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prerequisites-for-minimal-logging-in-bulk-import.md

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title Prerequisites for Minimal Logging in Bulk Import
description In a simple recovery or bulk-logged recovery model, minimal logging of bulk-import operations reduces the possibility that an operation fills the log space.
author rwestMSFT
ms.author randolphwest
ms.date 09/07/2025
ms.service sql
ms.subservice data-movement
ms.topic concept-article
helpviewer_keywords
minimal logging [SQL Server]
logged bulk copy [SQL Server]
logs [SQL Server], minimal logging
minimally logged operations [SQL Server]
bulk importing [SQL Server], minimal logging

Prerequisites for minimal logging in bulk import

[!INCLUDE SQL Server]

For a database under the full recovery model, all row-insert operations that are performed by bulk import are fully logged in the transaction log. Large data imports can cause the transaction log to fill rapidly if the full recovery model is used. In contrast, under the simple recovery model or bulk-logged recovery model, minimal logging of bulk-import operations reduces the possibility that a bulk-import operation fills the log space. Minimal logging is also more efficient than full logging.

Note

The bulk-logged recovery model is designed to temporarily replace the full recovery model during large bulk operations.

Table requirements for minimally logging bulk-import operations

Minimal logging requires that the target table meets the following conditions:

  • The table isn't being replicated.

  • Table locking is specified (using TABLOCK).

    [!NOTE]
    Although data insertions aren't logged in the transaction log during a minimally logged bulk-import operation, the [!INCLUDE ssDE] still logs extent allocations each time a new extent is allocated to the table.

  • The table isn't a memory-optimized table.

Whether minimal logging can occur for a table also depends on whether the table is indexed and, if so, whether the table is empty:

  • If the table has no indexes, data pages are minimally logged.

  • If the table has no clustered index but has one or more nonclustered indexes, data pages are always minimally logged. How index pages are logged, however, depends on whether the table is empty:

    • If the table is empty, index pages are minimally logged. If you start with an empty table and bulk import the data in multiple batches, both index and data pages are minimally logged for the first batch, but beginning with the second batch, only data pages are minimally logged.

    • If the table is non-empty, index pages are fully logged.

    • If one of the indexes has IGNORE_DUP_KEY = ON, index and data pages are fully logged.

  • If the table has a clustered index and is empty, both data and index pages are minimally logged. In contrast, if a table has a B-tree based clustered index and is non-empty, data pages and index pages are both fully logged regardless of the recovery model. If you start with an empty rowstore table and bulk import the data in batches, both index and data pages are minimally logged for the first batch, but from the second batch onward, only data pages are bulk logged.

    [!INCLUDE sql-b-tree]

  • For information about logging for a clustered columnstore index (CCI), see Columnstore index data loading guidance.

Note

When transactional replication is enabled, BULK INSERT operations are fully logged even under the bulk logged recovery model.

Related tasks

Next step

[!div class="nextstepaction"] View or change the recovery model of a database (SQL Server)