SSIS Designer

SSIS Designer is a graphical tool that you can use to create and maintain Integration Services packages. SSIS Designer is available in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) as part of an Integration Services project.

You can use SSIS Designer to perform the following tasks:

• Constructing the control flow in a package.

• Constructing the data flows in a package.

• Adding event handlers to the package and package objects.

• Viewing the package content.

• At run time, viewing the execution progress of the package.

The following diagram shows SSIS Designer and the Toolbox window.

Integration Services includes additional dialog boxes and windows for adding functionality to packages, and SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) provides windows and dialog boxes for configuring the development environment and working with packages. For more information, see Integration Services User Interface.

SSIS Designer has no dependency on the Integration Services service, the service that manages and monitors packages, and it is not required that the service be running to create or modify packages in SSIS Designer. However, if you stop the service while SSIS Designer is open, you can no longer open the dialog boxes that SSIS Designer provides and you may receive the error message "RPC server is unavailable." To reset SSIS Designer and continue working with the package, you must close the designer, exit SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), and then reopen SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), the Integration Services project, and the package.

Undo and Redo

You can undo and redo up to 20 actions in the SSIS Designer. For a package, undo /redo is available in the Control Flow, Data Flow, Event Handlers, and Parameters tabs, and in the Variables window. For a project, undo/redo is available in the Project Parameters window.

You can’t undo/redo changes to the new SSIS Toolbox.

When you make changes to a component using the component editor, you undo and redo the changes as a set rather than undoing and redoing individual changes. The set of changes appears as a single action in the undo and redo drop-down list.

To undo an action, click the undo toolbar button, Edit/Undo menu item, or press CTRL+Z. To redo an action, click the redo toolbar button, Edit/Redo menu item or press CTRL + Y. You can undo and redo multiple actions, by clicking the arrow next to the toolbar button, highlighting multiple actions in the drop-down list, and then clicking in the list.

Parts of the SSIS Designer

SSIS Designer has five permanent tabs: one each for building package control flow, data flows, parameters, and event handlers, and one tab for viewing the contents of a package. At run time a sixth tab appears that shows the execution progress of a package while it is running and the execution results after it finishes.

In addition, SSIS Designer includes the Connection Managers area for adding and configuring the connection managers that a package uses to connect to data.

Control Flow Tab

You construct the control flow in a package on the design surface of the Control Flow tab. Drag items from Toolbox to the design surface and connect them into a control flow by clicking the icon for the item, and then dragging the arrow from one item to another.

For more information, see Control Flow.

Data Flow Tab

If a package contains a Data flow task, you can add data flows to the package. You construct the data flows in a package on the design surface of the Data Flow tab. Drag items from Toolbox to the design surface and connect them into a data flow by clicking the icon for the item, and then dragging the arrow from one item to another.

For more information, see Data Flow.

Parameters Tab

Integration Services (SSIS) parameters allow you to assign values to properties within packages at the time of package execution. You can create project parameters at the project level and package parameters at the package level. Project parameters are used to supply any external input the project receives to one or more packages in the project. Package parameters allow you to modify package execution without having to edit and redeploy the package. This tab allows you to manage package parameters.

For more information about parameters, see Integration Services (SSIS) Parameters.

Event Handlers Tab

You construct the events in a package on the design surface of the Event Handlers tab. On the Event Handlers tab, you select the package or package object that you want to create an event handler for, and then select the event to associate with the event handler. An event handler has a control flow and optional data flows.

For more information, see Add an Event Handler to a Package.

Package Explorer Tab

Packages can be complex, including many tasks, connection managers, variables, and other elements. The explorer view of the package lets you see a complete list of package elements.

For more information, see View Package Objects.

Progress/Execution Result Tab

While a package is running, the Progress tab shows the execution progress of the package. After the package has finished running, the execution results remain available on the Execution Result tab.

Connection Managers Area

You add and modify the connection managers that a package uses in the Connection Managers area. Integration Services includes connection managers to connect to a variety of data sources, such as text files, OLE DB databases, and .NET providers.

For more information, see Integration Services (SSIS) Connections and Create Connection Managers.

Related Tasks

• Create Packages in SQL Server Data Tools

Related Content

See Also

Concepts

Integration Services User Interface