Here is an error I saw my first few times working with the SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) FTP task:

Directory is not specified in the file connection manager "VariableContainingThePath".

I have figured out two different causes for this error from the FTP task. In my direct experience I was using IsLocalPathVariable = True with an SSIS variable mapped to the LocalPath property. But after thinking about it, I imagine both of the following scenarios would be possible even if you were not using a variable (please add a comment if you can confirm this).

The first cause I observed is that the folder specified for the LocalPath does not exist (which I suppose would also be a possible cause even if you weren't using ). It appears that you need to use an upstream task to ensure that the folder you want to download into *exists* first. I tried it first without the upstream step hoping that the FTP task would create the path for me if it didn't exist (or provide the option). Now that I know this is the way it works, it's easy enough to remember to ensure that the path is valid before allowing the FTP task to execute. I found the FileSystem task useful in this regard; it throws a warning if the folder already exists, but this is harmless enough.

The second cause for this error that I observed is that the LocalPath contains a file name. It may seem natural to put the file name in the path since the RemotePath property requires a full path, including the filename. That intuition would be incorrect, however: put the filename in RemotePath, but leave it off for LocalPath. The FTP task will keep the filename the same when it downloads it to LocalPath. You can use a downstream FileSystem task to rename if you need to.

On a related note, there is something odd about the error message above: it refers to "the file connection manager" even though the FTP task is using IsLocalPathVariable = True. Perhaps I remember reading, though, that an FTP task not explicitly mapped to a connection manager creates an implicit connection manager behind the scenes (??).

Comments welcome.

Dan