Published on

May 24, 2011

Exploring SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Packages

Have you ever wished to have a centralized view of all your SQL Server instances? Managing multiple instances can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to monitoring and troubleshooting. In this article, we will explore the power of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages and how they can help you gather information from multiple instances and store it in a single database.

SSIS packages are a powerful tool in the SQL Server ecosystem that allow you to create workflows and automate data integration tasks. One of the key features of SSIS is its ability to connect to multiple SQL Server instances and retrieve information from each of them.

Let’s say you have a list of SQL Server instances that you want to monitor. Instead of manually connecting to each instance and gathering information, you can create an SSIS package that does this for you. The package will connect to each instance, retrieve the desired information, and store it in a central database.

To illustrate this concept, let’s consider a scenario where we want to retrieve the status of all databases on multiple SQL Server instances. We can create an SSIS package that connects to each instance, executes a query to retrieve the database status, and stores it in a table in a central database.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create such an SSIS package:

  1. Create a database to store the collected information. Let’s call it “SQL_Overview”.
  2. Create a table called “SSIS_ServerList” in the “SQL_Overview” database. This table will contain a list of SQL Server instances that the package will access.
  3. Populate the “SSIS_ServerList” table with the names of the server/instances you want to monitor.
  4. Create another table called “Database_Status” in the “SQL_Overview” database. This table will store the database status information retrieved from each instance.
  5. Create an SSIS package using SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio.
  6. Define variables in the SSIS package to hold the server/instance name and the database connection.
  7. Create connections in the SSIS package to connect to the SQL Server instances and the central database.
  8. Create tasks in the SSIS package to truncate the “Database_Status” table, populate the server/instance name variable, and retrieve the database status from each instance.
  9. Save and test the SSIS package to ensure it retrieves the desired information from all instances.
  10. Set up error handling in the SSIS package to capture any errors encountered during execution.

By following these steps, you can create an SSIS package that retrieves the database status from multiple SQL Server instances and stores it in a central database. This package can be scheduled to run at regular intervals to keep the information up-to-date.

SSIS packages offer a wide range of possibilities beyond just retrieving database status. You can use them to perform various data integration tasks, such as data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL), data cleansing, and data migration.

In conclusion, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages are a powerful tool for managing and automating data integration tasks. They allow you to connect to multiple SQL Server instances, retrieve information, and perform various data integration operations. By leveraging the capabilities of SSIS packages, you can save time, improve efficiency, and gain valuable insights into your SQL Server environment.

Stay tuned for Part II of this series, where we will explore how to capture output from stored procedures executed on remote instances using SSIS packages.

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