Verify if a SQL Data Source is Accessible and Readable

In this article, you will learn how to use TimeXtender Orchestration to verify that a SQL data source is accessible and responding before running data pipeline packages that depend on it.

A SQL data source may become unavailable due to service restarts, network issues, permission changes, or maintenance windows. Detecting this proactively with a lightweight check allows Orchestration to notify the team and prevent downstream failures.

How It Works

A Data Provider Command package executes a lightweight SQL statement against the target data source. If the statement executes successfully, the data source is accessible and the package completes without error. If the connection or query fails, the package fails and Orchestration can trigger notifications.

Steps

SELECT DB_NAME(), GETDATE()

1. Open TimeXtender Orchestration and Data Quality Desktop.
2. Right-click Packages in the Object Explorer.
3. Select New → Data Provider Command.
4. Give the package a descriptive name, for example: Check SQL Source – SalesDB.
5. Select an Execution Connection targeting the appropriate gateway server.
6. Select the Data Provider for your SQL data source.
7. Check the Custom Script checkbox and enter the following statement:
8. Click Save.

Notes

• SELECT DB_NAME(), GETDATE() is a minimal statement that confirms the database connection is live. It returns the current database name and timestamp — both useful for log output.
• If the statement executes without error, the package completes successfully.
• If the data source is unavailable, the package fails and triggers any configured Orchestration failure notifications.
• For Azure SQL or other SQL-compatible databases where DB_NAME() is not available, use SELECT 1 as an equivalent lightweight check.
• The Data Provider Command currently supports SQL Server-compatible providers. See the Data Provider Command documentation for the current list of supported providers.