Create new SSIS project using SSDT

This article explains how to create new SSIS project using SSDT in 2012.

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Click on the SSDT pinned on the taskbar. If SSDT is installed and accessed first time, it tries to configure itself. When prompted, select Business Intelligence Settings. 

 

The following steps are explained using SSDT:

 

Create a new SSIS project by selecting File->New->Project. 

Under Installed Templates, select Business Intelligence and select Integration Services Project. Type any name for the project (for this example, SSISStudy2012) under the Name. Click on Browse button to select a location to save this project. Finally click on OK button. 

This should create a new SSIS project with default package named Package.dtsx.

Before we begin, let us first rename Package.dtsx to something more meaningful. We renamed it to SSISStudy2012.

Before moving further, it is good to have a look into the new SSDT project created. We should observe the following before we proceed:

• Control Flow, Data Flow, Parameters, Event Handlers and Package Explorer.

• Connection Managers

• If not visible, select View -> Solution Explorer. This should open the Solution Explorer. Under Solution Explorer we see Project.params, Connection Managers, SSIS Packages and Miscellaneous.

•  If not visible, select View -> Properties Window. This should open the Properties window.

• If not visible, right click on Control Flow area and select SSIS Toolbox. This should open the SSIS Toolbox.

• If not visible, select View -> Error List. This should open the Error List window.

• We will look into the basics of the each listed item.

Control Flow Tab

Control Flow Tab is used to create Control Flow in the SSIS package. We can drag and drop required Task or Container from the SSIS Toolbox into the Control Flow area. Tasks or Containers can be connected with one another to specify the order in which they run. Apart from Tasks, Control flow can contain the following objects:

• Precedence constraints

• Logging features

• Breakpoints

• Variables

• Annotations

• Certificates

• Parameters

Data Flow Tab

Data Flow tab is used to create Data Flow in an Integration Services package. Data Flow contains Source, Transformation and Destination and they are connected to determine the order in which they run. We can use Data Viewer in Data Flow to see the data changes before and after each data flow object. Data Flow also contains Variables, Parameters and Annotations like Control Flow.

Parameters

Specifies the parameters defined and used by package.

Event Handlers

Event handlers tab is used to create a response to the events generated in SSIS. The events can be generated in SSIS for errors, warnings, status change and others.

An event handler runs in response to an event raised by the package or by a task or container in the package.

Package Explorer Tab

Package Explorer tab is used to see the hierarchical view of the package. Basically used to check how the package is designed, the containers, the tasks, and others used in the package.

Connection Managers

This area in SSIS is used to create data sources like files, relational databases and servers.

Solution Explorer

This area in SSIS is used to create Data Sources, Data Source Views, SSIS Packages and Miscellaneous.

Properties

All objects seen in SSIS have a set of properties which can be seen in Properties window.

SSIS Toolbox

SSIS Toolbox is a collection of Tasks used to create SSIS packages.

Error List

If during execution the package fails, the possible reasons for errors are visible in Error List window.

With this basic introduction, we should be comfortable to create some packages using all that we discussed till now.

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Please feel free to correct me by commenting your feedback and suggestions.