Hello,

Is there a simple answer to this simple question?

How to import fixed-width text file?

I know the width of the columns but there are so many that I don't want
redefine them. I have already a table build for that data with the necessary
fields width. In dbase it was such a simple thing to do...

Note:
I went through the Import wizard in MS SQL 2000 and I could not find any
thing there about importing fixed-width text file.


Any help is greatly appreciated,
Les

The wizard does not have the option to use the Bulk Insert DTS task. The DTS
Bulk Insert task gives you graphical interface. Check it in Books OnLine if
it suits you.

--
Dejan Sarka, SQL Server MVP
Associate Mentor
www.SolidQualityLearning.com

Bulk insert with a format file?
http://www.mindsdoor.net/SQLTsql/BCP...rmat_file.html

Bulk insert with a staging table?
http://www.mindsdoor.net/SQLTsql/ImportTextFiles.html

You can generate the format file for the first one or the inser statement in
the second from the structure of the destination table if you have set the
column sizes to match the file.

If you have a lot of different files consider holding the metadata in a table
http://www.mindsdoor.net/SQLTsql/MoveImportData.html


"Tom" wrote:

i don't want any wizard system plz.. ,file has to be imported by a user which has always same format so i need to do coding for that in C#.net(type of software)

no bulkinsert can't i have string to string copy


From http://www.developmentnow.com/g/98_2...S-SQL-2000.htm

Posted via DevelopmentNow.com Groups
http://www.developmentnow.com/g/

Sundeep,

There are many ways to skin a cat. One of them executing command-line BCP
utility (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms162802.aspx) from .net.
This is the fastest. Another is reading a file line by line in .net, parsing
it by character positions and writing to a table. There is also SSIS
approach.

Ilya


"Sundeep" <nospam (AT) developmentnow (DOT) com> wrote