If anyone from Microsoft is out there, please help because I know this HAS to
be a bug and you would think Microsoft could give us a fix!

We have Mainframe data being exported to a text file in fixed column format
with 600 columns and growing in the future. I then go into the Local Package
Design and do a Disconnected Edit. When I go into the Properties of the Text
file using Fixed Field (Info is aligned into columns of equal width), I try
to manually adjust the "Column Lenths" and "Number of Column" and then save
the package. When I go back into the Properties of the Text file, all the
vertical lines are missing that I manually entered. It appears to cut them
off right around 255.

I then went into Package, Disconnected Edit and drilled down to Text File,
OLE DB Properties trying to find the 255 value so I could change it to 8000.
Only "Max characters per delimited column" is found to manually change the
value.

We can't ask our Mainframe people to export in delimited instead of fixed
because our customers require fixed.

How in the world do I get around this problem? It worked fine in 7.0 but
not in 2000. We're trying to get everyone to upgrade to 2000 but it's a
little hard to convince them when we can't find solutions to this oversight
from Microsoft.

Pulling hair out.....

Colette

Are you saying that the length of a fixed width attribute is cut to 255 or that the number of columns is cut to 255?

What SP are you on?

I have just manually created a file that consisted of 257*s and then 5*d on one line

I then created my columns in the designer and everything was seen correctly by the destination


HTH

--

Allan Mitchell MCSE,MCDBA, (Microsoft SQL Server MVP)
www.SQLDTS.com - The site for all your DTS needs.
www.SQLIS.com - SQL Server 2005 Integration Services.
www.Konesans.com


"Colette" <Colette (AT) discussions (DOT) microsoft.com> wrote

Allan,

The number of columns is cut to 255. We're running SP4 on 2000. I've
already completely combed through all the SP fixes and so far there's nothing
for using the fixed except maybe trying BCP.

When you created your's, did you go back into the Text file Properties and
see if anything was missing or was everything there?

Thank you so much for at least responding. I've asked this question on
several newsgroups and so far you're the only person to even attempt to help
us figure this out.

Do you think if we do BCP, that will work better? My partner and I are
going to attempt this today and see what happens. We're out of options after
that and the programmer is planning to use Access of which I'd rather not do.


"Allan Mitchell" wrote:

My test was with only 2 columns because I did not know if you were talking about columns or length.

Let me have a look at mine then



--

Allan Mitchell MCSE,MCDBA, (Microsoft SQL Server MVP)
www.SQLDTS.com - The site for all your DTS needs.
www.SQLIS.com - SQL Server 2005 Integration Services.
www.Konesans.com


"Colette" <Colette (AT) discussions (DOT) microsoft.com> wrote

I wasn't able to see the graphic for some reason. Could you send it again?

What OS/SP and SQL/SP platforms are you doing the test on? Just want to
check that.

In my package design, I'm running a SQL Truncate Table from the Mainframe
task with a Text file destination. The Properties of the Text file are ANSI
File Type, (CR)(LF) Row Delimiter, with ### Fixed Field columns, and then I
manually specify the starting and ending positions of the columns. After
that, I've got a MS OLE DB into the server using Windows authentication with
the database specified.

Any suggestions what I can do? Thanks.



"Allan Mitchell" wrote:

I finally got this package to work by chosing to transform information as
it's copied to the destination via a VB script. Wanted to pass this along in
case others run into this issue.

Thanks.

Colette


"Allan Mitchell" wrote: