Prob inserting binary data into MSSQL db

[Anon]

The image data type in MSSQL is more than capable of storing 130K of binary data. I know this because I already have a table full of binary data that is perfectly retrievable.

I have a new table that I'm trying to insert the exact same type of binary data into. I cannot get the query to work, however.

First, I read the contents of the file into a variable called $data, and then run it through the addslashes function. Then, I use the query below to try to get it into the db:

UPDATE tblCases SET pdf = '$data' WHERE case_id = '$id'

I get an error telling me that the identifier that starts with 'blah blah' is too long. Maximum length is 128.

Can anyone explain to me why MSSQL is able to store large amounts of data but whimps out when I try to give it large amounts of data in a simple query??

[[deleted]]

Firstly, why store binary in the database at all? It hardly ever makes sense.

Secondly, if the database refuses to insert because 'it is too long' than that must be the case. Are you sure you defined the correct datatype?

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[tomhath]

How did the data get added into the first table? This update just doesn't look right to me. How can you quote binary data? And how do you escape special characters in it? What is a special character in binary data anyway? It isn't characters.

[[deleted]]

"How can you quote binary data? "

how else can you tell the query where the data begins and ends inside the statement?

"And how do you escape special characters in it?"

addslashes() 🙂
although MS-SQL probably requires a different method, like the single quote or something.

"What is a special character in binary data anyway? It isn't characters"

Characters aren't characters either, the are binary data that point to characters in the ASCII table. Thus you can print binary data just like you can print text, it just looks like your cat did a polka on a chinese keyboard.
The problem is that binary data can contain bytes of all values (0-255) and some of those values point to control characters such as EOF, EOL, enter, newline, quote etc. These must be escaped so SQL interprets them as the values they represent, and not the control function they have inside the query string.

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A forum, a FAQ, email notification, what else do you need?

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[Anon]

try mysql_escape_string() instead of addslashes()

[Anon]

sorry, i didn't remark your type of database, i don't know if it works with mssql.