Abstract

In this blog post I will demonstrate using SQL Server Integration Services‘s Execute Process Task to compress a csv file into a zip format using 7-Zip.

Requirements

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or later
• 7-Zip
• 
  SIFISO_Test

Article
Recently I have been involved in a project whereby I have been required to extract data into CSV files, compress the files into a zip format and email the newly compressed files. This blog post is the first of several posts to come whereby I will be demonstrating how to fulfill such a requirement.
Let’s begin by launching Microsoft Visual Studio and creating a new Integration Services Project which is located under Business Intelligence Projects category. (If you are using SQL Server 2012 or later, you will have to launch SQL Server Data Tools – SSDT).
After you have assigned a project name, proceed to click and drag the Execute Process Task (EPT) into the Control Flow pane from the toolbox (SSIS Toolbox in SSDT).
Right-click EPT and click on “Edit”
Under the General Tab, you can assign relevant Names & Descriptions. In this case, I have decided to name the task “EPT – Compress File” whilst the Description remains unchanged.
In the Process Tab, the EPT properties must be set as follows:

• RequiredFullFileName : True
• Executable : C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7zG.exe
• Arguments: a “SIFISO_Test.zip” “SIFISO_Test.csv”
• WorkingDirectory: C:\Test\Excel\20120930\
• FailTaskIfReturnCodeIsNotSuccessValue : True
• SuccessValue : 0
• Timeout : 0
• WindowStyle : Hidden

Basically what we have done above is, among other things, set the Executable property to the .exe location of the compression software we are using; set the Arguments such that file “SIFISO_Test.csv” is compressed into “SIFISO_Test.zip”; specified the working directory where the CSV file will be located and zip file created; hid the exe window that appears when the file is being compressed.
It’s that simple.
Till next time folks, cheers.
Sifiso.
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