I want to capture the output generated from a .exe app and capture and return a string in nvarchar format

Question

I want to capture the output generated from a .exe app and capture and return a string in nvarchar format

davidsalazar01

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Points: 4072
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January 24, 2005 at 2:49 pm

#87449

Hi Developers or DBA's,
A developer wrote a .exe app that reverses data captured (i.e. ABCD will return DCBA) using a .exe app written in .NET. He wants me to capture the output data that was reversed to a nvarchar string. Does anyone know how to do this? Is it possible to use 'xp_cmdshell'?
Any ideas or points would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks,
Dave

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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PW-201837 SSC-Insane Points: 20805 More actions · Answer 1

Seems over-complicated.

Why not take the raw captured data and use the built-in Sql Server REVERSE() string function instead of an external EXE ?

[Edit] If your design locks you into using the .Net exe, try this:

CREATE TABLE #CmdOutput (

OutputRow nvarchar(255) NULL

)

INSERT INTO #CmdOutput

EXEC master.dbo.xp_cmdshell 'YourProg.exe'

davidsalazar01 SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4072 More actions · Answer 2

Good point! But it is a little more complicated than that actually. The developers built an app that takes encryped credit card data and decrypts them. They run this app in a cmd window and they want me to somehow capture that decrypted data and save it to some type of a nvarchar string format. I'm not sure why, but thats what they're requesting.

Dave-3000 SSCertifiable Points: 6186 More actions · Answer 3

Why do you think they want to decrypt someone else's credit card number? They want to go shopping!

There is no "i" in team, but idiot has two.

Russel Loski SSCertifiable Points: 7059 More actions · Answer 4

Would there be some way to put a COM wrapper around the assembly and use com in your stored procedure?

Russ

Russel Loski, MCSE Business Intelligence, Data Platform

Eddie Wuerch SSChampion Points: 12535 More actions · Answer 5

Ask the developer to look up "ADO.NET" on MSDN.

Normally, when a solution involves xp_cmdshell, it's time to look at the solution. There's often a cleaner way to do it, without enabling application use of xp_cmdshell.

The business logic layer should handle database inserts, not the data layer.

Either the command-line app could insert the data itself, or another app could get the results from the command-line app (ideally through a different means then scraping shell output) and insert the data.

-Eddie

Eddie Wuerch
MCM: SQL