Max bytes data in a sql 2008 row

i read single row in table can hold 8000 bytes of data. want import data table , data pipe delimited. data maps 500 columns maximum byte count of 21,400 bytes. unless 90% of data columns empty may run trouble sql limits during import.  thoughts on how avoid trouble appreciated.

tia,

edm2

this restriction has been relaxed starting sql 2005. however, performance adversely affected when data overflows 8060 byte limit. also, 8060 byte limit doesn't apply varchar(max), varbinary(max), etc beware of adverse performance implications. after importing data, try normalize data, if possible. can read more row-overflow data here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186981(v=sql.100).aspx

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satish kartan www.sqlfood.com

SQL Server  >  SQL Server Database Engine