SSIS: Problem Mapping Global Variables To Stored Procedure. Can't Pass One Variable To Sp And Return Another Variable From Sp.

I'm new to SSIS, but have been programming in SQL and ASP.Net for several years. In Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition I've created an SSIS that imports data from a flat file into the database. The original process worked, but did not check the creation date of the import file. I've been asked to add logic that will check that date and verify that it's more recent than a value stored in the database before the import process executes.

Here are the task steps.


[Execute SQL Task] - Run a stored procedure that checks to see if the import is running. If so, stop execution. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[Execute SQL Task] - Log an entry to a table indicating that the import has started.

[Script Task] - Get the create date for the current flat file via the reference provided in the file connection manager. Assign that date to a global value (FileCreateDate) and pass it to the next step. This works.

[Execute SQL Task] - Compare this file date with the last file create date in the database. This is where the process breaks. This step depends on 2 variables defined at a global level. The first is FileCreateDate, which gets set in step 3. The second is a global variable named IsNewFile. That variable needs to be set in this step based on what the stored procedure this step calls finds out on the database. Precedence constraints direct behavior to the next proper node according to the TRUE/FALSE setting of IsNewFile.


If IsNewFile is FALSE, direct the process to a step that enters a log entry to a table and conclude execution of the SSIS.

If IsNewFile is TRUE, proceed with the import. There are 5 other subsequent steps that follow this decision, but since those work they are not relevant to this post.
Here is the stored procedure that Step 4 is calling. You can see that I experimented with using and not using the OUTPUT option. I really don't care if it returns the value as an OUTPUT or as a field in a recordset. All I care about is getting that value back from the stored procedure so this node in the decision tree can point the flow in the correct direction.


CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[p_CheckImportFileCreateDate]

/*

The SSIS package passes the FileCreateDate parameter to this procedure, which then compares that parameter with the date saved in tbl_ImportFileCreateDate.

If the date is newer (or if there is no date), it updates the field in that table and returns a TRUE IsNewFile bit value in a recordset.

Otherwise it returns a FALSE value in the IsNewFile column.

Example:

exec p_CheckImportFileCreateDate 'GL Account Import', '2/27/2008 9:24 AM', 0

*/

@ProcessName varchar(50)

, @FileCreateDate datetime

, @IsNewFile bit OUTPUT

AS

SET NOCOUNT ON

--DECLARE @IsNewFile bit

DECLARE @CreateDateInTable datetime

SELECT @CreateDateInTable = FileCreateDate FROM tbl_ImportFileCreateDate WHERE ProcessName = @ProcessName

IF EXISTS (SELECT ProcessName FROM tbl_ImportFileCreateDate WHERE ProcessName = @ProcessName)

BEGIN

-- The process exists in tbl_ImportFileCreateDate. Compare the create dates.

IF (@FileCreateDate > @CreateDateInTable)

BEGIN

-- This is a newer file date. Update the table and set @IsNewFile to TRUE.

UPDATE tbl_ImportFileCreateDate

SET FileCreateDate = @FileCreateDate

WHERE ProcessName = @ProcessName

SET @IsNewFile = 1

END

ELSE

BEGIN

-- The file date is the same or older.

SET @IsNewFile = 0

END

END

ELSE

BEGIN

-- This is a new process for tbl_ImportFileCreateDate. Add a record to that table and set @IsNewFile to TRUE.

INSERT INTO tbl_ImportFileCreateDate (ProcessName, FileCreateDate)

VALUES (@ProcessName, @FileCreateDate)

SET @IsNewFile = 1

END

SELECT @IsNewFile

The relevant Global Variables in the package are defined as follows:
Name : Scope : Date Type : Value
FileCreateDate : (Package Name) : DateType : 1/1/2000
IsNewFile : (Package Name) : Boolean : False

Setting the properties in the "Execute SQL Task Editor" has been the difficult part of this. Here are the settings.

General
Name = Compare Last File Create Date
Description = Compares the create date of the current file with a value in tbl_ImportFileCreateDate.
TimeOut = 0
CodePage = 1252
ResultSet = None
ConnectionType = OLE DB
Connection = MyServerDataBase
SQLSourceType = Direct input
IsQueryStoredProcedure = False
BypassPrepare = True

I tried several SQL statements, suspecting it's a syntax issue. All of these failed, but with different error messages. These are the 2 most recent attempts based on posts I was able to locate.
SQLStatement = exec ? = dbo.p_CheckImportFileCreateDate 'GL Account Import', ?, ? output
SQLStatement = exec p_CheckImportFileCreateDate 'GL Account Import', ?, ? output

Parameter Mapping
Variable Name = User::FileCreateDate, Direction = Input, DataType = DATE, Parameter Name = 0, Parameter Size = -1
Variable Name = User::IsNewFile, Direction = Output, DataType = BYTE, Parameter Name = 1, Parameter Size = -1

Result Set is empty.
Expressions is empty.

When I run this in debug mode with this SQL statement ...
exec ? = dbo.p_CheckImportFileCreateDate 'GL Account Import', ?, ? output
... the following error message appears.

SSIS package "MyPackage.dtsx" starting.
Information: 0x4004300A at Import data from flat file to tbl_GLImport, DTS.Pipeline: Validation phase is beginning.

Error: 0xC002F210 at Compare Last File Create Date, Execute SQL Task: Executing the query "exec ? = dbo.p_CheckImportFileCreateDate 'GL Account Import', ?, ? output" failed with the following error: "No value given for one or more required parameters.". Possible failure reasons: Problems with the query, "ResultSet" property not set correctly, parameters not set correctly, or connection not established correctly.

Task failed: Compare Last File Create Date

Warning: 0x80019002 at GLImport: SSIS Warning Code DTS_W_MAXIMUMERRORCOUNTREACHED. The Execution method succeeded, but the number of errors raised (1) reached the maximum allowed (1); resulting in failure. This occurs when the number of errors reaches the number specified in MaximumErrorCount. Change the MaximumErrorCount or fix the errors.

SSIS package "MyPackage.dtsx" finished: Failure.

When the above is run tbl_ImportFileCreateDate does not get updated, so it's failing at some point when calling the procedure.

When I run this in debug mode with this SQL statement ...
exec p_CheckImportFileCreateDate 'GL Account Import', ?, ? output
... the tbl_ImportFileCreateDate table gets updated. So I know that data piece is working, but then it fails with the following message.

SSIS package "MyPackage.dtsx" starting.
Information: 0x4004300A at Import data from flat file to tbl_GLImport, DTS.Pipeline: Validation phase is beginning.

Error: 0xC001F009 at GLImport: The type of the value being assigned to variable "User::IsNewFile" differs from the current variable type. Variables may not change type during execution. Variable types are strict, except for variables of type Object.

Error: 0xC002F210 at Compare Last File Create Date, Execute SQL Task: Executing the query "exec p_CheckImportFileCreateDate 'GL Account Import', ?, ? output" failed with the following error: "The type of the value being assigned to variable "User::IsNewFile" differs from the current variable type. Variables may not change type during execution. Variable types are strict, except for variables of type Object.
". Possible failure reasons: Problems with the query, "ResultSet" property not set correctly, parameters not set correctly, or connection not established correctly.
Task failed: Compare Last File Create Date

Warning: 0x80019002 at GLImport: SSIS Warning Code DTS_W_MAXIMUMERRORCOUNTREACHED. The Execution method succeeded, but the number of errors raised (3) reached the maximum allowed (1); resulting in failure. This occurs when the number of errors reaches the number specified in MaximumErrorCount. Change the MaximumErrorCount or fix the errors.

SSIS package "MyPackage.dtsx" finished: Failure.

The IsNewFile global variable is scoped at the package level and has a Boolean data type, and the Output parameter in the stored procedure is defined as a Bit. So what gives?

The "Possible Failure Reasons" message is so generic that it's been useless to me. And I've been unable to find any examples online that explain how to do what I'm attempting. This would seem to be a very common task. My suspicion is that one or more of the settings in that Execute SQL Task node is bad. Or that there is some cryptic, undocumented reason that this is failing.

Thanks for your help.