Import Export Wizard and Unicode columns

Hello Folks,

This is my first real exposure to using SSIS's Import Export Tool.

I am trying to create a package to move the data from a number of tables in SQL Server into a duplicate database in Oracle. I am invoking the Import/Export WIzard from within the Management Studio. I am using the SQL Server native client on the SQL Server side and the Microsoft OLE DB driver for Oracle for the Oracle database. Both of my tables have unicode data types. On the SQL Server side I have columns defined as NVARCHAR and on Oracle the same column is defined as NVARCHAR2.

When I initially select the table for export the wizard assumes that I want to create a new table. The new table has the correct column name, column order and data types (NVARCHAR2). I cannot tell it to append the data. If I add the table owner to the detination table name or use the GUI to pick it with the table owner...the data types for the NVARCHAR2 columns go away. I cannot edit the data types at this point and if I continue, SSIS barks at me that it doesn't know the data types of those columns. The problem also occurs if you use the wizard from inside of the BIDS. It seems to be OK with the data type unless the table pre-exists. This seems un-useful to me.

Is there a way to avoid this in the Import/Export Wizard? Am I doing something wrong?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Mark

Hi Mark,

could you double check the metadata of your preexisting destination table matches the incoming metadata? Also, could you post the error the wizard reports?

Thanks,

Bob

|||Hi Bob,

Well, as I mentioned before if I try to continue SSIS barks and says:

TITLE: SQL Server Import and Export Wizard


Column information for the source and the destination data could not be retrieved, or the data types of source columns were not mapped correctly to those available on the destination provider.


[sql_dev_slove2].[dbo].[ACCESSPROFILE] -> "MARKT"."ACCESSPROFILE":

- The data type could not be assigned to the column "PROFILENM" in "Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle".
- The data type could not be assigned to the column "PROFILEDSC" in "Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle".

After this point, I can go no farther so (I think) I cannot see the actual meta data. If I do not change the owner (let SSIS think it needs to create the table) the input data type is DT_WSTR. The tables are defined as follows with the PROFILENM and PROFILEDSC columns being the troublesome ones:

SQL Server:
===========

CREATE TABLE ACCESSPROFILE
(
ACCESSPROFID INTEGER NOT NULL ,
PROFILENM NVARCHAR(50) NOT NULL ,
PROFILEDSC NVARCHAR(250) NULL ,
DEFAULTSW INTEGER DEFAULT 0 NULL ,
UPDATEDBYUSRACCTID INTEGER NOT NULL ,
UPDATEDTM DATETIME DEFAULT GETDATE() NOT NULL ,
VERSIONCNT INTEGER DEFAULT 1 NOT NULL ,
ALLOWALLSW INTEGER DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL
)
;

Oracle:
=======

CREATE TABLE ACCESSPROFILE
(
ACCESSPROFID NUMBER(10) NOT NULL ,
PROFILENM NVARCHAR2(50) NOT NULL ,
PROFILEDSC NVARCHAR2(250) NULL ,
DEFAULTSW NUMBER(10) DEFAULT 0 NULL ,
UPDATEDBYUSRACCTID NUMBER(10) NOT NULL ,
UPDATEDTM DATE DEFAULT SYSDATE NOT NULL ,
VERSIONCNT NUMBER(10) DEFAULT 1 NOT NULL ,
ALLOWALLSW NUMBER(10) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL
)
/

Does this help?|||

Mark,

could you try the same thing using the Oracle's own OLE DB provider? Microsoft OLE DB provider for Oracle is pretty old one and I suspect it does not even know about nvarchar2 data type (I am not able to check this at the moment though).

There is a fundamental difference between transfering data into an existing or a new table. The existing table has the metadata already defined while the wizard generates new tables.

HTH,

Bob

sql