Hi,
Generally, without bulk load, Virtual DataPort uses a conventional load (SQL insert statements) to populate the cache. When the "Use bulk load API" feature is enabled in the [cache configuration](https://community.denodo.com/docs/html/browse/latest/vdp/administration/server_administration_-_configuring_the_server/configuring_the_cache/configuring_the_cache), the data will be written to a temporary file and transferred directly to the cache database using a direct path load.
**Note :** Bulk Load is effective when the number of rows to insert is tens of thousands or higher. With a lower number of rows, there is no performance increase.
In addition to that, I was able to successfully configure the Microsoft SQL Server API by following the [steps](https://community.denodo.com/docs/html/browse/latest/vdp/administration/bulk_data_load/sql_server) below:
* [Install](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53591) the SQL Server client **bcp** on the host where the Virtual DataPort Server runs.
* Then, enable the **“Use bulk data load API”** on the “Read & Write” tab of the cache data source, I pointed to the path of bcp executable file.
You can have a look at the section [Bulk Data Load](https://community.denodo.com/docs/html/browse/7.0/vdp/administration/bulk_data_load/bulk_data_load#bulk-data-load) of Virtual DataPort Administration Guide and [Best Practices to Maximize Performance III: Caching](https://community.denodo.com/kb/view/document/Best%20Practices%20to%20Maximize%20Performance%20III%3A%20Caching?category=Best+Practices) Knowledge Base Article for more information.
Hope this helps!
