Getting Started: Your First SSIS Package
This tutorial will guide you through the creation of your very first SSIS package. SSIS is a platform for building enterprise-level data integration and data transformation solutions. You'll use SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) to create a simple package that extracts data from a source, transforms it, and loads it into a destination.
Prerequisites
- SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) installed (this is typically part of SQL Server Management Studio or Visual Studio).
- Basic understanding of SQL Server.
- A sample database or access to one for demonstration purposes (we'll assume a simple table exists).
Steps to Create Your First SSIS Package
Create a New Integration Services Project
Open SQL Server Data Tools. Go to File > New > Project.... In the dialog, select Business Intelligence templates and then choose Integration Services Project. Give your project a name, for example, "MyFirstSSISPackage", and click OK.
Open the Control Flow Tab
Once the project is created, you'll see a default package named Package.dtsx open in the Control Flow tab. This is where you'll design the workflow of your package.
Add a Data Flow Task
From the SSIS Toolbox (if you don't see it, go to View > SSIS Toolbox), drag a Data Flow Task onto the Control Flow design surface.
Configure the Data Flow Task
Double-click the Data Flow Task you just added. This will switch you to the Data Flow tab. Here, you define the data source, transformations, and destination.
Add a Source Component
From the SSIS Toolbox (under Sources), drag an OLE DB Source onto the Data Flow design surface.
Double-click the OLE DB Source to configure it:
- OLE DB connection manager: Click New... to create a new connection to your SQL Server database. Provide the server name and authentication details, then select your database.
- Data access mode: Choose Table or view or SQL command depending on your needs.
- Select your source table.
Add a Transformation (Optional but Recommended)
For this simple example, let's add a Derived Column transformation. Drag it from the SSIS Toolbox (under Transformations) and place it between the source and destination.
Connect the OLE DB Source to the Derived Column by dragging the green arrow from the source to the transformation.
Double-click the Derived Column to configure it. You can create new columns, modify existing ones, or add expressions. For example, you could create a new column named "Full Name" by concatenating "FirstName" and "LastName" from your source.
[FirstName] + " " + [LastName]
Add a Destination Component
From the SSIS Toolbox (under Destinations), drag an OLE DB Destination onto the Data Flow design surface.
Connect the Derived Column transformation (or OLE DB Source if no transformation was used) to the OLE DB Destination by dragging the green arrow.
Double-click the OLE DB Destination:
- Select the same OLE DB connection manager as used for the source.
- Choose your destination table. If the table doesn't exist, you might need to create it in your SQL Server database first, or use a different destination like a Flat File Destination and create the file.
- Map the input columns to the destination columns.
Save and Run Your Package
Go back to the Control Flow tab. Save your package by pressing Ctrl+S or going to File > Save All.
To run the package, right-click anywhere on the Control Flow design surface and select Execute Package, or click the green play button in the toolbar.
You will see green checkmarks appear on the tasks if they execute successfully, or red X's if there are errors.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully created and executed your first SSIS package. This basic structure of Source-Transformation-Destination is the foundation of most SSIS solutions. You can build upon this by adding more sophisticated transformations, error handling, and control flow logic.
Explore other components in the SSIS Toolbox, such as Execute SQL Task, File System Task, and various data transformation components to expand your data integration capabilities.