SQL Unsupported Datatype Error
When you use software in which you enter information into text fields, that information goes into a database. Users don’t see the database because they’re dealing with a graphical user interface that itself interacts with the database. The database administrator works directly with the database and uses structured query language, or SQL, to issue commands, insert or extract data and run reports. The “Unsupported data type” error is encountered when inserting data into the database.
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Unsupported Data Type Error
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Behind the scenes of the software, entered information resides in a series of tables defined by the software programmer or database creator. Within each table are fields that hold the data. The database creator defines the data types that can go into these fields. A field might have a text value, a currency value or be one that accepts both numerical and text data. When the administrator runs a query to insert data, such as adding Zip codes to an address database, but maps the Zip code to the type of field that only accepts text he will receive an “unsupported data type” error message. The query cannot complete the task and stops.
Correcting the Error
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Correcting the error requires redefining the field value from text to number or checking the query to confirm that she has mapped the data to the correct field. The error message returned defines exactly where the error occurred so the database administrator can find the row and field where the error happened. If she finds that she has mapped the data to the wrong field, she can easily correct her query and run it again.
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Managing Databases
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Database managers can insert data into a database as long as the inserted data matches the structure of the database tables. If, for instance, he has a series of addresses in a spreadsheet with individual fields that have column headers such as “First Name,” “Last Name,” “Street Address,” “City,” “State,” “Zip” and “Phone Number” he can insert the data from the spreadsheet into the SQL database by matching the spreadsheet columns to the correct SQL database fields. Once he runs the command, the data in the spreadsheet is added to the database file. Any unsupported data type errors will flag and stop the program from inserting the data.
Mapping Databases
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When a company decides to change from one type of business software to another, the database administrator needs to get the data from the old software to the new software. When both applications use a relational database, he can easily map the data from the first database and get it into the new software. Sometimes this is a trial-and-error process where he runs into problems, but after he’s worked out the bugs and corrected the errors, he can use SQL to handle the conversion process.
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References
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