We have a SQL Server table for user settings. Originally the settings were domain objects which had been serialized as XML into the table but we recently begun serializing them as binary.
However, as part of our deployment process we statically pre-populate the table with predefined settings for our users. Originally, this was as simple as copying the XML from a customized database and pasting it into an INSERT statement that was ran after the database was built. However, since we've moved to storing the settings as binary data we can't get this to work.
How can we extract binary data from a varbinary column in SQL Server and paste it into a static INSERT script? We only want to use SQL for this, we don't want to use any utilities.
Thanks in advance,
Jeremy
You may find it easier to store a template value in a config table somewhere, then read it into a variable and use that variable to fill your inserts:
DECLARE #v varbinary(1000)
SELECT #v = templatesettings from configtable
INSERT INTO usertable VALUES(name, #v, ....)
From SQL Server 2008 onwards you can use Tasks > Generate Scripts and choose to include data. That gives you INSERT statements for all rows in a table which you can modify as needed.
Here's the steps for SQL 2008. Note that the "Script Data" option in SQL 2008 R2 is called "Types of data to script" instead of "Script Data".
I presume you're OK with utilities like Query Analyzer/Mangement Studio?
You can just copy and paste the binary value returned by your select statement (make sure that you are returning sufficient data), and prefix it with "0x" in your script.
If I understand you correctly, you want to generate a static script from your data. If so, consider performing a query on the old data that concatenates strings to form the SQL statements you'll want in the script.
First, figure out what you want the scripted result to look like. Note that you'll need to think of the values you're inserting as constants. For example:
INSERT INTO NewTable VALUES 'value1', 'value2'
Now, create a query for the old data that just gets the values you'll want to move, like this:
SELECT value1, value2
FROM OldTable
Finally, update your query's SELECT statement to produce a single concatenated string in the form of the output you previous defined:
SELECT 'INSERT INTO NewTable VALUES ''' + value1 + ''', ''' + value2 + ''''
FROM OldTable
It's a convoluted way to do business, but it gets the job done. You'll need a close attention to detail. It will allow a small (but confusing) query to quickly output very large numbers of static DML statements.
David M's suggestion of using the 0x prefixing works but i had to add an extra 0 at the end of varbinary data that i was trying to insert.
See the stackoverflow entry below to see the issue with additional 0 that gets added when converting to varbinary or saving to varbinary column
Insert hex string value to sql server image field is appending extra 0
Related
I have a table with a 'query' field containing a select sql and another 'parameters' field containing the sql parameters. I have merged these two fields into a new field containing a correct select sql statement. Now I need to execute this new field containing select sql, get the return from select (the output fields) and generate an excel file.
Use Table-Input if you are interested in a query result set. Table-Input supports SQL parameters, so no need to build the statement yourself using e.g. Replace-In-String, and tripping over escapes on your way. Also, there's variable substitution, just in case you can't live with a single template.
Update 21:14 GMT
I'm not very fond of the way you try to prepare the SELECT statement, but here we go, assuming it's a single statement we have:
Create a job with a Start entry and 2 Transformation entries (T1, T2). Let T1 produce the field containing your SELECT statement and use a Set-Variables step to make the statement available to T2 as variable SELECT. In T2 use a Table-Input step referencing ${SELECT} in the SQL statement text area. Don't forget to enable option "Replace variables in script".
From now on it's a matter of taste. I would prefer to create a CSV file using Text-File-Output. Using the right field separator Excel will open the file after double-clicking it. The advantage of Text-File-Output is that you don't have to specify the fields you don't know at design-time anyway. An empty field list will just handle all fields coming in. Comparable to the total projection in a Table-Input which will create the necessary fields from the retrieved columns downstream.
If you must produce an Excel workbook, you'll have to learn about metadata injection. That would be a separate project for a beginner, though. There are samples in your Kettle installation folder. And there is a very active community if you find yourself in trouble.
I have created a variable that is type table inside a stored procedure. At the end of the procedure I am selecting all the rows in the table and displaying them. When I right click on the headers and select "Save As" it allows me to change the type to All Files and save the file as a text file. This works fine except that the columns that have NULLS in them saves as NULLS. I want it to fill NULLs in with spaces.
I've been trying to find a way to create a file using a stored procedure but most things indicate to use SSIS but I can't figure out how to use SSIS with a variable that is a table instead of using an actual table.
If I could either replace nulls with spaces or use a stored procedure to do the same thing it would be great. I can not use tab or comma delimited as the final product has to be a flat file that each column uses the same amount of characters as is declared in the column headers. Padded with spaces.
Thanks for any help you are able to offer.
Cheers
P.S. I am using SQL Server 2012 Management Studio
The easy way to do this would be to convert the NULLs to spaces in your SELECT statement.
SELECT COALESCE(yourcolumn, '')
Put the COALESCE clause around every column that has NULLs in it.
Using COALESCE article link
If the last thing you do in the stored procedure is Select * From TempTable then you can use that SP in an OleDb source component. Change from Table or View to Sql Command and use the Exec (sp_SomeName) syntax. This will create a pipe that you can connect to a destination component, such as flat file.
I have seen many issues over the years doing Save Results As... I will only use this for informal 'quick check' files and not for anything considered 'live' or 'production' data.
Here is a good blog that also shows how to use parameters.
http://geekswithblogs.net/stun/archive/2009/03/05/mapping-stored-procedure-parameters-in-ssis-ole-db-source-editor.aspx
SSIS 2008. Very simple task. I want to retrieve a System Variable and use it in an SQL INSERT. I want to retrieve the value of System:MachineName and use it in an insert statement.
Using the statement INSERT INTO MYLOG (COL1) SELECT #[System::MachineName] gives the error Error: ..failed to parse. Must declare the scalar variable "#"
Using the statements SELECT #System::MachineName or SELECT ##[System::MachineName] gives the error 'Error Incorrect systax near '::'
I am not trying to pass a parameter to the query. I have searched for a day already but couldn't find how to do this one simple thing!
Here is one way you can do this. The following sample package was created using SSIS 2008 R2 and uses SQL Server 2008 R2 as backend.
Create a sample table in your SQLServer database named dbo.PackageData
Create an SSIS package.
On the SSIS, add an OLE DB connection manager named SQLServer to connect to your database, say to an SQL Server database.
On the Control flow tab, drag and drop an Execute SQL Task
Double-click on the Execute SQL task to bring the Execute SQL Task Editor.
On the General tab of the editor, set the Connection property to your connection manager named SQLServer.
In the property SQLStatement, enter the insert statement INSERT INTO dbo.PackageData (PackageName) VALUES (?)
On the Parameter Mapping tab, click Add button, select the Package variable that you would like to use. Change the data type accordingly. This example is going to insert the PackageName into a table, so the Data Type would be VARCHAR. Set the Parameter Name to 0, which indicates the index value of the parameter. Click OK button.
Execute the package.
You will notice a new record inserted into the table. I retained the package name as Package. That's why the table
Hope that helps.
Per my comment against #ZERO's answer (repeated here as an answer so it isn't overlooked by SSIS newcomers).
The OP's question is pretty much the use case for SSIS property expressions.
To pass SSIS variables into the query string one would concatenate it into an expression set for the SqlStatementSource property:
"INSERT INTO MYLOG (COL1) SELECT " + #[System::MachineName]
This is not to suggest the accepted answer isn't a good pattern, as in general, the parameterised approach is safer (against SQL injection) and faster (on re-use) than direct query string manipulation. But for a system variable (as opposed to a user-entered string) this solution should be safe from SQL injection, and this will be roughly as fast or faster than a parameterised query if re-used (as the machine name isn't changing).
I never use it before but maybe you can check out the use of expression in Execute SQL task for that.
Or just put the whole query into an expression of a variable with evaluateAsExpression set to true. Then use OLE DB to do you insert
Along with #user756519's answer, Depending on your connection string, your variable names and SQLStatementSource Changes
The only thing I don't have an automated tool for when working with Oracle is a program that can create INSERT INTO scripts.
I don't desperately need it so I'm not going to spend money on it. I'm just wondering if there is anything out there that can be used to generate INSERT INTO scripts given an existing database without spending lots of money.
I've searched through Oracle with no luck in finding such a feature.
It exists in PL/SQL Developer, but errors for BLOB fields.
Oracle's free SQL Developer will do this:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/overview/index.html
You just find your table, right-click on it and choose Export Data->Insert
This will give you a file with your insert statements. You can also export the data in SQL Loader format as well.
You can do that in PL/SQL Developer v10.
1. Click on Table that you want to generate script for.
2. Click Export data.
3. Check if table is selected that you want to export data for.
4. Click on SQL inserts tab.
5. Add where clause if you don't need the whole table.
6. Select file where you will find your SQL script.
7. Click export.
Use a SQL function (I'm the author):
https://github.com/teopost/oracle-scripts/blob/master/fn_gen_inserts.sql
Usage:
select fn_gen_inserts('select * from tablename', 'p_new_owner_name', 'p_new_table_name')
from dual;
where:
p_sql – dynamic query which will be used to export metadata rows
p_new_owner_name – owner name which will be used for generated INSERT
p_new_table_name – table name which will be used for generated INSERT
p_sql in this sample is 'select * from tablename'
You can find original source code here:
http://dbaora.com/oracle-generate-rows-as-insert-statements-from-table-view-using-plsql/
Ashish Kumar's script generates individually usable insert statements instead of a SQL block, but supports fewer datatypes.
I have been searching for a solution for this and found it today. Here is how you can do it.
Open Oracle SQL Developer Query Builder
Run the query
Right click on result set and export
http://i.stack.imgur.com/lJp9P.png
You might execute something like this in the database:
select "insert into targettable(field1, field2, ...) values(" || field1 || ", " || field2 || ... || ");"
from targettable;
Something more sophisticated is here.
If you have an empty table the Export method won't work. As a workaround. I used the Table View of Oracle SQL Developer. and clicked on Columns. Sorted by Nullable so NO was on top. And then selected these non nullable values using shift + select for the range.
This allowed me to do one base insert. So that Export could prepare a proper all columns insert.
If you have to load a lot of data into tables on a regular basis, check out SQL Loader or external tables. Should be much faster than individual Inserts.
You can also use MyGeneration (free tool) to write your own sql generated scripts. There is a "insert into" script for SQL Server included in MyGeneration, which can be easily changed to run under Oracle.
I've been attempting to write embedded SQL statements for DB2 that ultimately gets compiled in C.
I couldn't find a tutorial or manual on the embedded SQL syntax for C for reference. One case I would like to do is to insert data into a table. I know most embedded sql statements need the initalizer EXEC SQL, but that's the extent of my knowledge generally. I'm doing this for an assignment and would appreciate if there are more information regarding this or solution.
Example of a statement to query the database:
EXEC SQL SELECT SNAME, AGE into :sname, :sage
FROM ONE.SAILOR
WHERE sid = :sid;
I like to see what statement allows me to INSERT into the database. I've tried something like the following, but it doesn't work.
EXEC SQL INSERT ....
See IBM's Embedded SQL manual.
Embedded SQL is largely the same no matter what the host language is.
The four dots aren't syntactically valid :-D
The reliable way is the same as with any other INSERT statement: list the columns and the values.
EXEC SQL INSERT INTO SomeTable(Col1, Col2, Col3) VALUES(:hv1, :hv2, :hv3);
Here, the :hv1, :hv2 and :hv3 represent three host variables of types appropriate to the columns in the table. Note that the table could contain other columns than these three as long as those columns have a default specified or accept NULL (which is really just a default default in this case). The unreliable way does not list the columns:
EXEC SQL INSERT INTO SomeTable VALUES(:hv1, :hv2, :hv3);
Now you are dependent on getting the sequence right, and you must provide a value for each column -- there cannot be extra columns in SomeTable.
I just started using sqllite. Besides the good documentation for C++, SQLlist might be a nice thing to have because you can unit-test your code without being dependent on DB2 and it's really easy add with your code.