Employees handling data must remain current with emerging technology in the constantly evolving field of data management. One of the many solutions available for enterprise data integration, transformation, and migration is Microsoft’s SQL Server Connection Services (SSIS). The most recent available version, SQL Server Integration Services 2019 (SSIS 2019), adds new and intrusting features that particularly increase usability, scalability, and efficiency over SSIS 2016.
Understanding SSIS 816
SQL Server Integration Services 2016, or SSIS 816, was made available towards the end of 2016. With advantages in scalability, performance, and user-friendliness, it is a major step forward in integrating data capabilities. SSIS 2016’s significant characteristics include:
- Project Deployment to Azure: Direct deployment of SSIS projects to Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, and Azure SQL Managed Instance facilitates the migration of on-premises workloads to the cloud.
- Incremental Package Deployment: Accelerates the deployment process by redeploying only modified packages, saving time and resources.
- Data Tap: Introduces a new data tap task to extract data from diverse sources, supporting over 70 connectors, including social media platforms and productivity tools.
- Row Sampling Transformation: Facilitates the extraction of random data samples during data flow, aiding in testing and profiling.
- Azure Feature Pack: Adds components for seamless integration with Azure services such as Data Lake Store, Blob Storage, and HDInsight.
In summary, SSIS 2016 enhances integration capabilities, leverages cloud computing, boosts developer productivity and improves scalability and performance.
Key Features and Capabilities of SSIS 816
Scalability and Performance
SSIS 816 brings enhanced scalability by supporting up to 64 cores for a single package execution, significantly improving data integration process performance. The option to run packages in memory without writing logs to disk further optimizes performance, and the Scale-Out feature allows the distribution of package execution across multiple machines for improved scalability.
Advanced-Data Flow Capabilities
The new version introduces data flow components like OData Source and Destination, and ODBC Flow Destination. Performance improvements for lookups, aggregations, and pivots, along with enhanced error handling and support for additional data types, contribute to advanced data flow capabilities.
Deployment and Management Improvements
SSIS 816 streamlines deployment and management processes through project deployment, parameter support for runtime configuration, and improved catalog management using T-SQL stored procedures. These features collectively contribute to more efficient and manageable ETL processes.
Benefits of Upgrading to SSIS 816
Upgrading to SSIS 816 offers a myriad of advantages, making it a worthwhile investment for organizations:
- Enhanced Security: Features like Always Encrypted secure sensitive data in motion and at rest, implementing role-based security for access control.
- Modernized Development Experience: Integration with Visual Studio Code provides an enhanced development environment with IntelliSense, debugging, and deployment capabilities directly within Visual Studio Code.
- Expanded Connectivity: New connectors for SAP BW, Hadoop, Spark, OData, and Web broaden data integration capabilities.
- Improved Performance: Scale-out allows distributing package execution across multiple nodes and running packages in-memory reduces performance overhead.
- Extended Maintenance: With 10 years of support, organizations can ensure long-term stability and receive regular updates and patches for maximum uptime.
In summary, upgrading to SSIS 816 offers enhanced security, streamlined development, expanded connectivity, improved performance, and long-term support, making it a compelling choice for data integration solutions.
Changes and Enhancements in SSIS 816
SSIS 2016 introduces several changes and enhancements to elevate performance, scalability, and ease of use:
Performance and Scalability
The inclusion of a scale-out feature, and improvements in data flow, logging, and checkpoints contribute to enhanced performance and scalability.
R Integration and Advanced Analytics
SSIS 2016 integrates with R scripts, enabling the incorporation of advanced analytics and predictive modeling into ETL processes.
Deployment Enhancements
Incremental package deployment, environment cloning, and project versioning streamline the deployment process, allowing efficient updates to existing projects.
Other Improvements
Additional data source connectivity, support for new data source versions, updated OLE DB provider for SQL Server, enhanced logging, and tighter integration with Power BI are among the various improvements introduced.
How to Get Started With SSIS 816
To embark on your journey with SSIS 2016, follow these steps:
- Download and Install SSIS: Download SQL Server 2016, which includes SSIS, and install it, ensuring to select Integration Services as one of the features.
- Launch and Explore SSIS: Open SSIS from the Microsoft SQL Server program group, revealing the SSIS catalog, which organizes projects, environments, parameters, and logging.
- Create a New SSIS Project: Right-click the SSIS catalog, select “New Folder,” then “Project,” choosing “Integration Services Project” as the project type. Name the project and create it.
- Design an SSIS Package: Open SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), the SSIS development environment, and create a new package. Utilize data flow components to build your ETL data flow.
- Configure and Execute the Package: Set properties, add scripts or expressions, and execute the package to witness data flowing through the components.
- Deploy and Schedule the Package: Deploy the SSIS project, make packages available for scheduling, and execute them using SQL Server Agent or another scheduling tool.
Following these steps will kickstart your journey of building, running, and deploying SSIS packages, providing you with the foundation to become proficient in handling complex ETL processes.
Conclusion
SSIS 816 stands as a powerful tool for data professionals, offering robust features to streamline data integration processes. The continuous evolution of SSIS, as seen in the enhancements introduced in version 2016, empowers organizations to create high-performing and scalable ETL systems. With the right knowledge and practice, data professionals can leverage SSIS 816 to automate data workflows and optimize data processing, unlocking endless possibilities in the realm of data integration. Stay informed about the latest releases and features to maximize the potential of this dynamic platform.