November 1, 2008 at 10:33 am
Hello,
Is it possible to access a URL from SQL Server (within a SP or function) and retrieve data?. I need to import data daily into a SQL Server table from a URL that provides data in XML format.
I know that I can make SQL Server read XML data but can I make SQL Server to read directly from the URL instead of me downloading the URL data manually and then provide it to SQL Server?
Thanks,
Ganesh
November 1, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Hi Ganesh,
I am in deep water now but the URL isn't really the data provider is it? It's just a locator such as http://www.myspace.com or mailto:johndoe@myspace.com. When you download manually, how do you go about doing that?
/Elisabeth
elisabeth@sqlserverland.com
MCITP | MCT
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/elisabeth_redei/
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November 1, 2008 at 2:23 pm
The URL itself is the data provider. When you open the URL in Internet Explorer, you get an XML data.
If I have to do it manually, I will opening the URL in IE and then save it as an XML file and then process the data.
So, I was wondering whether I can make the SQL Server directly read from the URL response.
I hope I made it clear.
Thanks,
Ganesh
November 1, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Hi again,
No, the URL isn't the provider; some component of sorts somewhere is providing the code that runs within the browser with the XML data.
For all I know it is still so that SQL Server, as a client or consumer, can only connect via OLEDB (except for the specific case of Merge Web Synchronization but that requires an IIS server with a bunch of custom dll's in between).
CLR integration is a part of SQL Server starting with 2005, so if you can find a way of getting to that XML data in a CLR component, you can then easily incorporate that in a stored procedure on the SQL Server.
It's not much, but it's all I've got on the subject. Maybe someone else has more creative or up-to-date ideas!
🙂
/Elisabeth
elisabeth@sqlserverland.com
MCITP | MCT
http://sqlblog.com/blogs/elisabeth_redei/
http://linkedin.com/in/elisabethredei
November 2, 2008 at 7:43 am
SSIS has an XML provider that should read from a URL. Or you can create a CLR component to do this.
It's not built into the server, nor should it be. This is a huge potential security hole, look at all the broswer issues we have already. You should have something to verify this data before SQL Server starts to read it.
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November 3, 2008 at 8:08 am
Give this a read (using xp_cmdshell and CURL)
Getting Stuff Into SQL Server (his sample retrieved Bank of Canada exchange rate online as .csv and import into SQL)
http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/philfactor/archive/2006/01/20/158.aspx
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