Excel Destination Number Conversion Error

In my SSIS project I am populating an Excel spreadsheet with several worksheets. When I define a worksheet in Excel Destination Editor, I use Create Table SQL statement to create a worksheet. Most of the fields are defined as numbers, however when job runs my numeric fields appear as text in Excel with yellow warning sign - 'The number in this cell is formatted as text or preceeded by an apostrophe'. I need my numbers to appear as numbers. Is there a workaround for this?

Are you specifying Import Mode by using IMEX=1 in your connection string? This forces all data to text.

The Excel driver does store what it believes to be text data preceded by the apostrophe, to force the Excel application in turn to recognize it without question as text values. This implies to me that the columns in question contain at least some values that the driver is interpreting as text.

The BOL topic on the Excel Source contains some information that explains some of the behaviors of the Jet Excel driver.

-Doug

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Doug,

Thanks a lot for advice. I tried to put IMEX=0 (2) into a connection string, but it did not solve the problem. I wonder what the default is if IMEX parameter is not specified?

Sergey

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Sergey,

I was not encouraging the use of Import Mode...on the contrary, this forces everything to text and would presumably add the opening apostrophe everywhere.

You may want to try allowing the Import and Export Wizard to build your "base" package and add necessary Data Conversion tasks etc. for you. Then you can customize the package afterward.

Be careful to check that the driver is recognizing your numeric columns as numeric, by examining the data types of columns in the various components.

-Doug