How to Fix SSIS Data Conversion Errors

Learn how to troubleshoot and fix SSIS data conversion errors that occur when importing CSV files into SQL database using a .dtsx package.

SSIS is a powerful tool for data integration and transformation, but sometimes it can encounter errors that prevent the package from running successfully. One of the common errors is the data conversion error, which happens when the data type or the code page of the source column does not match the destination column.

In this article, we will explain how to fix SSIS data conversion errors by using the Data Conversion Transformation and adjusting the error handling settings.

What is a Data Conversion Error in SSIS?

A data conversion error in SSIS occurs when the data type or the code page of the source column does not match the destination column. For example, if you are importing a CSV file that contains a string column with a code page of 65001 (UTF-8), but the destination column in the SQL database is a string column with a code page of 1252 (ANSI), you will get a data conversion error.

The error message will look something like this:

[Data Conversion 2] Error: Data conversion failed while converting column “Address Line 1” (12) to column “Address Line 1” (16). The conversion returned status value 4 and status text “Text was truncated or one or more characters had no match in the target code page.”.

The status value 4 indicates that the data was truncated, which means that some characters were lost or replaced during the conversion. The status text explains that some characters in the source column had no match in the destination code page, which means that they were not supported by the destination encoding.

How to Fix SSIS Data Conversion Errors?

There are two main steps to fix SSIS data conversion errors:

1. Use the Data Conversion Transformation to convert the data type and the code page of the source column to match the destination column.
2. Adjust the error handling settings to ignore, redirect, or fail the rows that cause errors.

Step 1: Use the Data Conversion Transformation

The Data Conversion Transformation is a component in SSIS that allows you to convert the data type and the code page of the input columns to the output columns. You can use this transformation to fix the data conversion errors by following these steps:

1. Drag and drop the Data Conversion Transformation from the SSIS Toolbox to the Data Flow tab.
2. Connect the source component (such as a Flat File Source) to the Data Conversion Transformation.
3. Double-click the Data Conversion Transformation to open the editor.
4. In the Input Columns tab, select the columns that you want to convert.
5. In the Output Columns tab, change the output alias, the data type, and the code page of the output columns to match the destination columns. For example, if you want to convert a string column with a code page of 65001 (UTF-8) to a string column with a code page of 1252 (ANSI), you can change the output alias to Address Line 1 (ANSI), the data type to string [DT_STR], and the code page to 1252.
6. Click OK to save the changes.

Step 2: Adjust the Error Handling Settings

The error handling settings determine how the package handles the rows that cause errors during the data conversion. You can adjust the error handling settings by following these steps:

1. Right-click the Data Conversion Transformation and select Edit.
2. In the Error Output tab, you can see the error and the truncation columns for each output column. The error column indicates the status value of the conversion, and the truncation column indicates whether the data was truncated or not.
3. For each output column, you can choose one of the following options for the error and the truncation columns:
   • Ignore failure: This option ignores the error and continues the execution of the package. The row that caused the error will be sent to the destination component without any changes.
   • Redirect row: This option redirects the row that caused the error to the error output of the transformation. You can connect the error output to another component (such as a Flat File Destination) to capture and analyze the error rows.
   • Fail component: This option fails the execution of the package and stops the data flow. The row that caused the error will not be sent to the destination component.
4. Click OK to save the changes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How can I find out the data type and the code page of the source column?

Answer: You can use the Advanced Editor of the source component to view the data type and the code page of the source column. To open the Advanced Editor, right-click the source component and select Show Advanced Editor. In the Advanced Editor, go to the Input and Output Properties tab, expand the Output Columns node, and select the column that you want to check. You can see the data type and the code page properties in the Common Properties section.

Question: How can I find out the data type and the code page of the destination column?

Answer: You can use the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to view the data type and the code page of the destination column. To open the SSMS, go to the Start menu and search for SQL Server Management Studio. In the SSMS, connect to the SQL server that hosts the destination database, expand the Databases node, expand the destination database node, expand the Tables node, and right-click the destination table and select Design. You can see the data type and the code page properties of the destination column in the Column Properties section.

Question: How can I change the error count limit of the package?

Answer: You can change the error count limit of the package by using the MaximumErrorCount property of the package. To change the MaximumErrorCount property, go to the Control Flow tab, right-click the package and select Properties. In the Properties window, find the MaximumErrorCount property and change its value to the desired number. The default value is 1, which means that the package will fail if it encounters one error. You can increase the value to allow more errors before the package fails, or decrease the value to make the package more strict.

Summary

In this article, we have learned how to fix SSIS data conversion errors that occur when importing CSV files into SQL database using a .dtsx package. We have explained what a data conversion error is, how to use the Data Conversion Transformation to convert the data type and the code page of the source column to match the destination column, and how to adjust the error handling settings to ignore, redirect, or fail the rows that cause errors. We have also answered some frequently asked questions related to the topic.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. The author and the publisher are not liable for any damages or losses that may result from the use of the information in this article. Always consult a qualified IT expert before making any changes to your SSIS package or SQL database.