Hi, I have a very strange problem using bcp.

I'm using bcp to export data to text file. I have a .fmt format file which
specifies the layout.

The problem is that on one server, when it exports the data to a text file
using a delimiter, the data when opened with Notepad looks like garbage like
a series of high-ASCII black squares. But, the real data is really there. If
I open the text file in WordPad or another editor then it's completely
readable. If I copy the text file to another computer and open it with
Notepad, it still looks garbled.

However, exporting the exact same data without a delimiter, just using fixed
length fields, the data when opened with Notepad is completely readable.

What's even stranger is, on the other server running the same command, the
data looks fine in Notepad with or without delimiters. No black squares
ever!

What's going on here? Why does one server generate a text file that when
viewed with Notepad, all the data looks like black squares, and why does
this only happen on one server and why does it only happen when there is a
delimiter specified but not when it's fixed length? Please let me know what
I need to do to correct this anomaly on one server.

Scott

Are the Windows code pages different on the two servers? If you open the
file in notepad and then try to "save as" does the "encoding" default to
ANSI or unicode?

Cindy Gross, MCDBA, MCSE
http://cindygross.tripod.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.