Sort Rows alphabetically with XML Source in SSIS

SSIS PowerPack XML
1

Introduction

Sorting data is essential when working with large datasets, especially when handling hierarchical data like XML. This article will guide you through sorting rows in an XML source using the ZappySys SSIS PowerPack. Sorting helps improve data organization and simplifies managing, analyzing, and extracting insights from structured data. ZappySys allows seamless retrieval and sorting of XML data, ensuring efficient data processing in your SSIS workflows, even for large or complex XML datasets.

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Add a Data Flow Task to your SSIS package.

  2. Drag and drop an XML Source component into the data flow. Provide a valid XML file or URL pointing to the XML data. For this example, we’ll use an XML sample that contains structured data in Example 1.

    XML Example
    XML Example828×745 56 KB

  3. Configure the XML Source editor to extract the desired data. Use the XML Path to navigate through the XML structure and select the node you want to work with (e.g., <Books> ). Preview the data to ensure that the correct nodes are selected. Once confirmed, click OK to save the configuration.

  4. Drag a Sort Transformation component and connect it to the XML Source. In the Sort Transformation editor, select the column you want to sort by. For instance, sorting by the title attribute or element in ascending order will arrange the data alphabetically. To create a hierarchical sorting order, you can also select multiple columns to refine your sorting, such as sorting first by title and then by genre.

    Sort by Name
    Sort by Name662×624 16 KB

  5. Drag a Destination component (such as an OLE DB Destination or Flat File Destination) and connect it to the Sort Transformation. Configure the Destination to store or display the sorted data. Once everything is set up, execute the package. The output will display the sorted XML data according to your criteria (e.g., by title or genre), and you’ll see the structured result in the destination component.

    Result of Sorted Rows
    Result of Sorted Rows780×355 33.6 KB

  6. In the Sort Transformation editor, you can adjust the sorting logic by selecting multiple fields or changing the sort order (e.g., from ascending to descending).

Video Tutorial

Conclusion

Following these steps, you can efficiently sort rows from your XML source using the ZappySys SSIS PowerPack. Sorting XML data helps improve data organization, making retrieving, analyzing, and managing large datasets easier. This sorting process is precious when preparing data for further analysis, reporting, or integration tasks. If you encounter any issues or need additional assistance, chat on our website.

References

For more detailed information on working with XML data in SSIS, refer to our XML Source documentation.