Selecting Input Columns Programmatically

After you have programmatically connected components, select the columns from upstream components that you will transform or pass through to downstream components. If you do not select input columns for your component, the component does not receive any rows from the data flow task.

Selecting Columns

Call the GetVirtualInput method to retrieve the list of available columns from an upstream component, then call the SetUsageType method of the design-time component instance to select columns from the virtual input column collection. When you call this method, the component creates a new input column in its input column collection that has the same lineage ID as the corresponding column in the output collection of the upstream component.

Do not select columns by calling the SetUsageType method of the virtual input object directly, because this bypasses the component's ability to reject columns based on inappropriate data types or other properties.

Sample

The following code sample demonstrates how to use the design-time instance of a component to select the columns for a component.

using System;
using Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Runtime;
using Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline;
using Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline.Wrapper;

namespace Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Samples
{
  class Program
  {
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      // Create a package and add a Data Flow task.
      Package package = new Package();
      Executable e = package.Executables.Add("DTS.Pipeline.1");
      TaskHost thMainPipe = e as TaskHost;
      MainPipe dataFlowTask = thMainPipe.InnerObject as MainPipe;

      // Add an OLE DB connection manager to the package.
      ConnectionManager conMgr = package.Connections.Add("OLEDB");
      conMgr.ConnectionString = "Provider=SQLOLEDB.1;" +
        "Data Source=DOUGLASL2;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;" +
        "Integrated Security=SSPI;";
      conMgr.Name = "SSIS Connection Manager for OLE DB";
      conMgr.Description = "OLE DB connection to the AdventureWorks database.";

      // Create and configure an OLE DB source component.  
      IDTSComponentMetaData90 source =
        dataFlowTask.ComponentMetaDataCollection.New();
      source.ComponentClassID = "DTSAdapter.OleDbSource";
      // Create the design-time instance of the source.
      CManagedComponentWrapper srcDesignTime = source.Instantiate();
      // The ProvideComponentProperties method creates a default output.
      srcDesignTime.ProvideComponentProperties();
      // Assign the connection manager.
      source.RuntimeConnectionCollection[0].ConnectionManager =
        DtsConvert.ToConnectionManager90(conMgr);
      // Set the custom properties of the source.
      srcDesignTime.SetComponentProperty("AccessMode", 2);
      srcDesignTime.SetComponentProperty("SqlCommand",
        "Select * from Production.Product");

      // Connect to the data source,
      //  and then update the metadata for the source.
      srcDesignTime.AcquireConnections(null);
      srcDesignTime.ReinitializeMetaData();
      srcDesignTime.ReleaseConnections();

      // Create and configure an OLE DB destination.
      IDTSComponentMetaData90 destination =
        dataFlowTask.ComponentMetaDataCollection.New();
      destination.ComponentClassID = "DTSAdapter.OleDbDestination";
      // Create the design-time instance of the destination.
      CManagedComponentWrapper destDesignTime = destination.Instantiate();
      // The ProvideComponentProperties method creates a default input.
      destDesignTime.ProvideComponentProperties();

      // Create the path from source to destination.
      IDTSPath90 path = dataFlowTask.PathCollection.New();
      path.AttachPathAndPropagateNotifications(source.OutputCollection[0],
        destination.InputCollection[0]);

      // Get the destination's default input and virtual input.
      IDTSInput90 input = destination.InputCollection[0];
      IDTSVirtualInput90 vInput = input.GetVirtualInput();

      // Iterate through the virtual input column collection.
      foreach (IDTSVirtualInputColumn90 vColumn in vInput.VirtualInputColumnCollection)
      {
        // Call the SetUsageType method of the destination
        //  to add each available virtual input column as an input column.
        destDesignTime.SetUsageType(
           input.ID, vInput, vColumn.LineageID, DTSUsageType.UT_READONLY);
      }

      // Verify that the columns have been added to the input.
      foreach (IDTSInputColumn90 inputColumn in destination.InputCollection[0].InputColumnCollection)
        Console.WriteLine(inputColumn.Name);
      Console.Read();

      // Add other components to the data flow and connect them.
    }
  }
}
Imports Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Runtime
Imports Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline
Imports Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline.Wrapper

Module Module1

  Sub Main()

    ' Create a package and add a Data Flow task.
    Dim package As Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Runtime.Package = _
      New Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Runtime.Package()
    Dim e As Executable = package.Executables.Add("DTS.Pipeline.1")
    Dim thMainPipe As Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Runtime.TaskHost = _
      CType(e, Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Runtime.TaskHost)
    Dim dataFlowTask As MainPipe = CType(thMainPipe.InnerObject, MainPipe)

    ' Add an OLE DB connection manager to the package.
    Dim conMgr As ConnectionManager = package.Connections.Add("OLEDB")
    conMgr.ConnectionString = "Provider=SQLOLEDB.1;" & _
      "Data Source=DOUGLASL2;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;" & _
      "Integrated Security=SSPI;"
    conMgr.Name = "SSIS Connection Manager for OLE DB"
    conMgr.Description = "OLE DB connection to the AdventureWorks database."

    ' Create and configure an OLE DB source component.  
    Dim source As IDTSComponentMetaData90 = _
      dataFlowTask.ComponentMetaDataCollection.New
    source.ComponentClassID = "DTSAdapter.OleDbSource"
    ' Create the design-time instance of the source.
    Dim srcDesignTime As CManagedComponentWrapper = source.Instantiate
    ' The ProvideComponentProperties method creates a default output.
    srcDesignTime.ProvideComponentProperties()
    ' Assign the connection manager.
    source.RuntimeConnectionCollection(0).ConnectionManager = _
      DtsConvert.ToConnectionManager90(conMgr)
    ' Set the custom properties of the source.
    srcDesignTime.SetComponentProperty("AccessMode", 2)
    srcDesignTime.SetComponentProperty("SqlCommand", _
      "Select * from Production.Product")

    ' Connect to the data source,
    '  and then update the metadata for the source.
    srcDesignTime.AcquireConnections(Nothing)
    srcDesignTime.ReinitializeMetaData()
    srcDesignTime.ReleaseConnections()

    ' Create and configure an OLE DB destination.
    Dim destination As IDTSComponentMetaData90 = _
      dataFlowTask.ComponentMetaDataCollection.New
    destination.ComponentClassID = "DTSAdapter.OleDbDestination"
    ' Create the design-time instance of the destination.
    Dim destDesignTime As CManagedComponentWrapper = destination.Instantiate
    ' The ProvideComponentProperties method creates a default input.
    destDesignTime.ProvideComponentProperties()

    ' Create the path from source to destination.
    Dim path As IDTSPath90 = dataFlowTask.PathCollection.New
    path.AttachPathAndPropagateNotifications(source.OutputCollection(0), _
      destination.InputCollection(0))

    ' Get the destination's default input and virtual input.
    Dim input As IDTSInput90 = destination.InputCollection(0)
    Dim vInput As IDTSVirtualInput90 = input.GetVirtualInput

    ' Iterate through the virtual input column collection.
    For Each vColumn As IDTSVirtualInputColumn90 In vInput.VirtualInputColumnCollection
      ' Call the SetUsageType method of the destination
      '  to add each available virtual input column as an input column.
      destDesignTime.SetUsageType(input.ID, vInput, vColumn.LineageID, DTSUsageType.UT_READONLY)
    Next

    ' Verify that the columns have been added to the input.
    For Each inputColumn As IDTSInputColumn90 In destination.InputCollection(0).InputColumnCollection
      Console.WriteLine(inputColumn.Name)
    Next
    Console.Read()

    ' Add other components to the data flow and connect them.

  End Sub

End Module

Change History

Release History

17 July 2006

Changed content:
  • Replaced code examples with longer samples.

See Also

Concepts

Saving a Package Programmatically

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance