Insert rows
Inserts rows of data into a SQL Server table using a DataReader or a DataTable as the source. Uses SQL Server bulk copy for high-throughput loading.
Use this action when you need to load a large number of rows into a table from an upstream data source — a JSON file, a CSV import, a query result from another database, or any action that produces a DataReader or DataTable.
When to use this
- To bulk-load rows from a file (JSON, CSV) into a SQL Server table after reading the file with a DataReader action.
- To insert query results from one database into a table in another database.
- To load data produced by upstream transformation actions into a staging or target table.
- When performance matters — this action uses bulk copy, which is faster than row-by-row inserts via Execute Command.
How it works
- Input: A DataReader or DataTable from an upstream action, and the name of the destination table.
- Processing: Reads rows from the source and bulk-inserts them into the destination table in batches. The batch size controls how many rows are sent per round-trip. The target table must already exist and its schema must match the source (see Target table schema below).
- Output: Optionally stores the number of inserted rows in a Flow variable specified by Result variable name.
Important
The target table must exist before this action runs. Use Create Table or Create Table from Source to set it up if needed.
Example 
This flow imports JSON data from file storage into a SQL Server table and cleans up afterward. Read File from Share as a Stream reads the file from Azure Files. Get JSON DataReader parses the JSON content into a DataReader. Insert Data into Table bulk-loads the rows into the target table. Delete Directory removes the source folder to keep storage tidy. Use this pattern for file-based data imports where the source format is parsed into a DataReader before loading.
Properties
| Name | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Title | No | A descriptive title for the action. |
| Connection | Yes | The SQL Server Connection to the target database. |
| Enable dynamic connection | No | When enabled, uses a connection created at runtime by Create Connection. Use this when the target database varies between runs. |
| Source | Yes | The data to insert. Accepts a DataReader or a DataTable from an upstream action. |
| Destination table | Yes | The name of the table to insert data into. |
| Batch size | No | The number of rows inserted per batch. Default is 5000. Larger batches reduce round-trips but use more memory. The optimal value depends on row size and network latency. |
| Result variable name | No | The name of a Flow variable that receives the number of rows inserted. Use this to pass the count to downstream actions or conditions. |
| Command timeout (seconds) | No | Maximum execution time in seconds. The action fails with a timeout error if exceeded. Default is 120 seconds. |
| Disabled | No | When checked, the action is skipped during Flow execution. |
| Description | No | Additional notes or comments about the action or configuration. |
Target table schema
The target table must have a schema (columns and data types) that matches the schema of the Source DataReader or DataTable. The columns do not need to be in the same order, but they must match by name and data type.
Note
If you get the error "The locale id '...' of the source column '...' and the locale id '...' of the destination column '...' do not match", the collation differs between source and target columns. Two options:
- Use a DataTable instead of a DataReader as the Source.
- Convert the collation in the source query to match the target. For example:
SELECT CONVERT(varchar(100), [ColumnName] COLLATE target_collation_name) AS [ColumnName] FROM ...in the Get DataReader action that produces the source.
Returns
No direct return value. If Result variable name is set, the specified Flow variable receives the total number of rows inserted.
See also
- Insert or Update Row — upserts a single row based on key match.
- Merge Tables — merges source rows into a target table with insert/update/delete logic.
- Load to DataTable — loads data into a DataTable for use as a source.
- Get DataReader — executes a query and returns a DataReader for use as a source.
- Create Table — creates the target table before inserting.
- Connection — how to set up a SQL Server connection.
SQL Server: Videos / Getting started
This section contains videos to help you get started quickly working with Azure SQL / SQL Server using Flow.
Dump CSV file from Azure Blob container to Azure SQL table
This video demonstrates how to import all records from a CSV file into an Azure SQL table.
In the demo, no data import options (such as data type conversion, number or date formatting) are specified, meaning the data is imported as raw text.