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When developing a Data Flow I don't always want to output the results to a destination - but I would like to see the data.

Is there a way to attach a Data viewer to an output without having to have a destination?

The file and raw destination have limitations on the data type they accept - and I don't want to attach conversions just to test/build code.

Is there some kind of output to null ? i could then get a data view on the result set

John Saunders
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Mesh
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4 Answers4

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There is a (free) custom "trash" destination available from a third party:

http://www.sqlis.com/post/Trash-Destination-Adapter.aspx

Ed Harper
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  • That sound exactly what I was after! The next question is why isn't it available out of the box? The separation between DBA and dev is not that wide. – Mesh Apr 02 '09 at 08:46
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I usually use Export column transform - if left with default configuration, it does nothing, so it is equivalent to the custom "Trash" destination mentioned by Ed, but you don't have to install anything.

Michael Entin
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When debugging and wanting to view the data in the buffer, I usually throw in a Union All and connect it below the component who's output I want to see. Then add a Data Viewer on the connector and voila, there it is!

Valentino Vranken
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There isn't really. You can use a RecordSet Destination, or a Row Count transform instead.

John Saunders
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  • Yeah, I eventually hit on the Row Count transformation... The idea of SSIS is great, the implementation and usability i'm not so sure.... – Mesh Apr 01 '09 at 13:26
  • SSIS takes some getting used to. Fortunately, there are a lot of resources. Start at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqlintegrationservices/thread/24d6967c-a11a-488a-9811-bd50a1a98322, and follow the links to the blogs. Watch that forum for interesting posts, too. – John Saunders Apr 01 '09 at 13:34