Having trouble converting to datetime in SQL import

Our database gets updated each week with text files spat out by a mainframe. Previously, the database was in Access; we copied and pasted the text files into Excel, ran macros on them to convert the data, then pasted the results directly into Access and this worked fine for us.

Now that we've moved the tables to SQL Server 2000, we're having problems with the data. We wanted to set up DTS packages for each file to just put them directly into SQL Server. This works for pretty much everything except for the dates.

The way the files are set up, they're comma delimited files with quotes around the text and nothing around the dates. The dates don't have any delimiters; they're just listed like 13012006. Every time we try to import these files into SQL, it gripes about the datatypes; we're trying to put the dates into datetime fields but SQL thinks they're strings. Eek! If we put date delimiters (like 13/01/2006) SQL pulls them in fine, but apparently the mainframe lacks the ability to put these delimiters in by itself and still run everything else OK. The person who writes the extracts has to do it in a language called 'Focus' which I've never heard of and don't know anything about, and he says what I'm asking for can't be done. OK...so now what?

I've tried and tried to convert these strings into dates using both CAST() and CONVERT() and just can't manage to do it. I know I'm missing something really obvious here; does anyone have any tips or advice? Thanks in advance.It's a bit of a pain to find in the DTS Designer, but within the Data Pump task, if you individually define the column mappings, there is an option to select DateTime strings.

One way to do this is to:
1. Select your source and destination connections
2. Add the Data Pump task
3. Specify your source table/query
4. Specify the destination query
5. Click on the 'Transformations' tab (usually the column mappings will auto-populate)
6. Click on the column mapping where the source is the date formatted as a string.
7. Delete this column mapping (click on delete or hit the delete key)
8. Select the source column and the destination column and click on 'New'
9. Choose the third item from the pop-up list (DateTime string)
10. You will then have to define the properties of the source and destination formats.

I've worked with this before and it worked pretty well.

Alternatively, you could proceed through item 8 and then (in item 9) choose ActiveX script. This will allow you to define more custom formats and insert additional error checking and/or handling.

Regards,

hmscott|||It's a bit of a pain to find in the DTS Designer, but within the Data Pump task, if you individually define the column mappings, there is an option to select DateTime strings.

One way to do this is to:
1. Select your source and destination connections
2. Add the Data Pump task
3. Specify your source table/query
4. Specify the destination query
5. Click on the 'Transformations' tab (usually the column mappings will auto-populate)
6. Click on the column mapping where the source is the date formatted as a string.
7. Delete this column mapping (click on delete or hit the delete key)
8. Select the source column and the destination column and click on 'New'
9. Choose the third item from the pop-up list (DateTime string)
10. You will then have to define the properties of the source and destination formats.

I've worked with this before and it worked pretty well.

Alternatively, you could proceed through item 8 and then (in item 9) choose ActiveX script. This will allow you to define more custom formats and insert additional error checking and/or handling.

Regards,

hmscott

Thanks for the advice; I'll try your first suggestion, since I can't write ActiveX script. I can usually manage SQL and I can almost always figure it out on my own, but this one stumped me. I'm not a certified DBA or anything, I'm still learning. :)|||It's a bit of a pain to find in the DTS Designer, but within the Data Pump task, if you individually define the column mappings, there is an option to select DateTime strings.

One way to do this is to:
1. Select your source and destination connections
2. Add the Data Pump task
3. Specify your source table/query
4. Specify the destination query
5. Click on the 'Transformations' tab (usually the column mappings will auto-populate)
6. Click on the column mapping where the source is the date formatted as a string.
7. Delete this column mapping (click on delete or hit the delete key)
8. Select the source column and the destination column and click on 'New'
9. Choose the third item from the pop-up list (DateTime string)
10. You will then have to define the properties of the source and destination formats.

I've worked with this before and it worked pretty well.

Alternatively, you could proceed through item 8 and then (in item 9) choose ActiveX script. This will allow you to define more custom formats and insert additional error checking and/or handling.

Regards,

hmscott

We tried using datetime strings and it just refused to work; we had to write ActiveX scripts n the end using DateSerial in VBScript, which was tough for us because neither one of us really knows VBScript, I'm a VB noob and my colleague knows VBA but not VBScript; I know they're basically the same but he doesn't. :) But we did eventually get it to work! So yay!

Having problems with variables

I have a Execute Process Task that pretty much executes a batch file that downloads a file that has a dynamic file name (with datetime stamp). Now I would like to load this file to a Flat File Source task in the Data Flow Task section automatically. So, creating a file manager or something on the fly. Is something like this possible with SSIS? Or am I simply hitting the wall here?

Thank you.

Why can you not just drop a data-flow into your package and make sure it executes after the Execute process task?

-Jamie

Having difficulty setting Back Up to back up file wihout datetime stamp SQL 2K

Hello,

I'm trying to create a simple back up in the SQL Maintenance Plan that will
make a single back up copy of all database every night at 10 pm. I'd like
the previous nights file to be overwritten, so there will be only a single
back up file for each database (tape back up runs every night, so each days
back up will be saved on tape).

Every night the maintenance plan makes a back up of all the databases to a
new file with a datetime stamp, meaning the previous nights file still
exists. Even when I check "Remove files older than 22 hours" the previous
nights file still exists. Is there any way to create a back up file without
the date time stamp so it overwrites the previous nights file?

Thanks!
RickOn 24.04.2007 15:29, Rico wrote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by

I'm trying to create a simple back up in the SQL Maintenance Plan that will
make a single back up copy of all database every night at 10 pm. I'd like
the previous nights file to be overwritten, so there will be only a single
back up file for each database (tape back up runs every night, so each days
back up will be saved on tape).
>
Every night the maintenance plan makes a back up of all the databases to a
new file with a datetime stamp, meaning the previous nights file still
exists. Even when I check "Remove files older than 22 hours" the previous
nights file still exists. Is there any way to create a back up file without
the date time stamp so it overwrites the previous nights file?

Yes, I believe option is "WITH INIT". Please see BOL for details.

Regards

robert|||Hi Robert,

Thanks, but I should have mentioned that I'm using SQL 2000 and I'm not
using T-SQL, just trying to create the Maintenance plan from the Enterprise
Manager.

Rick

"Robert Klemme" <shortcutter@.googlemail.comwrote in message
news:596ghdF2jtij6U1@.mid.individual.net...

Quote:

Originally Posted by

On 24.04.2007 15:29, Rico wrote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by

>I'm trying to create a simple back up in the SQL Maintenance Plan that
>will
>make a single back up copy of all database every night at 10 pm. I'd
>like
>the previous nights file to be overwritten, so there will be only a
>single
>back up file for each database (tape back up runs every night, so each
>days
>back up will be saved on tape).
>>
>Every night the maintenance plan makes a back up of all the databases to
>a
>new file with a datetime stamp, meaning the previous nights file still
>exists. Even when I check "Remove files older than 22 hours" the
>previous
>nights file still exists. Is there any way to create a back up file
>without
>the date time stamp so it overwrites the previous nights file?

>
Yes, I believe option is "WITH INIT". Please see BOL for details.
>
Regards
>
robert

|||Rico (me@.you.com) writes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by

Thanks, but I should have mentioned that I'm using SQL 2000 and I'm not
using T-SQL, just trying to create the Maintenance plan from the
Enterprise Manager.

From what you described, you should not use a maintenance plan. Just set up
a scheduled job to run the BACKUP statement. You can do this from the
GUI where you backup databases, and select Schedule somewhere on a button.
In the end you get a one-step job that has a BACKUP job.

Then again, if you have any interest in acquiring basic DBA skills, you
should certainly learn to write basic BACKUP commands in T-SQL.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se
Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...oads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodin...ions/books.mspx|||Thanks Erland,

I don't have a problem creating the T-SQL commands, it's using the
Enterprise Manager to do more than create dbs is where I get lost.

I will give that a try (creating a back up job and scheduling)

THanks!
Rick

"Erland Sommarskog" <esquel@.sommarskog.sewrote in message
news:Xns991D5A7E496DYazorman@.127.0.0.1...

Quote:

Originally Posted by

Rico (me@.you.com) writes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by

>Thanks, but I should have mentioned that I'm using SQL 2000 and I'm not
>using T-SQL, just trying to create the Maintenance plan from the
>Enterprise Manager.

>
From what you described, you should not use a maintenance plan. Just set
up
a scheduled job to run the BACKUP statement. You can do this from the
GUI where you backup databases, and select Schedule somewhere on a button.
In the end you get a one-step job that has a BACKUP job.
>
Then again, if you have any interest in acquiring basic DBA skills, you
should certainly learn to write basic BACKUP commands in T-SQL.
>
--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se
>
Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...oads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodin...ions/books.mspx

|||
"Rico" <me@.you.comwrote in message news:8LvXh.9$_G.8@.edtnps89...

Quote:

Originally Posted by

Thanks Erland,
>
I don't have a problem creating the T-SQL commands, it's using the
Enterprise Manager to do more than create dbs is where I get lost.

That's the problem with using EM.

BTW... the reason you're seeing the behavior you're seeing is that the
maintenance job takes the conservative approach and assumes that the most
recent backup HAS to succeed before it'll delete the older one.

So setting it to 22 hours or anything won't force it to delete the older
file until the new one is successfully created.

Quote:

Originally Posted by

>
I will give that a try (creating a back up job and scheduling)
>
THanks!
Rick
>
>
"Erland Sommarskog" <esquel@.sommarskog.sewrote in message
news:Xns991D5A7E496DYazorman@.127.0.0.1...

Quote:

Originally Posted by

>Rico (me@.you.com) writes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by

>>Thanks, but I should have mentioned that I'm using SQL 2000 and I'm not
>>using T-SQL, just trying to create the Maintenance plan from the
>>Enterprise Manager.

>>
>From what you described, you should not use a maintenance plan. Just set
>up
>a scheduled job to run the BACKUP statement. You can do this from the
>GUI where you backup databases, and select Schedule somewhere on a
>button.
>In the end you get a one-step job that has a BACKUP job.
>>
>Then again, if you have any interest in acquiring basic DBA skills, you
>should certainly learn to write basic BACKUP commands in T-SQL.
>>
>--
>Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se
>>
>Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
>http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...oads/books.mspx
>Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
>http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodin...ions/books.mspx

>
>

--
Greg Moore
SQL Server DBA Consulting Remote and Onsite available!
Email: sql (at) greenms.com http://www.greenms.com/sqlserver.html

Handling nulls in calculated rport items

Hello,
How do I block null values from displaying "#Error" when I format a
datetime.
dbuchananWould an IIF statement not work in the expression
for example:
=IIF (Fields!Date.Value = "NULL", "",Fields!Date.Value)
This would bring up a blank space (or whatever you want it the output to be)
if the value is NULL, otherwise it just brings out the value.
Im fairly new to all of this so its just a thought.
"dbuchanan" wrote:
> Hello,
> How do I block null values from displaying "#Error" when I format a
> datetime.
> dbuchanan
>|||Theoretically yes that would work but in practice it doesn't as you have to
write
=iif(Fields!Date.Value is system.dbnull.Value, "", Fields!Date.Value)
otherwise deal with it in the initial query.
Greg
"Robert Seal" <RobertSeal@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:AB5060A6-88AE-4FB4-A224-C1C548418EFB@.microsoft.com...
> Would an IIF statement not work in the expression
> for example:
> =IIF (Fields!Date.Value = "NULL", "",Fields!Date.Value)
> This would bring up a blank space (or whatever you want it the output to
> be)
> if the value is NULL, otherwise it just brings out the value.
> Im fairly new to all of this so its just a thought.
> "dbuchanan" wrote:
>> Hello,
>> How do I block null values from displaying "#Error" when I format a
>> datetime.
>> dbuchanan
>>

Handling a Null datetime column

can anybody tell me how to do a select query on a datetime field where if i have a null value in that column, i need to display a some character.

ISNULL is a lovely function useful for doing just that.

ISNULL(MyDateColumn, 'ITS NULL!')

returns ITS NULL if column MyDateColumn's value is NULL

|||

select donor_id,isnull(check_date,'No Value') from donors where check_date is null

If the column check_date consists the null value U will get the value No Value.

Thank u

Baba

Please remember to click "Mark as Answer" on this post if it helped you.

|||I would say it depends what is the type of your field. If your filed is data time you shoudl convert it to string for output to not have problems with data type.Looks that ISNULL is trying to convert default for null value to the same type like tested value so you you would like to use syntax like this:ISNULL(DateField, 'Null date')It can not work because SQL will try to convert you "NUll Date" to be datetime and will fail. So you have to use different syntax:ISNULL(convert(varchar(20),DateField), 'Null date')and this should work but returned column will be varchar(20) not datetime.In case you need datetime column just left nulls inside or use first valid date :ISNULL(DateField, '00:00')it will replace all nulls by date '01/01/1900 00:00' Bu I think that keeping null is better.|||

ISNULL wont work with datetime a column if we r replacing with some characters. so in this case whatjpazgiermentioned is right.but in that too there is a flaw. what i got here is we need to check for each part of the datetime value for NULL.like dd/mm/yyyy, then hh:mm:ss,then am/pm.

so the query will be like

SELECT column1,Isnull(
(convert(varchar(20),columnDate,101) + ' ' + convert(varchar(20),columnDate,108) + ' ' + right(convert(varchar(20),columnDate),2)),'-') column2 from table1

im not sure if the above mentioned is the best solution possible.if anyone have any easy method other than this please reply.

Handle datetime in SQL Server 2005

Are there any function in SQL Server 2005 which can help to calculate the total no. of days and months? Let's said if I provide 2 dates, 28-Feb-2001 and01-Mar-2004, it can return 36 Months and 2 Days. The concept is like the functionmonths_between in Oracle. Are there any function in SQL Server 2005 can achieve this?

You can use DATEDIFF function: for example

DATEDIFF

(m,'1/1/2007',getdate())as monthDiff

DATEDIFF(d,'1/1/2007',getdate())as dayDiff

|||

Try the DateDiff function

|||

try datediff function is very helpfull

Thanks