this minimal informative error message i also found this link:

https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/339410/please-fix-the-string-or-binary-data-would-be-truncated-message-to-give-the-column-name

So it seems microsoft has no plans to expand on error message anytime soon.

So i turned to other means.

I copied the errors to excel:

(1 row(s) affected)

(1 row(s) affected)

(1 row(s) affected) Msg 8152, Level 16, State 14, Line 13 String or binary data would be truncated. The statement has been terminated.

(1 row(s) affected)

counted the number of rows in excel, got to close to the records counter that caused the problem... adjusted my export code to print out the SQL close to it... then ran the 5 - 10 sql inserts around the problem sql and managed to pinpoint the problem one, see the string that was too long, increase size of that column and then big import file ran no problem.

Bit of a hack and a workaround, but when you left with very little choice you do what you can.


The issue is quite simple: one or more of the columns in the source query contains data that exceeds the length of its destination column. A simple solution would be to take your source query and execute Max(Len( source col )) on each column. I.e.,

Select Max(Len(TextCol1))
    , Max(Len(TextCol2))
    , Max(Len(TextCol3))
    , ...
From ...

Then compare those lengths to the data type lengths in your destination table. At least one, exceeds its destination column length.

If you are absolutely positive that this should not be the case and do not care if it is not the case, then another solution is to forcibly cast the source query columns to their destination length (which will truncate any data that is too long):

Select Cast(TextCol1 As varchar(...))
    , Cast(TextCol2 As varchar(...))
    , Cast(TextCol3 As varchar(...))
    , ...
From ...

Here is a slightly different answer. Your column names & lengths may all match, but perhaps you are specifying the columns in the wrong order in your SELECT statement. Say tableX and tableY have columns with the same name, but in different order


Yep - "a pint into a half-pint pot will not go". I've not had much luck (for whatever reason) with the various SPs that folks have suggested, BUT as long as the two tables are in the same DB (or you can get them into the same DB), you can use INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS to locate the errant field(s), thusly:

select c1.table_name,c1.COLUMN_NAME,c1.DATA_TYPE,c1.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH,c2.table_name,c2.COLUMN_NAME, c2.DATA_TYPE,c2.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH
from [INFORMATION_SCHEMA].[COLUMNS] c1
left join [INFORMATION_SCHEMA].[COLUMNS] c2 on 
c1.COLUMN_NAME=c2.COLUMN_NAME
where c1.TABLE_NAME='MyTable1'
and c2.TABLE_NAME='MyTable2'
--and c1.DATA_TYPE<>c2.DATA_TYPE
--and c1.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH <> c2.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH
order by c1.COLUMN_NAME

This will let you scroll up and down, comparing field lengths as you go. The commented sections let you see (once uncommented, obviously) if there are data type mismatches, or specifically show those that differ in field length - cos I'm too lazy to scroll - just be aware that the whole thing is predicated on the source column names matching those of the target.


Please try the following code:

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Department](
    [Department_name] char(10) NULL
)

INSERT INTO [dbo].[Department]([Department_name]) VALUES  ('Family Medicine')
--error will occur

 ALTER TABLE [Department] ALTER COLUMN [Department_name] char(50)

INSERT INTO [dbo].[Department]([Department_name]) VALUES  ('Family Medicine')

select * from [Department]

For the others, also check your stored procedure. In my case in my stored procedure CustomSearch I accidentally declared not enough length for my column, so when I entered a big data I received that error even though I have a big length on my database. I just changed the length of my column in my custom search the error goes away. This is just for the reminder. Thanks.


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