IMAGE

SQL IMAGE data type is a data type used in SQL Server to store binary data in the form of images. The IMAGE data type is a variable-length binary data type that can store up to 2^31-1 bytes of data. The IMAGE data type is deprecated in SQL Server 2005 and later versions, and Microsoft recommends using the VARBINARY(MAX) data type instead.

The IMAGE data type can be used to store graphics, pictures, or other binary data, such as audio or video files. It is commonly used in applications that require the storage of large amounts of image data, such as web applications, document management systems, or multimedia applications.

Syntax

To create a table with an IMAGE data type column, you can use the following SQL syntax:

CREATE TABLE mytable (
    id int PRIMARY KEY,
    image_data IMAGE
);

Example

To insert data into an IMAGE data type column, you can use the following SQL example:

INSERT INTO mytable (id, image_data)
VALUES (1, 0x12345678);

In this example, the binary data 0x12345678 is inserted into the IMAGE data type column.

To retrieve data from an IMAGE data type column, you can use the SELECT statement:

SELECT image_data 
FROM mytable 
WHERE id = 1;

This will return the binary data stored in the IMAGE data type column for the row with the specified ID.

In summary, the IMAGE data type in SQL Server is a deprecated variable-length binary data type used to store large binary data such as images, audio, or video files. Its usage is now replaced by VARBINARY(MAX) data type.