How to Import XML Data into SQL Server using SSIS

Using SQL Server as a backup for critical business data provides an essential safety net against loss. Backing up data to SQL Server enables business users to more easily connect that data with features like reporting, analytics, and more.

This example demonstrates how to use the CData SSIS Tasks for XML inside of a SQL Server SSIS workflow to transfer XML data into a Microsoft SQL Server database.

Add the Components

To get started, add a new XML source and SQL Server ADO.NET destination to a new data flow task.

Create a New Connection Manager

Follow the steps below to save XML connection properties in a connection manager.

1. In the Connection Manager window, right-click and then click New Connection. The Add SSIS Connection Manager dialog is displayed.
2. In the Connection Manager type menu, select XML. The CData XML Connection Manager is displayed.
3. Configure connection properties.

   See the Getting Started chapter in the data provider documentation to authenticate to your data source: The data provider models XML APIs as bidirectional database tables and XML files as read-only views (local files, files stored on popular cloud services, and FTP servers). The major authentication schemes are supported, including HTTP Basic, Digest, NTLM, OAuth, and FTP. See the Getting Started chapter in the data provider documentation for authentication guides.

   After setting the URI and providing any authentication values, set DataModel to more closely match the data representation to the structure of your data.

   The DataModel property is the controlling property over how your data is represented into tables and toggles the following basic configurations.

   • Document (default): Model a top-level, document view of your XML data. The data provider returns nested elements as aggregates of data.
   • FlattenedDocuments: Implicitly join nested documents and their parents into a single table.
   • Relational: Return individual, related tables from hierarchical data. The tables contain a primary key and a foreign key that links to the parent document.

   See the Modeling XML Data chapter for more information on configuring the relational representation. You will also find the sample data used in the following examples. The data includes entries for people, the cars they own, and various maintenance services performed on those cars.

Configure the XML Source

Follow the steps below to specify the query to be used to extract XML data.

1. Double-click the XML source to open the source component editor.
2. In the Connection Manager menu, select the connection manager previously created.
3. Specify the query to use for the data extraction. For example: SELECT [people].[personal.age] AS age, [people].[personal.gender] AS gender, [people].[personal.name.first] AS first_name, [people].[personal.name.last] AS last_name, [vehicles].[model], FROM [people] JOIN [vehicles] ON [people].[_id] = [vehicles].[people_id]
4. Close the XML Source control and connect it to the ADO.NET Destination.

Configure the SQL Server Destination

Follow the steps below to specify the SQL server table to load the XML data into.

1. Open the ADO.NET Destination and add a New Connection. Enter your server and database information here.
2. In the Data access mode menu, select "table or view".
3. In the Table Or View menu, select the table or view to populate.
4. Configure any properties you wish to on the Mappings screen.

Run the Project

You can now run the project. After the SSIS Task has finished executing, your database will be populated with XML data.