Can SQL Server 2000 import a flat data file directly from a mainframe
or other server that is not a Windows server or does the data file
need to be moved to a Windows server first?
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JerryOn Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:18:01 -0000, Jerry <jerryalan@.gmail.com> wrote:
>Can SQL Server 2000 import a flat data file directly from a mainframe
>or other server that is not a Windows server or does the data file
>need to be moved to a Windows server first?
The first issue is whether the file can be "seen" and accessed. I
have seen AS/400 setups where that system had part of the disk visible
over the network so that a Windows box could access the files like any
other network drive. If the file is visible in that way something
should be possible. However I generally used a transfer utility
rather than a shared directory.
The next issue is whether the file is in a useable format. All the
files I ever loaded from a mainframe started on the mainframe end as
readable text, with no binary, float, packed, or zoned decimal fields,
likewise no "overpunch" where the sign is carried in half a byte. Then
it was a matter of using a transfer tool tool that converted IBM's
mainframe character set, EBCDIC, to the ASCII used by the rest of the
world.
A final aternative would be a driver that allowed ODBC or equivelent
access to mainframe data.
Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT|||In addition, the best approach here is to define your process:
1) dump the flat-file from the AS400 to a Windows machine or an FTP site
2) Use DTS to do ETL - there is a File Transfer Protocol Task if you intend
to read from an FTP site or a Text File Source if you intend to dump the
file on a Windows machine
"Roy Harvey" <roy_harvey@.snet.net> wrote in message
news:s1gpb3prd16altj63k5qatvicte8vd2im7@.4ax.com...
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:18:01 -0000, Jerry <jerryalan@.gmail.com> wrote:
>>Can SQL Server 2000 import a flat data file directly from a mainframe
>>or other server that is not a Windows server or does the data file
>>need to be moved to a Windows server first?
> The first issue is whether the file can be "seen" and accessed. I
> have seen AS/400 setups where that system had part of the disk visible
> over the network so that a Windows box could access the files like any
> other network drive. If the file is visible in that way something
> should be possible. However I generally used a transfer utility
> rather than a shared directory.
> The next issue is whether the file is in a useable format. All the
> files I ever loaded from a mainframe started on the mainframe end as
> readable text, with no binary, float, packed, or zoned decimal fields,
> likewise no "overpunch" where the sign is carried in half a byte. Then
> it was a matter of using a transfer tool tool that converted IBM's
> mainframe character set, EBCDIC, to the ASCII used by the rest of the
> world.
> A final aternative would be a driver that allowed ODBC or equivelent
> access to mainframe data.
> Roy Harvey
> Beacon Falls, CT
