SSIS reading LF as terminator when its set as CRLF

Question

using SSIS 2012. My flat file connection manager I have a delimited file where the row delimiter is set to CRLF, but when it processes the file, I have a text column that has an LF in it. This is causing it to read that as a row terminator causing it fail. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Before answering, i don't think that the column contains only LF because if the row delimiter is CRLF it will not consider it as delimiter. So it is probably CRLF, but i will give a solution for the two cases (CRLF or LF)

Solution

You can fix this situation with the following steps:

1. First in the Flat File connection manager add only one column (of type DT_STR and length 4000) so you will consider each row as one column.
2. In the data flow task you have to add a Script component that fix the file structure. and split row into columns.

Simple Test

I will consider a flat file with the following content

ID;name;DOB;Notes;ClassID{CRLF}
1;John;2001-01-01;;1{CRLF}
2;Moh;2002-01-01;Very cool{LF}
Genius;2{CRLF}
3;Ali;2000-01-01;Calm;2{CRLF}

1. First i will add a flat file connection manager with the following options:
   • Row Delimiter = {CRLF}
   • Header Row Delimiter = {CRLF}

2. In the DataFlow Task i will add a Flat File Source, 2 x Script Component , OLEDB Destination

3. In the first Script Component i will mark Column0 as input and i will add 5 output Columns ID,Name,DOB,Notes,ClassID and i will set the Output Synchronous Input as None

4. In the first Script Component i will write a script that store each line in a memory variable and assign it to an output row when row is complete and another row is present.

   Dim strLine As String = String.Empty
   
   Dim strDelimiter As String = ";"
   
   Public Sub EmptyMemoryVariables()
   
   
       strLine = String.Empty
   
   
   End Sub
   
   Public Sub AssignMemoryVariablesToOutput()
   
       With Output0Buffer
   
           .AddRow()
           .NewRow = strLine
       End With
   
   End Sub
   
   Public Function AreVariablesEmpty() As Boolean
   
       If strLine = "" Then
   
           Return True
   
       Else
   
           Return False
   
       End If
   
   
   End Function
   Public Overrides Sub Input0_ProcessInputRow(ByVal Row As Input0Buffer)
   
       Dim strColumns As String() = Row.Column0.Split(CChar(strDelimiter))
   
       If strColumns.Length = 5 Then
   
           If Not AreVariablesEmpty() Then
               AssignMemoryVariablesToOutput()
               EmptyMemoryVariables()
           End If
   
           strLine = Row.Column0
   
           AssignMemoryVariablesToOutput()
           EmptyMemoryVariables()
   
   
       Else
   
           If strLine.Split(CChar(strDelimiter)).Length = 5 Then
   
               AssignMemoryVariablesToOutput()
               EmptyMemoryVariables()
   
           End If
   
   
           strLine &= Row.Column0
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
       End If
   

5. In the second Script COmponent i will split each row into Columns

    Dim strDelimiter As String = ";"
    Public Overrides Sub Input0_ProcessInputRow(ByVal Row As Input0Buffer)

        Dim strColumns As String() = Row.NewRow.Split(CChar(strDelimiter))


        Row.ID = strColumns(0)
        Row.NAME = strColumns(1)
        Row.DOB = strColumns(2)
        Row.NOTES = strColumns(3)
        Row.CLASSID = strColumns(4)


    End Sub

Important Note: the provided code is not optimal it may need more validations or can be simpler and better but i am trying to give you the way you can think to solve this issue

Answer 2

I have no SSIS experience but as an ETL developer I have faced this many times. So my suggestions might not help you solve the problem but hopefully point you in the right direction

• If the problem field has text qualifier (single or double quote usually) and SSIS supports use it
• Also if there is an option to force SSIS to use different end of record delimiter other than LF (CRLF in this case) I'd use it (hopefully there is no CRLF in the problem field text)
• If the problem field is not the last field, you can count the number of de-limiters by reading the entire record as a single LF delimited field to identify and filter out the problem records (if they are only few) and try to stitch them back
• If possible read the file as single record (if SSIS has an option) and replace all LF, provided CR is consistent end of record delimiter from the source

Answer 3

thank u for all the suggestions. turned out that the vendor had changed the encoding of the file from Ascii to unicode. changing the the package to read the correct encoding did the trick.

Answer 4

In your Flat File Connection Manager component you have a property that I forgot its name, in it you can set the row delimiter ({CR}{LF}, {LF}, {CR}, ...etc).

Please try to adjust this property I think it'll work.