What is a SSIS Package

A package is an organized collection of connections, control flow elements, data flow elements, event handlers, variables, parameters, and configurations, that you assemble using either the graphical design tools that SQL Server Integration Services provides, or build programmatically. You then save the completed package to SQL Server, the SSIS Package Store, or the file system, or you can deploy the ssISnoversion project to the SSIS server. The package is the unit of work that is retrieved, executed, and saved.

 

When you first create a package, it is an empty object that does nothing. To add functionality to a package, you add a control flow and, optionally, one or more data flows to the package.

 

Contents of a package

Tasks and containers (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. For more information, see Control Flow.

 

Data sources and destinations (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. For more information, see Data Flow Task and Data Flow.

 

Connection managers (connections). A package typically includes at least one connection manager. A connection manager is a link between a package and a data source that defines the connection string for accessing the data that the tasks, transformations, and event handlers in the package use. Integration Services includes connection types for data sources such as text and XML files, relational databases, and Analysis Services databases and projects. For more information, see Integration Services (SSIS) Connections.

 

Objects that extend package functionality

Packages can include additional objects that provide advanced features or extend existing functionality, such as event handlers, configurations, logging, and variables.