Understanding Bulk Insert Errors in SQL Server Management Studio

Ignoring the First Column in a Table During Bulk Insert from a CSV File

When performing bulk insert operations in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), errors can arise due to discrepancies between the structure of the source data and the target table. In this scenario, we will explore how to ignore the first column in a table when bulk inserting from a CSV file.

Creating the Problematic Table Structure

To begin with, let’s examine the problematic table structure:

CREATE SCHEMA IA;
GO

CREATE TABLE IA.CONTACTS
(
    CONT_GUID UNIQUEIDENTIFIER PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
    CONT_FNAME VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    CONT_LNAME VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    CONT_DOB DATE,
    CONT_CALLS INTEGER
);

As we can see, the CONTACTS table has five columns: CONT_GUID, CONT_FNAME, CONT_LNAME, CONT_DOB, and CONT_CALLS. However, our CSV file only contains four columns: CONT_FNAME, CONT_LNAME, CONT_DOB, and CONT_CALLS.

The Error Message

When we attempt to bulk insert the data from the CSV file into the CONTACTS table using the following command:

BULK INSERT IA.IA.Contacts   
FROM 'C:\Users\k20\Desktop/IA.CONTACTS.csv'  
WITH   
   (FIRSTROW = 2,
    KEEPIDENTITY,
    FIELDTERMINATOR = ',',  
    ROWTERMINATOR = '\n');

We receive the following error message:

Msg 4864, Level 16, State 1, Line 3
Bulk load data conversion error (type mismatch or invalid character for the specified codepage) for row 2, column 1 (CONT_GUID).
Msg 4864, Level 16, State 1, Line 3
Bulk load data conversion error (type mismatch or invalid character for the specified codepage) for row 3, column 1 (CONT_GUID).
...

This indicates that SQL Server is unable to convert the values in the first column (CONT_GUID) of each row from the CSV file into a UNIQUEIDENTIFIER type.

The Solution

To resolve this issue, we need to ignore the first column in the table during bulk insertion. One way to achieve this is by creating a staging table with only four columns (i.e., one less than the original table structure) and then inserting the data into the final table using a SELECT statement that specifies which columns to insert.

Here’s an example solution:

CREATE TABLE IA.CONTACTS
(
CONT_GUID UNIQUEIDENTIFIER  NOT NULL,
CONT_FNAME VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
CONT_LNAME VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
CONT_DOB DATE,
CONT_CALLS INTEGER
);

BULK INSERT 
IA.IA.Staging_Contacts  
   FROM 'C:\Users\k20\Desktop/IA.CONTACTS.csv'  
   WITH   
      (  
        FIRSTROW=2,
        KEEPIDENTITY,
         FIELDTERMINATOR =',',  
         ROWTERMINATOR ='\n'  
      );

insert into contacts (CONT_GUID,CONT_FNAME ,CONT_LNAME,CONT_DOB,CONT_CALLS )
select newid(),CONT_FNAME ,CONT_LNAME,CONT_DOB,CONT_CALLS 
from staging_contacts

By creating a staging table with four columns (CONT_GUID, CONT_FNAME, CONT_LNAME, and CONT_DOB) and then inserting the data into the final table using a SELECT statement that specifies which columns to insert (newid(), CONT_FNAME, CONT_LNAME, CONT_DOB, and CONT_CALLS), we can effectively ignore the first column in the table during bulk insertion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when performing bulk insert operations in SQL Server Management Studio, it’s essential to be aware of potential errors that may arise due to discrepancies between the source data structure and the target table. By creating a staging table with fewer columns than the original table and then using a SELECT statement to specify which columns to insert, we can effectively ignore the first column in the table during bulk insertion.

This approach not only resolves the error but also provides a flexible solution for handling varying data structures when performing bulk inserts from external sources like CSV files.

Last modified on 2024-12-12