Upload / Download file from SQL Server 2005/2008 from WinForms C# app?

Question

I'm using DocX to create .docx files. Instead of storing them on hard drive, Share or SharePoint i would prefer to store them inside SQL Database. So my questions are:

1. How to write proper code to save file to that database?
2. How to write proper code to retrive file to that database?
3. What kind of datatype should i set for a table to hold the docx files? Is it Image?

With regards,

MadBoy

PS. I would prefer a proper code in terms of using Using the old 'school' way:

using (var varConnection = Locale.sqlConnectOneTime(Locale.sqlDataConnectionDetailsDepozyt))
using (var sqlQuery = new SqlCommand(preparedCommand, varConnection))
using (var sqlQueryResult = sqlQuery.ExecuteReader())
    while (sqlQueryResult != null && sqlQueryResult.Read())

Solution 1

A docx file is like a zip file which is collection of several files. What about converting into binary and then saving into DB

Something as followswill work

To save

        string filePath = "";
        string connectionString = "";
        FileStream stream = new FileStream(filePath, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
        BinaryReader reader = new BinaryReader(stream);
        byte[] file = reader.ReadBytes((int)stream.Length);
        reader.Close();
        stream.Close();

        SqlCommand command;
        SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);
        command = new SqlCommand("INSERT INTO FileTable (File) Values(@File)", connection);
        command.Parameters.Add("@File", SqlDbType.Binary, file.Length).Value = file;
        connection.Open();
        command.ExecuteNonQuery();

Retrieval is a bit complicated process as follows

            SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection("");
            string query = 
            @" SELECT File FROM FileTable where FileID =" + 125;
            SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand(query, connection);

            FileStream stream;
            BinaryWriter writer;

            int bufferSize = 100;
            byte[] outByte = new byte[bufferSize];

            long retval;
            long startIndex = 0;

            string pubID = "";

            connection.Open();
            SqlDataReader reader = command.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.Default);

            while (reader.Read())
            {    
                pubID = reader.GetString(0);

                stream = 
                new FileStream("abc.docx", FileMode.OpenOrCreate, FileAccess.Write);
                writer = new BinaryWriter(stream);
                startIndex = 0;
                retval = reader.GetBytes(1, startIndex, outByte, 0, bufferSize);

                while (retval == bufferSize)
                {
                    writer.Write(outByte);
                    writer.Flush();
                    startIndex += bufferSize;
                    retval = reader.GetBytes(1, startIndex, outByte, 0, bufferSize);
                }
                writer.Write(outByte, 0, (int)retval - 1);
                writer.Flush();
                writer.Close();
                stream.Close();
            } reader.Close();
            connection.Close();

Have look at following articles for help and details

Saving:

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/4f5s1we0(VS.80).aspx

Retreival :

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/87z0hy49(VS.80).aspx

Solution 2

I know it's not using readers, but here is a sample to query it and save to disk. To put it back it would just be an insert or update passing in a byte[]. The data type would be varbinary max in sql.

SqlConnection connection = new SqlConnection ("...");
    connection.Open ();
    SqlCommand command = new 
      SqlCommand ("select...e", connection);
    byte[] buffer = (byte[]) command.ExecuteScalar ();
    connection.Close();
    FileStream fs = new FileStream(@"C:\test.pdf", FileMode.Create);
    fs.Write(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
    fs.Close();

reader might be something like this

while (myReader.Read())
        {
            byte[] file = myReader.GetBytes(0));
            // might be 
            file = (byte[])GetValue(0);
        }