Category: Integration Services

John Morehouse shows that there are more SSIS connection managers than meets the eye:

While recently examining an existing SSIS package  before implementing some needed changes I noticed the connection manager for multiple flat files.

Normally, when processing multiple files, I use a sequence container and loop through them.  It’s usually a cumbersome process to setup and you must configure variables.  I was not aware the multiple flat file type of connection manager existed. No wonder because it’s notwithin the normal list.  This handy thing could only be found when I looked under “New Connection”.

Click through for more details.

Andy Leonard continues his series on data integration lifecycle management with a discussion of package workflow:

The “Stage EDW Data” Framework Application is identified by ApplicationID 2. If you recall, ApplicationID 2 is mapped to PackageIDs 4, 5, and 6 (LoadWidgetsFlatFile.dtsx, LoadSalesFlatFile.dtsx, and ArchiveFile.dtsx) in the ApplicationPackages table shown above.

The cardinality between Framework Applications and Framework Packages is many-to-many. We see an Application can contain many Packages. The less-obvious part of the relationship is represented in this example: a single Package can participate in multiple Applications or even in the same Application more than once. Hence the need for a table that resolves this many-to-many relationship. I hope this helps explain why Application Package is the core object of our SSIS Frameworks.

Read on for the rest of the story.

Andy Leonard has a detailed post on setting up SSIS catalog environments and references:

Why This Complexity?

My argument for embracing (or ignoring) the complexity of SSIS Catalog configuration is straightforward: Externalization – the act of storing execution-time values outside of the object to be executed – is one way to achieve portability, a software development best practice.

As an architect I loathe complexity. Whenever I encounter (or opt to develop) complexity in a software project, I question it. I ask others to question it. I don’t always arrive at the right conclusion, but I challenge complexity at every turn.

I’ve helped several organizations implement SSIS Catalog portability using Environments and References. We all agree that the solution is complex, but most also agree that the complexity is worth the flexibility achieved thereby.

This is a fairly lengthy blog post, full of good information.

Andy Leonard walks through executing an Integration Services package and then seeing the results in an SSRS report:

One of the first Data Integration Lifecycle Management (DILM) Suite solutions I built was Catalog Reports. Catalog Reports is a relatively simple and straightforward version of some of the SSIS Catalog Reports embedded in SSMS. The main difference is Catalog Reports is a SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) solution.

It’s free.

And it’s open source. Here’s a screenshot of the Overview Report for the same execution above

Check it out.

Andy Leonard explains DILM:

Data Integration Lifecycle Management (DILM) is not about data integration development.

DILM is about everything else:

• Configurations Management
• Version Management
• Deployment
• Execution

Although DILM is not about development, implementing DILM will impact the design of SSIS solutions.

This is the first part in a multi-part series, and covers some of the conceptual basicsbehind DILM.

Louis Davidson shows a quick SSIS function to replace NULL values:

Which I looked up every..single..time I used it. “?” means THEN…not IF? “:” means ELSE? Huh?  I know this comes from one of those cool languages that I have never mastered, but as I was searching for the syntax again a few days ago, I found REPLACENULL. I had never seen this function before, so I figured I might not be the only one. And perhaps if a commenter feels like telling me how dumb I am to not know about other new expression features I will not be offended. REPLACENULL won’t replace every use of the these and the other symbols one must use for SSIS expressions, it does replace one of the more common ones.

Click through for usage.  It’s a bit easier to understand than the ternary operator.  To answer Louis’s question, a ? b : c comes from C# syntax.

Andy Leonard explains how broken environment references can come into being within the SSIS Catalog:

If the reference was broken after the SSIS package execution was scheduled, we may see an error similar to that shown below in the SQL Agent log for the job step that attempted to execute the SSIS package:

Failed to execute IS server package because of error 0x80131904. Server: vmSql16\Test, Package path: \SSISDB\Test\ParametersTest\SensitiveTest.dtsx, Environment reference Id: 35.  Description: The environment ‘env2’ does not exist or you have not been granted the appropriate permissions to access it.

Andy has an explanation of what these are, how you might find them, and how to fix them.

Todd McDermid is excited about data flow groups in Integration Services:

Data Flow Groups

Data Flow Groups is what they’re calling it, and it’s deceptively simple to use.  One of the reasons I’m sure I (and SSIS people I talk to who DID NOT LET ME KNOW IT WAS THERE) missed it is because I was expecting it to be a component in the toolbox.  Not so.

Code up your Data Flow as you normally would.  Then go and select the components that you want to group together – via clicking and dragging a selection window, or click-selecting components.  Any component combinations you want.  Then right-click and select Group.

I admit that I didn’t know it existed either.  This does seem rather useful.