SQL Server - BLOB Import and Export

Introduction 

SQL scripts to insert File to BLOB field and export BLOB to File. Using SQL Server 2008, you can save images / files to BLOB binaries and retrieve them back to the file system.

Import 

Test table structure:

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[TestBlob](
[tbId] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL,
[tbName] [varchar](50) NULL,
[tbDesc] [varchar](100) NULL,
[tbBin] [varbinary](max) NULL
) ON [PRIMARY]    

Insert file to BLOB test table is fairly easy. Open Microsoft SQL server management studio, run the below script, script is inserting one pdf, doc, image and exe fil.

Insert TestBlob(tbName, tbDesc, tbBin) Select 
'81.pdf','PDF file', BulkColumn from Openrowset( Bulk 
'C:\blob\udoc\81.pdf', Single_Blob) as tb 

Insert TestBlob(tbName, tbDesc, tbBin) Select 'mountain.jpg','Image 
jpeg', BulkColumn from Openrowset( Bulk 'C:\blob\udoc\mountain.jpg', 
Single_Blob) as tb

Insert TestBlob(tbName, tbDesc, tbBin) Select 'Questionnaire.docx','Doc 
Question', BulkColumn from Openrowset( Bulk 
'C:\blob\udoc\Questionnaire.docx', Single_Blob) as tb

Insert TestBlob(tbName, tbDesc, tbBin) Select 'txpeng542.exe','Texpad 
Exe', BulkColumn from Openrowset( Bulk 'C:\blob\udoc\txpeng542.exe', 
Single_Blob) as tb

Export 

To export a BLOB field to file, you need a SQL Server utility called “bcp”, more info http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms162802.aspx. You can run bcp.exe from the DOS command line or within SQL Server Management Studio query window.

Enable xp_cmdshell

xp_cmdshell is a TSQL command to execute OS shell command, by default it’s not enabled. Here are the scripts to enable it 2 ways:

EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
GO
RECONFIGURE;
GO
EXEC sp_configure 'xp_cmdshell',1
GO
RECONFIGURE
GO

If you get error, use the second option:

Configuration option 'show advanced options' changed from 0 to 1. Run the RECONFIGURE statement to install.
Msg 5808, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Ad hoc update to system catalogs is not supported.
Msg 15123, Level 16, State 1, Procedure sp_configure, Line 51
The configuration option 'xp_cmdshell' does not exist, or it may be an advanced option.
Msg 5808, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Ad hoc update to system catalogs is not supported.

Use Surface Area Configuration(SAC) tool to enable

MS has removed the SAC tool that was shipped in SQL Server 2005. The Services and Connections that were once managed in SAC tool should now be managed using the SQL Server Configuration Manager. So how do you manage the Database Engine features? You can now manage the SAC for the Database Engine using Policy Based Management. A new SAC Facet in SQL Server Management Studio exposes the properties necessary to make required changes.
First, right-click on the instance name that you would like to configure in SQL Server Management Studio and select "Facets" from the context menu as shown below.
Select SAC from the Facet list, set True to XPCmdShellEnabled properties.

Creating a Format File.

more info from microsoft link1, link2

Declare @sql varchar(500)
SET @sql = 'bcp AdventureWorks2008R2.dbo.TestBlob format nul -T -n -f C:\dns\testblob.fmt -S ' + @@SERVERNAME
select @sql 
EXEC master.dbo.xp_CmdShell @sql 

Open the format testblob.fmt file, this FORMAT file mapped the whole testblob table fields.

10.0
4
1       SQLINT              0       4       ""   1     tbId             ""
2       SQLCHAR             2       50      ""   2     tbName           Latin1_General_100_CS_AS
3       SQLCHAR             2       100     ""   3     tbDesc           Latin1_General_100_CS_AS
4       SQLBINARY           8       0       ""   4     tbBin            ""

For retrieve image blob, need only the "tbBin" binary field. so manually modify the above format file to like below, Please note: original 8 change to 0 and save it:

10.0
1
1       SQLBINARY           0       0       ""   1     tbBin            ""

Execute the below script to export, 4 exported (pdf, doc, image and exe) files in the ddoc folder.

Declare @sql varchar(500)
set @sql = 'BCP "SELECT tbBin FROM AdventureWorks2008R2.dbo.TestBlob 
where tbId=3" QUERYOUT C:\blob\ddoc\81.pdf -T -f C:\blob\testblob.fmt -S
 ' + @@SERVERNAME

EXEC master.dbo.xp_CmdShell @sql 
SET @sql = 'BCP "SELECT tbBin FROM AdventureWorks2008R2.dbo.TestBlob 
where tbId=4" QUERYOUT C:\blob\ddoc\mountain.jpg -T -f 
C:\blob\testblob.fmt -S ' + @@SERVERNAME

EXEC master.dbo.xp_CmdShell @sql 
SET @sql = 'BCP "SELECT tbBin FROM AdventureWorks2008R2.dbo.TestBlob 
where tbId=5" QUERYOUT C:\blob\ddoc\Questionnaire.docx -T 
-fC:\blob\testblob.fmt -S ' + @@SERVERNAME

EXEC master.dbo.xp_CmdShell @sql 
SET @sql = 'BCP "SELECT tbBin FROM AdventureWorks2008R2.dbo.TestBlob 
where tbId=6" QUERYOUT C:\blob\ddoc\txpeng542.exe -T -f 
C:\blob\testblob.fmt -S ' + @@SERVERNAME
EXEC master.dbo.xp_CmdShell @sql