CODEWITHSUNDEEP
sql-serversql-order-by
David
David

Reputation: 33

SQL Server 2005 import a csv file , rows in correct order

I use SQL Server wizard to import csv files, however the rows imported appears in different order. How can I say to SQL Server to import rows in correct order.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 1762

Answers (3)

Rick
Rick

Reputation: 1

Getting back to the original question, I'm exporting email from Outlook by first sequencing the messages as desired, then selecting multiples a month at a time from the desired folder, then doing the FILE SAVE AS option instead of the Outlook Export function which appears to keep the correct order that far. They are exported to text with no delimiters used.

I created tables in SQL Server that contain only an identity column and a varchar(4000) column. Use row delimiter CRLF and no field delimiter for the import. So far, this appears to be keeping each line in the messages in the correct order. you can create a unique index on the table OR specify ORDER BY the ident column and view emails nicely in what I THINK so far is the correct sequence.

I'm extracting character and numeric data from certain randomly placed rows within each message, so plan to do this with functions LTRIM and RTRIM, then use a pointer to each character until I find the next space, checking each group for being character or numeric, converting numeric data to decimal, and thus parsing the data from the strings to the appropriate data type variable. Working left to right, when I discover a space, I can LTRIM the string to itself and easily move the remaining data to the left. I'm working with dates, alphanumeric stock symbols, and decimal quantities and prices, so each will be identified with function ISNUMERIC before conversion to avoid errors and identify bad data.

Repeated use of the LTRIM will easily move on the next data item in the string, reducing the individual character scanning of intervening spaces.

Upvotes: 0

Damir Sudarevic
Damir Sudarevic

Reputation: 22187

In databases there is no such thing as order of records, as opposed to numbered spreadsheet rows, you need a column to order by. You would use something like

SELECT * FROM myTable ORDER BY SomeColumn

Upvotes: 4

Dayton Brown
Dayton Brown

Reputation: 1240

It's probably importing in the correct order, but SQL server is retrieving them in a different order. Try adding a unique column on your table and then select the rows using that as an order by.

Upvotes: 2

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