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[updated] — Ssis-661

SSIS-661

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Can I ignore SSIS‑661 by setting ValidateExternalMetadata = False?

| Q | A | |---|---| | | Yes, you can, but you lose the safety net that warns you about schema changes. Use this only when the downstream component can truly handle any shape of data (e.g., a script that dynamically reads columns). | | Does SSIS‑661 appear in the Integration Services Catalog (SSISDB) view? | In SSISDB you will see the error in the catalog.operation_messages view with message_type = 120 and the same error text. | | Is there a PowerShell or T‑SQL script to locate all packages that might hit SSIS‑661? | You can query catalog.packages for the XML of each package and search for ValidateExternalMetadata="True" combined with components that use * in their SQL. Example: SELECT name, package_id FROM catalog.packages WHERE CAST(package_content AS XML).value('(/DTS:Executable/DTS:Component[@Name="OLE DB Source"]/@ValidateExternalMetadata)[1]', 'int') = 1 . | | What if the source is a flat file that changes column order? | Flat‑File sources also rely on external metadata. Turn on “Retain null values from the source as nulls” and re‑import the column definitions, or better yet, use a Script Component that reads the file dynamically. | | Will upgrading to the latest SSDT/Visual Studio fix the error? | Upgrading alone will not fix a genuine schema drift; however, newer versions improve the metadata refresh UI and sometimes expose hidden mismatches earlier during design time. | SSIS-661

Step 4 – Resolve the mismatch

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Even after fixing SSISDB rights, the package might still hit a 661 error when trying to read/write an external system. To isolate: SSIS-661 To provide a high-quality essay, I need