title: Difference in "format" and "queryout" options available in BCP
body: <p>I am trying to import data into Sybase ASE 15.7 (trial version) using BCP (version 10) on Windows.
  To do so, I first try to create format file for the table with following command and get an error: <strong>Copy direction must be either 'in' or 'out'. Syntax Error in 'format'.</strong></p>
  
  <pre><code>C:\Sybase\OCS-15_0\bin&gt;bcp TEST_EMP2 format nul -f C:\test_files\TEST_EMP2.fmt -
  c -T -t,
  Copy direction must be either 'in' or 'out'.
  Syntax Error in 'format'.
  usage: bcp [[db_name.]owner.]table_name[:slice_num] [partition pname] {in | out}
   [filename]
          [-m maxerrors] [-f formatfile] [-e errfile] [-d discardfileprefix]
          [-F firstrow] [-L lastrow] [-b batchsize]
          [-n] [-c] [-t field_terminator] [-r row_terminator]
          [-U username] [-P password] [-I interfaces_file] [-S server]
          [-a display_charset] [-z language] [-v]
          [-i input_file] [-o output_file]
          [-A packet size] [-J client character set]
          [-T text or image size] [-E] [-g id_start_value] [-N] [-W] [-X]
          [-M LabelName LabelValue] [-labeled]
          [-K keytab_file] [-R remote_server_principal] [-C]
          [-V [security_options]] [-Z security_mechanism] [-Q] [-Y]
          [-y sybase directory] [-x trusted.txt_file]
          [--clienterr errfile] [--maxconn maximum_connections]
          [--show-fi] [--hide-vcc]
          [--colpasswd [[[db_name.[owner].]table_name.]column_name [password]]]
          [--keypasswd [[db_name.[owner].]key_name [password]]]
          [--initstring ASE initialization string] [--quoted-fname]
  C:\Sybase\OCS-15_0\bin&gt;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I looked up the BCP utility options on the following site and found that option to create format file or queryout is not listed there.
  <a href="http://infocenter.sybase.com/help/index.jsp?topic=/com.sybase.infocenter.dc30191.1550/html/utility/X14951.htm" rel="nofollow">http://infocenter.sybase.com/help/index.jsp?topic=/com.sybase.infocenter.dc30191.1550/html/utility/X14951.htm</a></p>
  
  <pre><code>bcp [[database_name.]owner.]table_name [: [ partition_id | slice_number ] |
      partition partition_name] {in | out} datafile
      [-f formatfile]
      [-e errfile] 
      [-d discardfileprefix]
      [-F firstrow]
      [-L lastrow]
      [-b batchsize]
      [-m maxerrors]
      [-n]
      [-c]
      [-t field_terminator]
      [-r row_terminator]
      [-U username]
      [-P password]
      [-I interfaces_file]
      [-S server]
      [-a display_charset]
      [-z language]
      [-A packet_size]
      [-J client_charset]
      [-T text_or_image_size]
      [-E]
      [-g id_start_value]
      [-N]
      [-W]
      [-X]
      [-M LabelName LabelValue] 
      [-labeled]
      [-K keytab_file]
      [-R remote_server_principal]
      [-C]
      [-V [security_options]]
      [-Z security_mechanism]
      [-Q]
      [-Y]
      [-y sybase directory]
      [-x trusted.txt_file]
      [--maxconn maximum_connections
      [--show-fi]
      [--hide-vcc]
      [--colpasswd [[[database_name.[owner].table_name.]column_name
          [password]]]
      [--keypasswd [[database_name.[owner].]key_name [password]]]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>However for SQL server, BCP description shows format and queryout options in the following description of the utility.
  <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms162802.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms162802.aspx</a></p>
  
  <p>_xCodexBlockxPlacexHolderx_Can anyone please tell me if the options to queryout and create format file using "format" option is not supported in BCP on Sybase ASE? Or is there a way to enable these? </p>
  
  <p>I am aware that we can create format files manually, but that is not feasible as I have to create format files for 2000 tables.</p>
  
  <p>I would like to know if anyone has faced similar issue to generate format files using BCP, and if there is a workaround to solve this issue.</p>