BULK INSERT with inconsistent number of columns

Question

I am trying to load a large amount data in SQL server from a flat file using BULK INSERT. However, my file has varying number of columns, for instance the first row contains

Answer 1

BULK INSERT isn't particularly flexible. One work-around is to load each row of data into an interim table that contains a single big varchar column. Once loaded, you then parse each row using your own routines.