reporting services on flat files...

Hey guys
Scenario
I'm basically pulling a load of old data periodically from a bunch of client
MSDE machines onto a server, and pushing the data into flat files using a
..Net application that I knocked up. The flat files are delimited, and there
are multiple files based on their date... so the data's not just in one
file.
Ideal
I'd like to be able to report on the current data on the clients, as well as
the archive data (not necessarily on the same report!) which is stored in
the files.
So far
Researching this a bit, SSIS can import this delimited file no problem, and
then presumably I can get this to Reporting Services via the DataReader.
I've never used DTS or SSIS before so how this happens is still a bit of a
grey area.
Firstly, is using this approach possible, and is it the best one to take?
Other ideas about getting data from the delimited flat files into reports on
reporting services 2005 much appreaciated!!!
Thanks.
Dan.
Ok the easiest way to do this may be to load all the file to a SQL
Server table and report from that. You could tag the rows as they get
loaded with the date on the file and the filename as well as a little
bit of auditing.

Allan Mitchell
http://wiki.sqlis.com | http://www.sqlis.com | http://www.sqldts.com |
http://www.konesans.com
"Dan Bass" <na> wrote in message
news:u7S1gQ9PHHA.4484@.TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl:

> Hey guys
> Scenario
> --
> I'm basically pulling a load of old data periodically from a bunch of client
> MSDE machines onto a server, and pushing the data into flat files using a
> .Net application that I knocked up. The flat files are delimited, and there
> are multiple files based on their date... so the data's not just in one
> file.
> Ideal
> --
> I'd like to be able to report on the current data on the clients, as well as
> the archive data (not necessarily on the same report!) which is stored in
> the files.
> So far
> --
> Researching this a bit, SSIS can import this delimited file no problem, and
> then presumably I can get this to Reporting Services via the DataReader.
> I've never used DTS or SSIS before so how this happens is still a bit of a
> grey area.
> Firstly, is using this approach possible, and is it the best one to take?
> Other ideas about getting data from the delimited flat files into reports on
> reporting services 2005 much appreaciated!!!
> Thanks.
> Dan.
|||I have worked on getting the FlatFile Dumps into databases and then
output them as a Flat file again for imports into the legacy systems
(TANDEM and IBM's and RS6000's)
I do all the Data Scrubbing using SSIS.
This is quiet Easy and the recommended Method.
Reports : Dump the FlatFiles into a Tables then Write Queries over them
(Sp and stuff) for Reports.
Maninder
MCDBA
On Jan 24, 11:24 am, "Dan Bass" <na> wrote:
> Hey guys
> Scenario
> --
> I'm basically pulling a load of old data periodically from a bunch of client
> MSDE machines onto a server, and pushing the data into flat files using a
> .Net application that I knocked up. The flat files are delimited, and there
> are multiple files based on their date... so the data's not just in one
> file.
> Ideal
> --
> I'd like to be able to report on the current data on the clients, as well as
> the archive data (not necessarily on the same report!) which is stored in
> the files.
> So far
> --
> Researching this a bit, SSIS can import this delimited file no problem, and
> then presumably I can get this to Reporting Services via the DataReader.
> I've never used DTS or SSIS before so how this happens is still a bit of a
> grey area.
> Firstly, is using this approach possible, and is it the best one to take?
> Other ideas about getting data from the delimited flat files into reports on
> reporting services 2005 much appreaciated!!!
> Thanks.
> Dan.
|||SSIS is the option to load it on to a sql server and then go for reporting.
This I feel is the best option for flat files. infact you can access directly
as well but that needs lot of testing.
SSIS is pretty simple and you can use it at ease...moreover it is GUI based
so just drag and drop things to get a simple upload. Or just go to the table
and right click for export and follow the wizard at the end save it as script
so that the same thing can be scheduled to use it again and again..
Amarnath
"Dan Bass" wrote:

> Hey guys
> Scenario
> --
> I'm basically pulling a load of old data periodically from a bunch of client
> MSDE machines onto a server, and pushing the data into flat files using a
> ..Net application that I knocked up. The flat files are delimited, and there
> are multiple files based on their date... so the data's not just in one
> file.
> Ideal
> --
> I'd like to be able to report on the current data on the clients, as well as
> the archive data (not necessarily on the same report!) which is stored in
> the files.
> So far
> --
> Researching this a bit, SSIS can import this delimited file no problem, and
> then presumably I can get this to Reporting Services via the DataReader.
> I've never used DTS or SSIS before so how this happens is still a bit of a
> grey area.
> Firstly, is using this approach possible, and is it the best one to take?
> Other ideas about getting data from the delimited flat files into reports on
> reporting services 2005 much appreaciated!!!
> Thanks.
> Dan.
>
>