Cannot Execute SSIS packages with Excel in 64 bit version of SQL Server

When you try to execute SSIS package which has a Excel Destination/Source in SQL Server 64 bit version, you will get following error.

[Connection manager "Excel Connection Manager"] Error: SSIS Error Code DTS_E_OLEDB_EXCEL_NOT_SUPPORTED: The Excel Connection Manager is not supported in the 64-bit version of SSIS, as no OLE DB provider is available.

As error suggest Excel Connection Manager does not support 64 bit version. Depending on the environment you can execute this SSIS packages.

SQL Server Agent Job

In SQL Server 2008, there should be a checkbox on the Execution options tab Job Step page to run the package in 32-bit mode as shown in following image.

In SQL Server 2005, you have to change the Job Step from an Integration Services Step to an Operating System step, and specify a DTEXEC command line instead. The DTEXEC command line needs to specify the DTEXEC.EXE from the Program Files (x86) folders, NOT the DTEXEC.EXE from the Program Files folders which is the 64 bit version.

DTEXEC

If you're executing the package using, as said before, you need to specify the 32-bit version of DTEXEC by explicitly running the DTEXEC.EXE from the Program Files (x86) SQL Server folder.

Visual Studio

You can also set the 32 bit runtime environment using Project Properties -> Debugging -> Run64BitRuntime = False, as shown in the following image.

Will Truncate Command be carried forward to Secondary Server in Log Shipping?

Truncate command will not delete data row by row hence deleted data will not be logged in Transaction Log. In Log shipping, transaction log backups will be transferred to the secondary server. So the natural question is whether truncate command will be carried forward to Secondary Server.

Let us examine, what is happening to transaction log during the truncate command. Following is the part of transaction log you will see when you issue a truncate statement.

 

Current LSN	Operation	Context
0000001c:00000014:0005	LOP_MODIFY_ROW	LCX_PFS
0000001c:00000014:0006	LOP_MODIFY_ROW	LCX_PFS
0000001c:00000014:0007	LOP_FORMAT_PAGE	LCX_IAM
0000001c:00000014:0008	LOP_HOBT_DELTA	LCX_NULL
0000001c:00000014:0009	LOP_MODIFY_ROW	LCX_IAM

PFS – Page Free Space

IAM – Index Allocation Maps

The actual process for Truncate Table is to de-allocate the pages assigned to a table, this de-allocating part will be captured in log file. So in the, transaction log backup, this statement will be captured and will be transferred to the secondary server. This means that Truncate command will be carried forward to the Secondary Server.

Similarly, in mirroring, transaction log backup restoring, transactional replication truncate statement will be transferred to the intend targets.

PN: table is de-allocated by unhooking the IAM chains and then de-allocating the individual pages and extents using a background task – a process called deferred-drop, to avoid running out of locks during the de-allocation process.

Brad's Sure DBA Checklist

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http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/database-administration/brads-sure-dba-checklist/?utm_source=simpletalk&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BradChecklist-20100125&utm_campaign=SQL

Version Information on SQL Server

If you want to find out version information, you can use @@Version function. However, in SQL Server 2005, you won’t get the service pack level of the SQL Server.

If you run SELECT @@VERSION in SQL Server 2005, you will get following output.

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - 9.00.4207.00 (X64) Copyright (c) 1988-2005 Microsoft Corporation Enterprise Edition (64-bit) on Windows NT 5.2 (Build 3790: Service Pack 2)

PN: here Service Pack 2 means service pack of the operating system, not the service pack of the SQL Server. To find out the service pack level in SQL Server 2005, you need to run following T-SQL.

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel') ServicePack

In SQL Server 2008 this is what you get for SELECT @@VERSION.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (SP1) - 10.0.2531.0 (X64) Copyright (c) 1988-2008 Microsoft Corporation Developer Edition (64-bit) on Windows NT 5.2 <X64> (Build 3790: Service Pack 2)

In this you can see that you will get the Service pack level from the @@VERSION.

Apart from above commands, following stored procedures also give you the server information.

EXEC master..xp_msver

EXEC sp_server_info

BUG: Naming convention issue with SQL Server Configuration Manager

In the first image, SQL Server Configuration Manager shortcut, you have SQL with all caps. In the next image, which is the SQL Server Configuration Manager tool, in the title it shows as Sql with title case.

BUG: SQL Server 2008 Installation

In the SQL Server 2008 installation, there is service accounts configuration. In this SQL Server Analysis Service and SQL Server Reporting Services has a case error as shown in the following image.

 

An Error Occurred during decryption when creating a linked server.

When linked server is created, following error is occurring.

An error occurred during decryption.

PN: Also, when configuring distribution for replication following error occurred.

An error occurred during decryption.

There is no remote user 'distributor_admin' mapped to local user '(null)' from the remote server 'repl_distributor'.

Changed database context to 'master'. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 15466)

This also due to unable to create linked server named repl_distributor.

The Service Master Key is the root of the SQL Server encryption hierarchy. It is generated automatically the first time it is needed to encrypt another key. By default, the Service Master Key is encrypted using the Windows data protection API and using the local machine key. The Service Master Key can only be opened by the Windows service account under which it was created or by a principal with access to both the service account name and its password.

Solution is to regenerate the service master key with following command.

ALTER SERVICE MASTER KEY REGENERATE

In case above statement generates an error, you have to use with FORCE command. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914261

ALTER SERVICE MASTER KEY REGENERATE FORCE