migrate flat files into databases

From: lpatel5@.yahoo.com (Lina)
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sqlserver.ce
Subject: Migration of Flat Files
Date: 26 Jun 2003 07:28:12 -0700
What is the best design approach for migrating about 1000 Flat files
from legacy applications to a single or multiple relational
database(s) on SQL Sever?
These files are not delimeted or in any fixed format.
Thank YouWhat you are asking for is almost magic. You have to have some structure in
each file or it cannot be imported into a relational database with a
row-column table structure. You may want to check with the legacy system to
see if it can export to a structured (delimited or fixed format) file. The
only exception is where each single file maps to a field in an individual
row in the database such as an image file mapping to an image datatype.
Then you will have to generate additional columns to capture file name and
date information if that is meaningful information.
If each file maps to an individual table, then you will need to generate the
table structure and then parse each file file into each table. BCP and/or
DTS are the tools to do that job. If multiple files can map to the same
table, you will likely have to add elements to the table to indicate which
file, since that information is probably meaningful to the system. In that
case, DTS is probably your best bet since it is more flexible.
Any way you look at this, it is not an easy task. Again, check and see if
there is an export utility for your legacy app that can get you to a format
that is easily imported.
Good Luck.
--
Geoff N. Hiten
Senior Database Administrator
Careerbuilder.com
"Amy Yuan [MS]" <amyy@.online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:00H8TwaRDHA.1060@.cpmsftngxa09.phx.gbl...
> From: lpatel5@.yahoo.com (Lina)
> Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sqlserver.ce
> Subject: Migration of Flat Files
> Date: 26 Jun 2003 07:28:12 -0700
> What is the best design approach for migrating about 1000 Flat files
> from legacy applications to a single or multiple relational
> database(s) on SQL Sever?
> These files are not delimeted or in any fixed format.
> Thank You
>