Troubleshooting Data Insertion Errors in IBM DB2 via Host Integration Server

Table of Contents

Symptoms¶

Consider a scenario where you are utilizing SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) to transfer data into an IBM DB2 database. This process involves employing the OLE DB Provider for DB2 to facilitate the connection and data insertion. Specifically, the OLE DB Destination component within your SSIS package is configured to leverage the Accessmode = OpenRowset Using FastLoad setting. This FastLoad method is typically chosen to enhance performance when inserting large volumes of data.

Furthermore, your source SQL Server database contains columns defined as DateTime2 and Date data types. Crucially, some of these columns hold NULL values. These columns are intended to be inserted into corresponding columns in the IBM DB2 database, which are defined as TimeStamp and Date data types respectively. This data type mapping is generally compatible, but the presence of NULL values in conjunction with the FastLoad access mode can trigger unexpected errors during the data insertion process.

During the execution of your SSIS package, specifically when inserting data into the IBM DB2 database, you might encounter an error message. This error typically manifests during the data flow task responsible for writing to the DB2 destination. The error message is indicative of an issue with the OLE DB Provider for DB2 and points to a problem with the syntax of datetime values being passed to DB2.

Error Message¶

The error message you might encounter will resemble the following:

Error: SSIS Error Code DTS_E_OLEDBERROR. An OLE DB error has occurred. Error code: 0x80004005. An OLE DB record is available.
Source: “Microsoft DB2 OLE DB Provider”
Hresult: 0x80004005
Description: “Unspecified error”.

An OLE DB record is available.
Source: “Microsoft DB2 OLE DB Provider”
Hresult: 0x80040E14
Description: “The syntax of the string representation of a datetime value is incorrect. SQLSTATE: 22007, SQLCODE: -180”.

This error message is composed of several key pieces of information. The initial “SSIS Error Code DTS_E_OLEDBERROR” indicates a general OLE DB error within the SSIS framework. The error code “0x80004005” is a generic COM error code, often signaling an unspecified error. However, the more informative part of the message is the second OLE DB record with Hresult “0x80040E14” and Description “The syntax of the string representation of a datetime value is incorrect. SQLSTATE: 22007, SQLCODE: -180”. This specifically points to an issue with how datetime values are being interpreted by the DB2 database, suggesting a problem with the format or representation of these values as they are passed from SSIS through the OLE DB Provider. The SQLSTATE “22007” and SQLCODE “-180” are standard SQL error codes further confirming a datetime format issue within DB2.

Resolution¶

Fortunately, there are two primary methods to effectively resolve this data insertion error when using SSIS to write to IBM DB2 databases via the OLE DB Provider. Each method addresses the underlying cause of the error in a slightly different way, and the optimal choice may depend on your specific performance requirements and environment.

Method 1: Change Access Mode to OpenRowset¶

The first resolution involves modifying the AccessMode setting of the OLE DB Destination component within your SSIS package. Instead of using AccessMode = OpenRowset Using FastLoad, you should change it to AccessMode = OpenRowset. This modification effectively disables the FastLoad functionality for data insertion.

By switching to OpenRowset, SSIS will insert data into the DB2 database row by row, rather than in bulk using the FastLoad mechanism. This approach often circumvents the datetime conversion issues that arise when using FastLoad with NULL values and specific data types. The reason for this is that OpenRowset typically handles data type conversions and NULL value representations in a more robust and standard way, ensuring compatibility between the SQL Server data types and their DB2 counterparts.

However, it is crucial to understand the disadvantage of this method. Disabling FastLoad will significantly reduce the performance of data insertion into the DB2 database. Inserting rows one at a time is inherently slower than bulk loading, especially when dealing with large datasets. Therefore, while this method provides a reliable solution to the error, it may not be suitable for scenarios where high-performance data loading is a critical requirement. You should carefully consider the trade-off between error resolution and performance impact when choosing this method. If data volume is not excessively large, or if data loading frequency is low, the performance reduction might be acceptable.

Method 2: Add “Use Early Metadata=true” to the DB2 Connection String¶

The second and often more preferred resolution involves adding a specific parameter to the DB2 connection string used by SSIS to connect to the IBM DB2 system. This parameter is:

Use Early Metadata=true

You need to append this parameter to the connection string that is configured within your SSIS package’s Connection Manager responsible for the DB2 connection. The exact method for modifying the connection string depends on how your connection is configured, but it generally involves accessing the properties of the OLE DB Connection Manager and editing the connection string within the connection manager’s settings.

The Use Early Metadata=true parameter instructs the Microsoft DB2 OLE DB Provider to retrieve metadata about the DB2 tables and columns in a specific way. Without this parameter, the provider might use a different metadata retrieval mechanism that, in certain scenarios, can lead to misinterpretations or incorrect handling of datetime data types, particularly when NULL values and FastLoad are involved.

By setting Use Early Metadata=true, you are essentially forcing the OLE DB Provider to use an earlier, and in this case, more compatible method for metadata retrieval. This change often resolves the datetime syntax errors because it ensures that the data types and NULL value representations are correctly understood and translated between SSIS and DB2, even when using FastLoad.

The significant advantage of this method is that it generally preserves the performance benefits of FastLoad. You can continue to use AccessMode = OpenRowset Using FastLoad in your OLE DB Destination, and the data insertion will still be performed in bulk, maintaining higher throughput compared to the OpenRowset method. This makes it a more desirable solution in performance-sensitive environments. Adding a connection string parameter is also typically a less intrusive change compared to altering the AccessMode of the OLE DB Destination, making it a quicker and easier fix to implement.

It is recommended to test both solutions in a development or test environment to determine which method best suits your specific needs and performance requirements before deploying changes to a production environment. In most cases, adding Use Early Metadata=true to the connection string is the preferred approach due to its balance of error resolution and performance preservation.

Do you have any experiences with data insertion errors in IBM DB2? Share your thoughts and solutions in the comments below!