SSIS: File System Task Move and rename files in one step

Posted by Rafael Salas

UPDATE: I have included a link to download the sample package at the end of the post!

In some ETL scenarios, when processing files, it is necessary to rename the already processed files and move them
to a different location. In SSIS you can accomplish that in a single step using the File System Task. The example I
have prepared assumes the package will process a set of files using a ForEach Loop container; then for each file,
using the 'Rename' operation in File System Task will do both; rename and move the file.

Here are some screen shots and notes about the package:

First of all, the big picture. The control flow has a ForEach Loop Container with a File System Task inside. Notice that
the DataFlow task is empty and it is intended to show where the real ETL work should go; but this can be different or
not required at all.


























Then details about the ForEach Loop container. Basically ,this container is configured to process all *.txt files in
C:\Temp\Source folder, where all the files 'to be processed' are expected to be.










































Now the trick, few variables, some of them using expressions:









The expressions are:

in FullSourcePathFileName:
@[User::SourcePath] + @[User::MyFileValue]

in FullArchivePathFileName:
@[User::ArchivePath] + SUBSTRING( @[User::MyFileValue] , 1 , FINDSTRING( @[User::MyFileValue],".",1) - 1 ) + "-
" + (DT_STR, 2, 1252) Month( @[System::StartTime] )+ (DT_STR, 4, 1252) Year( @[System::StartTime] )+
SUBSTRING( @[User::MyFileValue] , FINDSTRING( @[User::MyFileValue],".",1) , LEN( @[User::MyFileValue] ) )

Notice that SourcePath and ArchivePath variables hold only the origin and destination paths of the files.
Note: Make sure you set EvaluateAsExpression property of the variable as TRUE.

Lastly, the File System Task should be configured like this:




I am pretty sure there are different ways of accomplishing this simple task; but I like this one because it does not
require writing custom code and relies on expressions.


The File System task performs operations on files and directories in the file system. For example, by using the File
System task, a package can create, move, or delete directories and files. You can also use the File System task to set
attributes on files and directories. For example, the File System task can make files hidden or read-only.
All File System task operations use a source, which can be a file or a directory. For example, the file that the task
copies or the directory it deletes is a source. The source can be specified by using a File connection manager that
points to the directory or file or by providing the name of a variable that contains the source path. For more
information, seeFile Connection Manager and Integration Services Variables.
The operations that copy and move file and directories and rename files use a destination and a source. The
destination is specified by using a File connection manager or a variable. File system task operations can be
configured to permit overwriting of destination files and directories. The operation that creates a new directory can be
configured to use an existing directory that has the specified name instead of failing when the directory already exists.