Data import from Excel to SQL Server failing to import all data

Question

I have an odd thing happening with importing data from Excel to SQL Server using the Import and Export Data tool.

The short of it is that I can see the data in Excel, bu

Answer 1

The answer to your question might involve the HOW data is stored in Excel.

I just ran into the same problem. I had a column containing two types of values: numeric and numeric with a dash. (ex. 51000 and 2009-00949) I needed to import them as either NVARCHAR or VARCHAR, but the SQL import wizard (SQL2005) would only import the numerics and not the numerics with a dash or the numerics with a dash and not the numerics, depending on which type was in the first record. The values which were not imported would have a 'null' value in the field, rendering my records useless.

I tried using the Format|Cells menu option in Excel (numeric, text, general, etc) and various mapping options in SQL (nvar, nvarchar, varchar, sqlvariant, float) without success.

The solution was to use the Data|Text To Columns option in Excel, not the cell formatting option to store the numeric value as text. When I used this on the column, the numeric values (ex. 51000) converted to numbers stored as a text value (little green triangle error appeared in the upper left corner), the numerics with a dash remained as text. I had to leave the data in this format, with the little green triangle error, otherwise it would not successfully import to SQL. When the data in the column was stored in this format, the two types of column data (numeric and numeric with a dash) imported correctly with the other record data, no null values in the column.