"Expressions" option is not availble for Flat File Connection Mangaer propery

Question

I'm loading a multiple Flat files by adding looping. But i'm not able to see the Expressions option in Property pane for Flat source connection manger in SQL Server data tools.

But i'm able to see the expressions options available for "Foreach loop container" propery although i couldn't see ConnectionString is also not available for Property column at "Property Expressions Editor" window.

Answer 1

The Connection Managers only allow you to use expressions from their Properties menu. Control flow objects, like a Foreach Loop Container expose their Expressions from the object themselves (as well as through their properties menu).

Right click on your Flat File Connection Manager and select Properties (Alt+Enter) In the ensuing menu, you should have the Expressions collection exposed. And you can see that I set the ConnectionString property to @[User::CurrentFileName]. I also click the A->Z to sort my properties alphabetically vs the default grouping of "Categorized," so your menu might have things in a different order.

In your screen shot, you have focus on your Data Flow Task which is inside your Foreach Loop Container. I can tell this is so because the righthand, docked window shows "EngineThreads: 10" which is a Data Flow setting. Also, the pop up window has properties that are only available in a Data Flow. You need to click on the File Source Data at the bottom of your package and then select properties.

Answer 2

From Solution Explorer, I had only File Name and Full Path for properties on my Flat File Source (VS 2013). But if I opened the same connection's properties on the Package Explorer Tab, Expressions is in the Properties pane. The data source in the Connection Managers pane (below the designer pane on Control Flow or Data Flow tabs) gives the additional properties too as indicated previously.

ALM