Alternative Methods to List Files in a Folder Using SQL Server

In SQL Server, one can encounter the need to list files within a specified directory. There are various methods to accomplish this task, and one of them is to utilize the xp_cmdshell stored procedure. However, in certain scenarios, we may prefer to avoid using this procedure.

An Alternative Approach: xp_dirtree

Consider the xp_dirtree stored procedure as an alternative solution for listing files inside a folder. This stored procedure requires three parameters:

1. Root Directory Path: The path to the root directory whose contents you wish to list.
2. Depth: The level of depth up to which you want to retrieve files and folders.
3. Options: A value indicating whether to display folders only or include both folders and files.

Usage Example

To illustrate the usage of xp_dirtree, let's execute the following command:

EXEC xp_dirtree 'C:\', 2, 1

In this example, we're specifying the root directory as 'C:\', setting the depth to 2 (which will list files and folders up to two subdirectories deep), and opting to display only folders by setting the third parameter to 1.