invalid length message

This is a DTS problem.

I am trying to load an ASCII text file (the first 5 lines are shown below).

I'm defining 29 fixed length columns and have editted the original
file to create a carriage control at the 140th position. I define
the fixed length columns in the properties tab for the text file source
with no problems, but when I go to the properties in the Transform Data
Task and select source I get the 'invalid column length' message. I am not
able to view the file from that tab even though I can see it in the
properties of the text file source.

Den

B0018001055102 000115500 000519750000 0627200626178006505250 C00000000 A100000 00000 %100 00000000
B001800130H105 000058200 000116400000 0627200626178000205250 C00000000 A100000 00000 %100 00000000
B001800206R102 000263900 000712530000 0627200626178000305250 C00000000 A100000 00000 %100 00000000
B001800206R102 000189000 000510300000 0628200626179001905250 C00000000 A100000 00000 %100 00000000
B001800206R102 000088000 000237600000 0705200626186000905300 C00000000 A100000 00000 %100 00000000

I'm not sure but I will inquire.

Is that pertinent?

When you delimit the fixed fields it is possible to mark the start of the record as a column but then DTS sees it as an invalid length. As soon as I removed that mark, the problem was solved.

There's no other way to enter an invalid length - double clicking the same column removes the delimiter, it doesn't create two.

Interesting that Microsoft came up with an error message but didn't make it impossib;e to delimit at the start of the record.


There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those that understand binary and those that don't.