CSV string is being trimmed while importing with OleDb - vb.net

Question

I am reading csv file with oledb mechanism. My main issue is that the string values inside csv while reading are being trimmed (both: at the beggining and and the end with white spaces). I have some specific data in csv file which needs to have such white spaces in only some cases - that's why i cannot handle that after being processed. It has to be done with the convertion.
Unfortunatelly it has to be done with oledb and vb.net as our complex mechanism is based on those technologies.
Is that possible to find a hack or workaround that oledb will not trim my strings?
Below is my code, actual results and expected:
csv file:
Column1|Column2|Column3|Column4
Text1 | Text2| Text3 |Text4
schema.ini
[test.csv]
Format=Delimited(|)
Col1=Column1 Text
Col2=Column2 Text
Col3=Column3 Text
Col4=Column4 Text
Code
Private conn As New OleDbConnection
Private cmd As New OleDbCommand
Private myAccessDataReader As OleDb.OleDbDataReader = Nothing
Sub Main()
Try
Dim dirInfo As String = "C:\csv"
If conn.State = ConnectionState.Open Then
conn.Close()
End If
conn.ConnectionString = "Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0; Data Source=" & dirInfo & ";Extended Properties=""Text;HDR=Yes;"";"
conn.Open()
cmd = New OleDbCommand("SELECT * From [test.csv]", conn)
myAccessDataReader = cmd.ExecuteReader()
If myAccessDataReader.HasRows Then
myAccessDataReader.Read()
End If
Console.WriteLine("|" + myAccessDataReader.Item("Column1") + "|")
Console.WriteLine("|" + myAccessDataReader.Item("Column2") + "|")
Console.WriteLine("|" + myAccessDataReader.Item("Column3") + "|")
Console.WriteLine("|" + myAccessDataReader.Item("Column4") + "|")
Console.ReadKey()
Catch ex As Exception
Throw New Exception(ex.Message)
End Try
End Sub
Actual Results:
|Text1|
|Text2|
|Text3|
|Text4|
Expected Results:
|Text1 |
| Text2|
| Text3 |
|Text4|
Ps. I have tried with different settings in schema.ini: encoding, MaxScanRows, fixed width, but nothing helped.

Answer 1

I guess there is a general issue with trailing spaces when dealing with database: some char data types use spaces to fill the rest of the characters. For MSSql there is an option ANSI PADDING which you can turn ON/OFF, but I don't see a way to set that for Microsoft JET Engine which we use for CSV files; we support both oledb and odbc and this issue exists for both.
So, the answer is you can't. Trailing spaces will be always removed when you import data from a CSV data source, no matter if you define text/char/memo data type for your columns (e.g. using schema.ini) or enclose strings into double quotes. You can put some special character (non-space) in the end, after space(s), such as tab, for instance.
microsoft website

Answer 2

Try this out.....but there's no guarantee since I haven't put any error handling....
Function ReadCSVToTable(ByVal Schema As String) As DataTable
Dim file As New StreamReader("C:\dump\" & Schema)
Dim CSVName As String = file.ReadLine()
CSVName = Strings.Mid(CSVName, 2, CSVName.Length - 2)
Dim Delimiter As String = file.ReadLine
Delimiter = Strings.Mid(Delimiter, Strings.InStr(Delimiter, "(") + 1, Delimiter.Length - Strings.InStr(Delimiter, ")") + 1)
Dim Buffer As String = ""
Dim xtable As New DataTable
xtable.TableName = CSVName
'create table
Do
Buffer = file.ReadLine
Dim xCol As New DataColumn
With xCol
.ColumnName = Buffer.Split("=")(0)
.Caption = Buffer.Split("=")(1).Split(" ")(0)
Select Case Buffer.Split("=")(1).Split(" ")(1).ToLower
Case "text"
.DataType = GetType(String)
Case "integer"
.DataType = GetType(Integer)
Case "decimal"
.DataType = GetType(Decimal)
Case "boolean"
.DataType = GetType(Boolean)
Case Else
.DataType = GetType(String)
End Select
End With
xtable.Columns.Add(xCol)
Loop Until file.EndOfStream = True
file.Close()
file.Dispose()
'Fill the table
file = New StreamReader("C:\dump\" & CSVName)
'skip header
Buffer = file.ReadLine
Do
Buffer = file.ReadLine
Dim xCol(xtable.Columns.Count - 1)
Dim xCount As Integer = 0
For Each tCol As DataColumn In xtable.Columns
Select Case tCol.DataType
Case GetType(String)
xCol(xCount) = Convert.ToString(Buffer.Split(New String() {Delimiter}, StringSplitOptions.None)(xCount))
Case GetType(Integer)
xCol(xCount) = Convert.ToInt64(Buffer.Split(New String() {Delimiter}, StringSplitOptions.None)(xCount))
Case GetType(Decimal)
xCol(xCount) = Convert.ToDecimal(Buffer.Split(New String() {Delimiter}, StringSplitOptions.None)(xCount))
Case GetType(Boolean)
xCol(xCount) = Convert.ToBoolean(Buffer.Split(New String() {Delimiter}, StringSplitOptions.None)(xCount))
Case Else
xCol(xCount) = Convert.ToString(Buffer.Split(New String() {Delimiter}, StringSplitOptions.None)(xCount))
End Select
xCount = xCount + 1
Next
xtable.Rows.Add(xCol)
Loop Until file.EndOfStream = True
file.Close()
file.Dispose()
Return xtable
End Function
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
Dim CSVTable As DataTable = ReadCSVToTable("schema.ini")
End Sub