title: SSIS selective columns import from Excel
body: <p>I am working with a client that has 175 different excel templates are used to create worksheets that I need to import into SQL 2008 R2.  There is one saving grace, there are 10 columns within the templates that a common to all 175 and they also are the columns I need to import into my SQL table.  Here is my question:  If I map only the columns that are common to all sheets to the database table, will SSIS ignore the other columns or will I need to somehow do something with these extra columns?</p>
  
  <p>I developed a template for the user to utilize but evidently they need these other columns to be present for other applications besides the import I am doing.  </p>
  
  <p>The current SSIS process I have has a preparation SQL task to create the SQL table, then a data flow task that maps the Excel worksheet columns and an import task that takes the mapped columns and updates the table.</p>
  
  <p>My guess is that if I create the table with only the columns I need, adjust the Excel mapping to only select the columns I have available in the table, the import will only move those columns and as a result, I will have what I need regardless of which template is used.</p>
  
  <p>Has anyone done something like this before?  This process is a stop gap for approximately 6 months until the new system is available which will share this data between the two systems.</p>
  
  <p>Thanks in advance to any input.</p>