The patching game.

Better give me a whole lotta lumps.....

Last week Microsoft released a patch for a SQL Server Security vulnerability.  This week Microsoft released SQL Server 2005 CU 6 (which includes the security patch and some other fixes).

Test those "other fixes" carefully.

We just ran into a change in behavior for how SSIS evaluated variables that are passed into Execute SQL Tasks as parameters, Not sure exactly which patch introduced the change as they are cumulative and we were running CU 2 previously, so anything from CU 3 on up could have been the cause.

We were running on version 9.00.4211, which is SQL 2K5, SP3 CU2.  We upgraded to the Security Fix (9.00.4262), and the SSIS package broke.  Hoping not to have to trouble shoot the issue and needing to be on CU 6 anyway, we applied it, hoping it would fix the issue...no luck, time to trouble shoot.

The issue is really one of poor coding practice.

There are some variables passed into an execute sql task to dynamically create a where clause. 

The variable in question was declared as an Integer

The variable was than passed into the execute sql task, but it was of a varchar type, below is the corrected parameter mapped as a numeric.

The execute sql task is shown here, the parameter is the first one evaluated with the if "? <> 2".

This execute sql task passed the parameter in is as '', blank, if the parameter mapping was not set properly.  I confirmed this behavior behind the scenes with a profiler trace as well.  Interestingly even with the parameter mapped properly as numeric, it is still passed into sql server as a varchar !  But with the parameter mapped as numeric, the varchar is properly populated with value of the variable being passed in and the statement completes successfully.

Test those SQL Server patches carefully, there is always the off chance of unintended behavior change.  Ultimately it was "sloppy coding" to be passing an integer variable in ssis, to a parameter mapped as varchar.  But it has been running that way for 14-16 months without issue.

Test carefully.

9.00.4211.00 - 2005 SP3 CU 2
9.00.4262.00 - QFE Security Fix
9.00.4266.00 - 2005 sp3 cu 6

In response on where to get sp3 cu 6:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974648/en-us