Error: An error occurred while skipping data rows

Question

I am constantly getting error message “Error: An error occurred while skipping data rows”. Here is my scenario:
I am pulling data from a text flat file which is Vertical Bar {|} delimited. My data source files naturally come without headers (no column names on first row). So what I did to bypass
this is –
I used a control file to supply the header names when I developed my package. This control file’s column names have corresponding column order used in the data source files.
I then added an expression to my Flat File Connection Manager so that the system should automatically pick up new incoming files (files without headers).
Now when I try to run my package I am receiving “Error: An error occurred while skipping data rows”. Could this be due to the fact that the system is expecting the column names which I
entered when I developed the package while this new file does not have any headers, or could it be something different? There is very little information on the internet about this kind of error message. The only meaningful information that I have found is
from the link below but unfortunately the case explained there is not the same as my situation.
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/sqlserver/en-US/a790460b-9ef5-482b-b219-f55c05fa30d3/error-occured-while-skipping-data-rows
I’m also aware that one can get the same error if the specified delimiter type on their package is different from the one on the flat file. Still that is not the case in my situation. Can
someone please kindly help me troubleshoot this.
Many thanks,
Mpumelelo

Answer 1

I have managed to address my problem. I did not have to manually enter some nearly 2000 column names by hand. Here is what I have done. I will explain it in detail for the benefit of those who might face the same problem but have no answers on how to work
around it.
I have maintained the column names from the control file because it was important for me to do this in the interest of some data flow components further down the pipeline. It therefore means that my package Flat File Source components have column names
on both the External Column and Output Column sides.
When I configured the Flat Files Source component using the control file I left the option “Column names in the first row” ticked as shown in the picture below. This is the default selection from Microsoft.
I then went to my flat file connection manager; right clicked it and selected “Properties” to get something like shown below. You will notice that property “ColumnNamesInFirstRow” is down as “True” because when configuring my flat file manager I left
that selection ticked. To address my problem I changed property “ColumnNamesInFirstRow” from “True” to “False” and saved my package.  This means that during runtime the package will not use the first row as column names but will use the already predefined
column names which I entered from the control file. Please note that selecting the option of not using the first row as column names should be done from the Properties selection instead of the Flat File Source component. Changing this property from the Flat
File Source component automatically changes all the metadata whereas doing this from the Properties selection leaves the metadata on the Flat File Source component unchanged.
Mpumelelo