Import ASCII Data

[mattc66 via SQLMonster.com]

I have data that comes from a legacy system. I can obtain the data in an
ASCII format. Currently I have created scripts in ACCESS to import the data
into tables.

What I would like to do is create an automated import function in SQL.

I am new to SQL, can anyone point me in the direction I should look to find
out how I could perform this task?

Using SQL 2005.

Thanks
Matt

--
Matt Campbell
mattc (at) saunatec [dot] com

Message posted via http://www.sqlmonster.com

[Erland Sommarskog]

mattc66 via SQLMonster.com (u16013@uwe) writes:

I have data that comes from a legacy system. I can obtain the data in an
ASCII format. Currently I have created scripts in ACCESS to import the
data into tables.

What I would like to do is create an automated import function in SQL.

I am new to SQL, can anyone point me in the direction I should look to
find out how I could perform this task?

Using SQL 2005.

There are a couple of alternatives. There is BCP (command-line tool)
and BULK INSERT (T-SQL statement) which work very similarily. Their
good as long as the files have one entry for each file in each record,
and there are no headers.

You can use the Import Wizard in SQL Server Management Studio. As with
all graphical tools, it's good for a one-off, but it's really a good
place if you need to do this on a regular basis. The Import Wizard requires
that SSIS (see below) is installed.

And then there is SQL Server Integration Service (SSIS), the member of the
SQL Server family that is all about importing and exporting data and
transforming it on the way. I have not used SSIS or its predecessor
myself, so I don't really know what it's so fantastic. (Being an old-
timer, I get by very well with BCP and BULK INSERT.)

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, es****@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...ads/books.mspx
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[Dan Guzman]

To add to Erland's response, you can use a SQL Agent job to schedule the
import process. In the case of a package created with SSMS or the BI dev
studio, there is a specialized SQL Server Integration Services step type
that allows you to specify the desired package and run time settings via a
GUI.

--
Hope this helps.

Dan Guzman
SQL Server MVP

"mattc66 via SQLMonster.com" <u16013@uwewrote in message
news:65826d5d02090@uwe...

>I have data that comes from a legacy system. I can obtain the data in an
ASCII format. Currently I have created scripts in ACCESS to import the
data
into tables.

What I would like to do is create an automated import function in SQL.

I am new to SQL, can anyone point me in the direction I should look to
find
out how I could perform this task?

Using SQL 2005.

Thanks
Matt

--
Matt Campbell
mattc (at) saunatec [dot] com

Message posted via http://www.sqlmonster.com