Question about Excel source - how to modify columns?

Hi,

I have a package that uses an Excel file source. There appears to be no place to modify the column data types as you can with a flat file manager. As such, the source columns do not match the columns in the database.

I believe I must be overlooking something here.

Can someone please tell me how I can modify the Excel column datatypes?

Thanks

nevermind

found it under "advanced editor", "input and output" properties

|||

Well, I'm having a difficult time changing the datatypes on my excel columns.

The "input and output properties" allow you to change the datatypes of the "output columns", but if I try to modify the "external columns", I get an error that the source column doesn't match or something to that effect. If I just try to change the length, it gives me other errors. So it seems I can't really change these?

So I left all the "external" columns as unicode strings with the original length, and changed the "output columns" to regular strings and the floats to numerics.

But in the end, this has solved nothing because I'm still getting truncation errors. So obviously changing the "output columns" isn't enough.

I really don't think I'm doing this right! Need help.

|||Sadie,
Use a derived column or a data conversion component to change your data types. Let the Excel manager and Excel Source do their jobs. The output data type is dictated by the driver and the data in the Excel sheet.|||You need to use a derived column or data conversion transform to change the data types. Excel data is stored as unicode, and it is a conversion step to change it to ANSI. Same thing for the floats.|||

Ok, duh

makes sense... just never worked with an excel spreadsheet before