DSXchange

Hi,

I am using the SCD stage to update a dimension. I have a date field (active_start_date) which I have defined as a type 2 field. Most of the time, this field is null. My columns going into and out of the SCD stage allow nulls. I beleive what is happening is that DS is trying to compare a NULL value with a NULL value to determine if something has changed and it doesn't like it.

I cannot very well flip NULL values to a "special code" as the SCD output link needs to go directly to a database stage so that the metadata (whether to update a field, or insert a new record, etc ...) is interpreted correctly.

Any help?

Does this field ever change? Seems like the type of field that gets locked in once the source record is created and is not in fact a slowly changing field. You might be able to switch the field over to the type that doesn't get compared.

Yes the field does change. I also have a EDW_CREATION_DATE and EDW_DISABLE_DATE that behave like the field you are referencing ... and I'm using the Effective Date (Type 2) and Expiration Date (Type 2) purpose for these fields.

Just for kicks, I modified my SQL (for the source) so that there was a non-null value for each record coming accross.

First run - everything is fine

Second run - if some of the date values have been modified, I get the following on the output to the SCD ... the one that updates the dimension:

Updated_edwPLANNING_OBJECT,1: Failure during execution of operator logic.
Updated_edwPLANNING_OBJECT,1: Fatal Error: Invalid Julian day

No need to ask if the date is invalid - it's fine and it's coming from an Oracle DB.

This is a known bug to IBM. The fix for it will be available in 8.0.1.1 in the mid to end of Sept. 2007. For now - if you have any nulls in either your source or dimension which need to be type1 or type2 ... it won't work.