This another situation that can be confusing, but the solution is quite simple!
You can succesfully load a text file from your local machine to BW. However, when you try to load the very same file, using the same DataSource and InfoPackage, but from the Application Server, it doesn't work as it should.
That is very strange because we tend to think that the Application Server is much more powerful than our humble machine. But the truth is your local machine tends to be much more flexible than the Application Server. In the AS, you probably have a wide locale set, that covers a set of codepages (1100 is the most common for SAP). Your local machine, on the other hand, has one codepage set, but supports a great variety of other codepages.
The screen-shot below shows the great variety of Locales installed in my Windows Vista.
The following screen-shot shows the consequence of changing the system locale. As an Application Server needs to be always available, you cannot just keep changing locales every time you need.
SAP Note #1130965 has a solution for that error when loading from Application Servers. It basically suggests that you first set the Character Set 1100 and test a load, as represented in the screen-shot. If it still doesn't work, you can try other compatible codepages, like the ones also listed in the note.
Even though the described symptom may be too strict, you may try the solution from this SAP Note for any type of error you get, when loading a file from an AS to BW. I have seen this note solving the following situations:
- The load finishes successfully, but one record is missing.
- Some characters are not extracted correctly. The load is also finished with success.
- Load is not successful. Several error messages may be displayed in the load.
Other SAP Notes: