Automating SSIS Package Deployment
By Tom Nonmacher
The automation of SSIS package deployment is a critical aspect of the SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) framework that can significantly improve efficiency and productivity. SSIS is a tool provided by Microsoft that enables complex data transformations, making it an essential component of any data warehousing project. SSIS allows for data extraction from different sources, transformations according to business rules, and the loading of data into destination databases.
The SQL Server 2019 provides a feature to automate SSIS package deployment using Biml (Business Intelligence Markup Language). Biml is an XML-based language that allows you to programmatically create SSIS packages. A Biml script can create multiple SSIS packages, reducing the time taken to manually develop, deploy, and maintain SSIS packages. The Biml scripts can be automated using BimlExpress, a free Visual Studio add-in.
-- Creating a simple Biml script to create an SSIS package
<Biml xmlns="http://schemas.varigence.com/biml.xsd">
<Packages>
<Package Name="Package1" ConstraintMode="Linear">
<Tasks>
<Dataflow Name="Data Flow Task">
-- Add dataflow components here
</Dataflow>
</Tasks>
</Package>
</Packages>
</Biml>
MySQL 8.0, another popular database management system, does not natively support SSIS or Biml. However, you can use third-party tools to automate the deployment of data transfer routines that are similar to SSIS packages. One such tool is MySQL Workbench, which provides a graphical interface for scheduling jobs and managing data migrations.
IBM's Db2 11.5 provides a similar feature to SSIS named InfoSphere DataStage. It allows the integration of data across multiple systems using a graphical interface to design data flow. Like SSIS, DataStage supports complex transformations, and the deployment of these jobs can be automated via scripts.
When it comes to cloud-based databases, Azure SQL and Azure Synapse also provide capabilities to automate the deployment of SSIS packages. The SSIS Integration Runtime (IR) in Azure Data Factory can be used to run SSIS packages on Azure. You can schedule the deployment and execution of SSIS packages on Azure using T-SQL scripts or Powershell commands.
-- Creating an SSIS IR in Azure Data Factory using Powershell
New-AzDataFactoryV2IntegrationRuntime -ResourceGroupName "ExampleResourceGroup" -DataFactoryName "ExampleDataFactory" -Name "ExampleSSISIR" -Type Managed -Description "Example SSIS IR" -NodeSize "Standard_D2_v3" -NumberOfNodes 2
Automating the deployment of SSIS packages can save a lot of time and effort, especially in large projects that require the deployment of many packages. Furthermore, it reduces the risk of errors that could occur during manual deployment. As we have seen, SQL Server 2019, Azure SQL, and Azure Synapse provide native support for SSIS and allow the automation of SSIS package deployment. However, even with databases that do not natively support SSIS, such as MySQL and Db2, you can still achieve similar results using third-party tools or equivalent features.