The transformation data types include the following string data types:

Although the Nstring, Ntext, String, and Text data types support the same precision up to 104,857,600 characters, the Integration Service uses String to move string data from source to target and Text to move text data from source to target. Because some databases store text data differently than string data, the Integration Service needs to distinguish between the two types of character data. If the source qualifier displays String, set the target column to String. Likewise, if the source qualifier displays Text, set the target column to Text, Long, or Long Varchar, depending on the source database.

In general, the smaller string data types, such as Char and Varchar, display as String in the Source Qualifier, Lookup, and Stored Procedure transformations, while the larger text data types, such as Text, Long, and Long Varchar, display as Text in the Source Qualifier.

Use Nstring, Ntext, String, and Text interchangeably within transformations. However, in the Source Qualifier, Lookup, and Stored Procedure transformations, the target data types must match. The database drivers need to match the string data types with the transformation data types, so that the data passes accurately. For example, Nchar in a lookup table must match Nstring in the Lookup transformation.