Deployment and Configuration

Hi:

I have a SSIS package on my local machine, and would like to deploy it to DEV server. Which files should i be moving to the SQL DEV Server? and where? How do I modify connection managers or is there a way to do that from the Management Studio or some other way? Thanks and I would definitely appreciate some prompt advise.

Someone will provide more information, I'm sure, but have you searched this forum for "deploy"?|||

Yes, I have checked out some posts on Deployment, but havent ran into anything standard. There seems to be more than one way of deploying. I would like to follow best practices. Thanks.

|||That's the beauty of SSIS. There are many ways to accomplish one task. The "best practice" is usually best determined on your own so that it fits your way of life. We each have our own requirements/standards so what my best practices are may not be Jamie's, or Rafael's, or.....|||

I prefer to have my packages as File system files (.dtsx); then all I have to do is to move (copy the files) them into a folder in the server. I use SQL Server table based package configurations to change connection strings at run time (and any other required property). I know there is a Deployment wizard in BIDS but I have never looked into that; so you do the research. Some times I use the SET option in the execution command line to override properties in the packages while testing.

As Phil points out; the best practice sometimes depends in your preferences, IT standards, etc....

|||

Lets say I would like to use the "copy over the files" method. What files am I moving over? and where on the server? Also for changing connection strings, how do i set the properties? Where? Thanks.

|||

Only the .dtsx files are required. In case you are using package configurations based on a XML file; you need to copy and secure it as appropriate. You choose the location; just keep in mind that that location needs to be accessible to the user running the packages.

To set connection strings; you can use package configurations; I use a combination of XML file to set the connection string of my SQL server based configuration table. If you search for 'Package configurations' you will find a lot of info. Jamie Thomson's blog, http://www.sqlis.com/ and BOL have some good info.

|||

The package I have will be scheduled daily, although, the connection strings config is only meant for Deployment Process, because the DTSX has to go thru DEV, QA, BETA, and onwards to PROD. Thanks.

|||

MA2005 wrote:

The package I have will be scheduled daily, although, the connection strings config is only meant for Deployment Process, because the DTSX has to go thru DEV, QA, BETA, and onwards to PROD. Thanks.

Your scenario is a very common one. SQL Server agent will be your best bet for scheduling your packages. I too, like Rafael, prefer to store my packages in the file system, versus storing them in MSDB.|||

If the only thing that needs to be changed/configured is a single connection string, and you have only one package (no parent package calling child packages)...you may want to use the SET option of the package execution command line instead of package configurations. I don’t like that approach when I have many packages that need to be configured in the same way; as I have to maintain every command line, as opposed of maintaining an entry in a config file/table