Will a COPY command work in a T-SQL stored procedure?

Yes, you can absolutely use the COPY statement within a stored procedure in Synapse Analytics! This offers a powerful way to automate bulk data loading tasks as part of your stored procedure logic. Here's how it works:

1. Using COPY within a Stored Procedure:
   • Define your stored procedure: Start by creating a T-SQL stored procedure in your Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool. You can include parameters for specifying the source data location and other details of the COPY statement.
   • Embed the COPY statement: Within the stored procedure body, write the COPY statement with the required parameters and target table. Example:

   SQL
   CREATE PROCEDURE sp_LoadBulkData (@dataPath VARCHAR(255))
   AS
   BEGIN
       COPY MyTable
       FROM @dataPath
       WITH (
           FORMAT = 'CSV',
           DATA_SOURCE = 'AzureBlobStorage'
       );
   END
                           

   Call the stored procedure: You can then call the stored procedure from any T-SQL code or application within Synapse Analytics. Pass the relevant data path (or other parameter values) as input to trigger the bulk data loading.

2. Benefits of using COPY in stored procedures:
   • Automation: Schedule the stored procedure execution to automatically load data whenever needed.
   • Modularization: Encapsulate data loading logic in a reusable procedure for cleaner code and increased maintainability.
   • Error handling: Implement exception handling within the stored procedure to manage potential errors during data loading.
   • Security: Control access to sensitive data by managing permissions for stored procedure execution.

Considerations:

• Ensure proper permissions are granted for the stored procedure to access the source data and target table.
• Choose the appropriate format and data source options based on your specific data structure and location.
• Optimize the COPY statement parameters for efficient data loading performance.

Overall, using the COPY statement within stored procedures provides a powerful and flexible approach for automating bulk data loading tasks within Synapse Analytics. Consider this approach to streamline your data pipeline and manage data updates efficiently.