DTS vs.

SSIS
S.no DTS SSIS
1 Data Transformation Services Sql Server Integration Services
2 Using Activex Script Using Scripting Language
3 No Deployment wizard Deployment wizard
Limited Set of Transformation
4 Huge of Transformations available
available

5 Not Supporting BI Functionality Completely supporting end to end process of BI

6 Single Tasks at a time Multi Tasks run parallel

7 It is Un managed script Managed by CLR

DTS can develop thru Enterprise SSIS can thru Business Intelligence Development
8
manage Studio (BIDS, nothing but new version of VS IDE)

9 We can deploy only at local server It can be deployed using multiple server using BIDS

SSIS designer contains 4 design panes:

a) Control Flow
10 Designer contains Single Pane b) Data Flow
c) Event Handlers &
d) Package Explorer.
11 No Event Hander Event Handler Available

Solution Explorer is available, with packages,

12 No Solution Explorer
connections and Data Source Views (DSV)

Connection and other values are static, It can be controlled dynamically using
13
not controlled at runtime. configuration

What is the control flow?

A control flow consists of one or more tasks and containers that execute when the package runs. To
control order or define the conditions for running the next task or container in the package control
flow, you use precedence constraints to connect the tasks and containers in a package. A subset of
tasks and containers can also be grouped and run repeatedly as a unit within the package control
flow.

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (SSIS) provides three different types of control flow elements:
containers that provide structures in packages, tasks that provide functionality, and precedence
constraints that connect the executables, containers, and tasks into an ordered control flow.

What is a data flow?

A data flow consists of the sources and destinations that extract and load data, the transformations
that modify and extend data, and the paths that link sources, transformations, and destinations.
Before you can add a data flow to a package, the package control flow must include a Data Flow
task. The Data Flow task is the executable within the SSIS package that creates, orders, and runs the
data flow. A separate instance of the data flow engine is opened for each Data Flow task in a
package.

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (SSIS) provides three different types of data flow components:
sources, transformations, and destinations. Sources extract data from data stores such as tables and
views in relational databases, files, and Analysis Services databases. Transformations modify,
summarize, and clean data. Destinations load data into data stores or create in-memory datasets.

How do you do error handling in SSIS?

When a data flow component applies a transformation to column data, extracts data from sources,
or loads data into destinations, errors can occur. Errors frequently occur because of unexpected data
values.

For example, a data conversion fails because a column contains a string instead of a number, an
insertion into a database column fails because the data is a date and the column has a numeric data
type, or an expression fails to evaluate because a column value is zero, resulting in a mathematical
operation that is not valid.

Errors typically fall into one the following categories:

- Data conversion errors, which occur if a conversion results in loss of significant digits, the loss of
insignificant digits, and the truncation of strings. Data conversion errors also occur if the requested
conversion is not supported.

-Expression evaluation errors, which occur if expressions that are evaluated at run time perform
invalid operations or become syntactically incorrect because of missing or incorrect data values.

-Lookup errors, which occur if a lookup operation fails to locate a match in the lookup table.

Many data flow components support error outputs, which let you control how the component
handles row-level errors in both incoming and outgoing data. You specify how the component
behaves when truncation or an error occurs by setting options on individual columns in the input or
output.

For example, you can specify that the component should fail if customer name data is truncated, but
ignore errors on another column that contains less important data.

How do you do logging in SSIS?

SSIS includes logging features that write log entries when run-time events occur and can also write
custom messages.

Integration Services supports a diverse set of log providers, and gives you the ability to create
custom log providers. The Integration Services log providers can write log entries to text files, SQL
Server Profiler, SQL Server, Windows Event Log, or XML files.

Logs are associated with packages and are configured at the package level. Each task or container in
a package can log information to any package log. The tasks and containers in a package can be
enabled for logging even if the package itself is not.

To customize the logging of an event or custom message, Integration Services provides a schema of
commonly logged information to include in log entries. The Integration Services log schema defines
the information that you can log. You can select elements from the log schema for each log entry.

To enable logging in a package

1. In Business Intelligence Development Studio, open the Integration Services project that contains
the package you want.

2. On the SSIS menu, click Logging.

3. Select a log provider in the Provider type list, and then click Add.

How do you deploy SSIS packages?

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (SSIS) makes it simple to deploy packages to any computer.

There are two steps in the package deployment process:

-The first step is to build the Integration Services project to create a package deployment utility.

-The second step is to copy the deployment folder that was created when you built the Integration
Services project to the target computer, and then run the Package Installation Wizard to install the
packages.

Connection managers
OLEDB connection - Used to connect to any data source requiring an OLEDB connection (i.e., SQL
Server 2000)

Flat file connection - Used to make a connection to a single file in the File System. Required for
reading information from a File System flat file
ADO.Net connection - Uses the .Net Provider to make a connection to SQL Server 2005 or other
connection exposed through managed code (like C#) in a custom task

Analysis Services connection - Used to make a connection to an Analysis Services database or

project. Required for the Analysis Services DDL Task and Analysis Services Processing Task

File connection - Used to reference a file or folder. The options are to either use or create a file or
folder
Excel
FTP
HTTP
MSMQ
SMO
SMTP
SQLMobile
WMI

How to deploy an SSIS package?

1. Build a deployment manifest file in BIDS, then copy the directory to the applicable SQL Server
then work through the steps of the package installation wizard

2. DTUTIL utility to copy, paste, rename, delete an SSIS Package

3. Login to SQL Server Integration Services via SQL Server Management Studio then navigate to
the 'Stored Packages' folder then right click on the one of the children folders or an SSIS package
to access the 'Import Packages...' or 'Export Packages...'option.

4. In BIDS is to navigate to File | Save Copy of Package and complete the interface.

How to setup a checkpoint file in SSIS?

The following items need to be configured on the properties tab for SSIS package:

CheckpointFileName - Specify the full path to the Checkpoint file that the package uses to save the
value of package variables and log completed tasks. Rather than using a hard-coded path as shown
above, it's a good idea to use an expression that concatenates a path defined in a package variable
and the package name.

CheckpointUsage - Determines if/how checkpoints are used. Choose from these options: Never
(default), IfExists, or Always. Never indicates that you are not using Checkpoints. IfExists is the typical
setting and implements the restart at the point of failure behavior. If a Checkpoint file is found it is
used to restore package variable values and restart at the point of failure. If a Checkpoint file is not
found the package starts execution with the first task. The Always choice raises an error if the
Checkpoint file does not exist.

SaveCheckpoints - Choose from these options: True or False (default). You must select True to
implement the Checkpoint behavior.

Different Options for dynamic configurations in SSIS?

* . Use an XML file

* . Use custom variables

* . Use a database per environment with the variables

* . Use a centralized database with all variables

What is a breakpoint in SSIS? How is it setup? How do

you disable it?
A breakpoint is a stopping point in the code. The breakpoint can give the Developer\DBA an
opportunity to review the status of the data, variables and the overall status of the SSIS package.

10 unique conditions exist for each breakpoint.

Breakpoints are setup in BIDS. In BIDS, navigate to the control flow interface. Right click on the
object where you want to set the breakpoint and select the 'Edit Breakpoints...' option.

What are variables and what is variable scope?

Variables store values that a SSIS package and its containers, tasks, and event handlers can use at
run time. The scripts in the Script task and the Script component can also use variables. The
precedence constraints that sequence tasks and containers into a workflow can use variables when
their constraint definitions include expressions.

Integration Services supports two types of variables: user-defined variables and system variables.
User-defined variables are defined by package developers, and system variables are defined by
Integration Services. You can create as many user-defined variables as a package requires, but you
cannot create additional system variables.

Scope :

A variable is created within the scope of a package or within the scope of a container, task, or event
handler in the package. Because the package container is at the top of the container hierarchy,
variables with package scope function like global variables and can be used by all containers in the
package. Similarly, variables defined within the scope of a container such as a For Loop container can
be used by all tasks or containers within the For Loop container.