Executing an external process() in SQLCLR Project

I can create an external text file from within the SQLCLR project, but I cannot run an external executable. Just in case you are asking, I need to do this to push data into a legacy application using a different DB format. I have found it best to simply use my old language (Clipper) for data validation, etc. - and especially since I require multiple indices to be open. So, if you could just take my word on this.

The following code:

Process newProcess = new Process();

string path = @."C:\TEST.BAT";

newProcess.StartInfo.FileName = path;

newProcess.Start();

Executes without error, but does not actually run the external.

Now, I can have a DOS (Clipper) application poll a directory for text files, but I am trying to get away from all these "mini" data transformation applications. If an exception is caused in the DOS app, a remote user on the other side of the country has no idea it is broke and his data (coming from a SQL Mobile Device) never gets to our legacy database structure.

So, am I out of luck?

Is your assembly deployed at the UNSAFE permission level? What happens if you try to run the same code in a console app run under the same user account (SQL Server service account or impersonated account, as appropriate)?|||

Hi Nicole - thx for responding.

I am able to execute a console app - the issue is that SQL Server will not allow touching any network drive or network resource period (from a SQLCLR Project). So my cmd app can update a DB on the C drive, but not one of my network drives.

As well, I can establish an OLEDB connection (Visual Foxpro) to a local directory, but not a network directory. I'm surprised that CLR will not even allow an external app to touch a network resource. Wild, eh? Although I understand why there is such security, there must be a way for me to execute an external console app that can update a DB on a network resource.

Oh - and yes, I am running the assembly at the UNSAFE permission level.

|||Might the problem be the user context rather than anything having to do with SQLCLR? Unless you deliberately impersonate another user (e.g.: via SqlContext.WindowsIdentity.Impersonate), your SQLCLR code will run under the user context of the SQL Server service account, which is highly unlikely to have any permissions on any network resources.|||

I think you're correct - it has to do with attempting to authenticate a local user (IUSR_Computername) on a network resource. I will look into impersonation (something my wife says I'm horrible at...)

You know, Nicole, you are the first person to assist me in these forums. I had actually thought of using a female handle - seems they get a pretty quick response... :)

I'll post the results of my efforts... and thx again.

|||

After impersonation, I can do something simple like use a streamwriter to create a text file on a network share. But it still throws an exception when attempting to execute an executable on the same network share. The impersonation rights are those of administrator (only for testing!). Oh, in case you're wondering - I simply change the Process StartInfo from @."C:\Mobile.exe" to @."F:\Mobile.exe", and you will have to take my word for it that the Mobile exists in both places. It runs without exception on the C drive.

What's really wild, is that the actual Mobile.exe code (clipper) will update a dbf on the C drive, but not on the F drive. What does the CLR do? Freeze all resources when in process? geez!

I'm also using:

[PermissionSetAttribute(SecurityAction.Demand, Name = "FullTrust")]

So... I really thought this would allow my CLR code to access a network share. I can't understand why the answer to this wouldn't be just a little more simple, even for an old programmer like me.

Execute Process Task; How to use user variable as an argument

I am trying to call a executable that takes an argument. I am using an "execute process task" and have declared a user string variable "file_name" (c:\file.txt)

How do I use this variable so that the executable will see it as an argument.

You can use expressions to define the path and parameters of you executable... Then you don't pass the variable but construct the "command line" with an expression including the parameter (which is the value of your variable)...

Execute Process Task arguments

We are attempting to use SSIS execute process task.

In a cmd.exe session the executable runs with normal arguments:

mycmd < myscript.txt > foo.txt 2>error.txt

We have attempted to several permutations of this without success. We declared variables and assigned them to stdin, stdout, stderr. However, mycmd opens in the SSIS session as if no arguments have been supplied.

Is there some expression that is required to connect the stdin/out/err variables in the Arguments within Execute Process Task. The help/examples are terse.

Redirections using < and > are not arguments, they are special symbols treated by cmd.exe.

To get the same behavior from Execute Process Task, you'll need to read content of myscript.txt into a variable and redirect program input to this variable; redirect output and errors to two other variables, then after program ends save these variables into foo.txt and error.txt.

But the easiest way to solve it is to use the 'cmd.exe' as the task executable, and supply your command (/C mycmd < myscript.txt > foo.txt 2>error.txt) as agruments for cmd.exe (/C added to instruct cmd.exe to executed specified command).|||

Thanks! We somehow missed the /C switch and that solved the problem.

Loading myscript.txt into a variable for use by stdin seems a bit problematic in our situation since it could be several hundred lines long and contain a wide spectrum of characters related to regular expressions that just seem like the perfect opportunity to tip it over.

We may look at the use of variables in the argument and see if we can move the scrum ahead.

|||Hello.

I'm trying to use the "Execute Process" task to compress several ASCII files in a folder in one ZIP archive. The command line for it looks as follows:

c:\programme\7zip\7z.exe a -bd U:\Projekte\TFG\Software\Log_storage\SCD_Demo_isHASH_34.zip SCD_Demo_isHASH_*.log

The result file has size of 2 KB.

When I put this command in the "Arguments" property of the "Execute Process" component (with "/C" switch and cmd.exe as executable), I get an empty ZIP file. What could be a reason for it? Has anyone already experienced such behaviour?

Regards,
Andrey

Execute Process Task

Hi,

We have an SSIS Execute Process Task which calls an executable along with the required parameters.

When we run this package, it intermittently gives the error as shown below in red

Executing "ppscmd.exe" "StagingDB /Server http://SERVERNAME:46787 /path OSB_FY08.Planning.dimensionECFuncArea /Operation LoadDataFromStaging" at "", The process exit code was "1" while the expected was "0". End Error DTExec: The package execution returned DTSER_FAILURE (1). Started: 5:05:08 PM Finished: 5:08:40 PM Elapsed: 212.203 seconds. The package execution failed. The step failed.

We are not able to debug this issue. We had a look at the logging information as well but we are not getting any information on this issue.

How can we resolve this issue ?

Any help on this would be highly appreciated.

Thanks & Regards

Joseph Samuel

You are getting the error simply because the process you are exeuting is returning some error code (non-zero). If you want to simply ignore the error, you can set the "ForceExecutionResult" property.|||

If you want to capture the error from PPSCMD, redirect the output to a file. See this post for details (you have to call it from cmd.exe):

http://blogs.msdn.com/michen/archive/2007/08/02/redirecting-output-of-execute-process-task.aspx

Execute Process Task

Hi,

We have an SSIS Execute Process Task which calls an executable along with the required parameters.

When we run this package, it intermittently gives the error as shown below in red

Executing "ppscmd.exe" "StagingDB /Server http://SERVERNAME:46787 /path OSB_FY08.Planning.dimensionECFuncArea /Operation LoadDataFromStaging" at "", The process exit code was "1" while the expected was "0". End Error DTExec: The package execution returned DTSER_FAILURE (1). Started: 5:05:08 PM Finished: 5:08:40 PM Elapsed: 212.203 seconds. The package execution failed. The step failed.

We are not able to debug this issue. We had a look at the logging information as well but we are not getting any information on this issue.

How can we resolve this issue ?

Any help on this would be highly appreciated.

Thanks & Regards

Joseph Samuel

You are getting the error simply because the process you are exeuting is returning some error code (non-zero). If you want to simply ignore the error, you can set the "ForceExecutionResult" property.|||

If you want to capture the error from PPSCMD, redirect the output to a file. See this post for details (you have to call it from cmd.exe):

http://blogs.msdn.com/michen/archive/2007/08/02/redirecting-output-of-execute-process-task.aspx