{"id":577,"date":"2012-01-13T12:09:15","date_gmt":"2012-01-13T17:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sqlity.net\/en\/?p=577"},"modified":"2014-11-13T14:02:26","modified_gmt":"2014-11-13T19:02:26","slug":"selecting-the-entire-database-as-xml-string","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sqlity.net\/en\/577\/selecting-the-entire-database-as-xml-string\/","title":{"rendered":"Selecting the entire Database as XML String"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nI just ran into this question on StackOverflow: Dump data into single XML file from MS SQL Server 2008 R2<\/a>.
\nIn there Daniel is looking for a solution to export his database as an XML file.\n<\/p>\n

\nI thought that request was an excellent way to practice my XML skills so I spend a little time to come up with a solution.\n<\/p>\n

\nFor testing purposes I first created a few tables in an empty database:\n<\/p>\n

\n[sql]\n

DECLARE @cmd NVARCHAR(MAX) ;
\nSET @cmd = ( SELECT 'CREATE TABLE T' + CAST(n AS NVARCHAR(MAX))
\n + '(id INT IDENTITY(1,1)'
\n + (SELECT ',c' + CAST(c.n AS NVARCHAR(MAX))
\n + ' INT DEFAULT ' + CAST(c.n AS NVARCHAR(MAX))
\n + '*' + CAST(t.n AS NVARCHAR(MAX))
\n FROM dbo.GetNums(( t.n - 1 ) % 10 + 1) c
\n FOR XML PATH('') ,
\n TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)') + ');INSERT INTO T'
\n + CAST(n AS NVARCHAR(MAX)) + ' DEFAULT VALUES;'
\n FROM dbo.GetNums (3000) t
\nFOR XML PATH('') ,
\n TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)') ;<\/p>\n

EXEC(@cmd) ;
\n[\/sql]\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\nThis snippet uses Itzik's GetNums<\/a> function to generate 3000 CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements.\n<\/p>\n

\nWith the table in place I was able to come up with this solution to the original question:\n<\/p>\n

\n[sql]\nDECLARE @cmd NVARCHAR(MAX) ;
\nSET @cmd = 'SELECT * FROM('
\n + STUFF(
\n(SELECT ' UNION ALL SELECT ''' + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(object_id))
\n + '.' + QUOTENAME(name) + ''' [@name],' + '(SELECT * FROM '
\n + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(object_id)) + '.' + QUOTENAME(name)
\n + ' FOR XML PATH(''row''),TYPE) data'
\n FROM sys.tables
\n FOR XML PATH('') ,
\n TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 11, '')
\n + ')X FOR XML PATH(''table''),TYPE;' ;<\/p>\n

EXEC(@cmd) ;
\n[\/sql]\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\nThe script builds a single statement. For each table it selects the table name in a column with the name [@name] and the content of that table as XML (using a sub-select) in a column with the name data. All these SELECTs are \"UNION ALL\"ed together and formated into the final XML document with an additional outer SELECT FOR XML.\n<\/p>\n

\nIf you are only after some of the tables, you can add a where clause in row 8 of the above snippet.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe resulting XML has this format:\n<\/p>\n

\n[xml]\n&lt;table name=&quot;[dbo].[T1628]&quot;&gt;
\n &lt;data&gt;
\n &lt;row&gt;
\n &lt;id&gt;1&lt;\/id&gt;
\n &lt;c1&gt;1628&lt;\/c1&gt;
\n &lt;c2&gt;3256&lt;\/c2&gt;
\n &lt;c3&gt;4884&lt;\/c3&gt;
\n &lt;c4&gt;6512&lt;\/c4&gt;
\n &lt;c5&gt;8140&lt;\/c5&gt;
\n &lt;c6&gt;9768&lt;\/c6&gt;
\n &lt;c7&gt;11396&lt;\/c7&gt;
\n &lt;c8&gt;13024&lt;\/c8&gt;
\n &lt;\/row&gt;
\n &lt;\/data&gt;
\n&lt;\/table&gt;
\n&lt;table name=&quot;[dbo].[T2102]&quot;&gt;
\n &lt;data&gt;
\n &lt;row&gt;
\n &lt;id&gt;1&lt;\/id&gt;
\n &lt;c1&gt;2102&lt;\/c1&gt;
\n &lt;c2&gt;4204&lt;\/c2&gt;
\n &lt;\/row&gt;
\n &lt;\/data&gt;
\n&lt;\/table&gt;
\n[\/xml]\n<\/div>\n

\nFor each table there is a <table> tag that has a name attribut with the table name. It contains a <data> tag that in turn contains one <row> tag for every row in the table.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe only thing missing to make this valid XML is a root tag, but that should be easy to add.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just ran into this question on StackOverflow: Dump data into single XML file from MS SQL Server 2008 R2. In there Daniel is looking for a solution to export his database as an XML file. I thought that request [more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,16],"tags":[15,271],"class_list":["post-577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-xml","tag-sql-server","tag-xml"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSelecting the entire Database as XML 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