The Integration Service converts data based on the datatype of the port. Each time data passes through a port, the Integration Service looks at the datatype assigned to the port and converts the data if necessary.

When you pass data between ports of the same numeric datatype and the data is transferred between transformations, the Integration Service does not convert the data to the scale and precision of the port that the data is passed to. For example, you transfer data between two transformations in a mapping. If you pass data from a decimal port with a precision of 5 to a decimal port with a precision of 4, the Integration Service stores the value internally and does not truncate the data.

You can convert data by passing data between ports with different datatypes. For example, you can convert a string to a number by passing it to an Integer port.

The Integration Service performs port-to-port conversions between transformations and between the last transformation in a dataflow and a target.

The following table describes the port-to-port conversions the Integration Service performs: