Error converting data types when importing from Excel to SQL Server 2008

Question

Every time that I try to import an Excel file into SQL Server I\'m getting a particular error. When I try to edit the mappings the default value for all numerical fields is

Answer 1

There is a workaround.

1. Import excel sheet with numbers as float (default).
2. After importing, Goto Table-Design
3. Change DataType of the column from Float to Int or Bigint
4. Save Changes
5. Change DataType of the column from Bigint to any Text Type (Varchar, nvarchar, text, ntext etc)
6. Save Changes.

That's it.

Answer 2

A workaround to consider in a pinch:

1. save a copy of the excel file, modify the column to format type 'text'
2. copy the column values and paste to a text editor, save the file (call it tmp.txt).
3. modify the data in the text file to start and end with a character so that the SQL Server import mechanism will recognize as text. If you have a fancy editor, use included tools. I use awk in cygwin on my windows laptop. For example, I start end end the column value with a single quote, like "$ awk '{print "\x27"$1"\x27"}' ./tmp.txt > ./tmp2.txt"
4. copy and paste the data from tmp2.txt over top of the necessary column in the excel file, and save the excel file
5. run the sql server import for your modified excel file... be sure to double check the data type chosen by the importer is not numeric... if it is, repeat the above steps with a different set of characters

The data in the database will have the quotes once the import is done... you can update the data later on to remove the quotes, or use the "replace" function in your read query, such as "replace([dbo].[MyTable].[MyColumn], '''', '')"

Answer 3

When Excel finds mixed data types in same column it guesses what is the right format for the column (the majority of the values determines the type of the column) and dismisses all other values by inserting NULLs. But Excel does it far badly (e.g. if a column is considered text and Excel finds a number then decides that the number is a mistake and insert a NULL instead, or if some cells containing numbers are "text" formatted, one may get NULL values into an integer column of the database).

Solution:

1. Create a new excel sheet with the name of the columns in the first row
2. Format the columns as text
3. Paste the rows without format (use CVS format or copy/paste in Notepad to get only text)

Note that formatting the columns on an existing Excel sheet is not enough.

Answer 4

Going off of what Derloopkat said, which still can fail on conversion (no offense Derloopkat) because Excel is terrible at this:

1. Paste from excel into Notepad and save as normal (.txt file).
2. From within excel, open said .txt file.
3. Select next as it is obviously tab delimited.
4. Select "none" for text qualifier, then next again.
5. Select the first row, hold shift, select the last row, and select the text radial button. Click Finish

It will open, check it to make sure it's accurate and then save as an excel file.

Answer 5

SSIS doesn't implicitly convert data types, so you need to do it explicitly. The Excel connection manager can only handle a few data types and it tries to make a best guess based on the first few rows of the file. This is fully documented in the SSIS documentation.

You have several options:

• Change your destination data type to float
• Load to a 'staging' table with data type float using the Import Wizard and then INSERT into the real destination table using CAST or CONVERT to convert the data
• Create an SSIS package and use the Data Conversion transformation to convert the data

You might also want to note the comments in the Import Wizard documentation about data type mappings.

Answer 6

There seems to be a really easy solution when dealing with data type issues.

Basically, at the end of Excel connection string, add ;IMEX=1;"

Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=\\YOURSERVER\shared\Client Projects\FOLDER\Data\FILE.xls;Extended Properties="EXCEL 8.0;HDR=YES;IMEX=1";

This will resolve data type issues such as columns where values are mixed with text and numbers.

To get to connection property, right click on Excel connection manager below control flow and hit properties. It'll be to the right under solution explorer. Hope that helps.