We currently have 40+ projects, each containing one package which uploads data from either a csv, flat file or mdb into a specific database on one of our servers.
The files to be uploaded can be dropped into the specified upload area (i.e a folder on the network called UploadArea), and because of this, every package has a SQL job associated with it that is scheduled to run every minute from 6 am to 6 pm. (So that’s 40 jobs running every miniute)
These are all basic packages, and no one is the company is an expert on SSIS. These work, so that’s the way it’s always been done.
Initially, each package is developed to upload into a Development area, so each package contains 2 connection managers, one for the upload file, and one to the server where the dev database is.
When we need to package to point to Live rather than dev, we have to open the package, change the server name in the package, then re-upload it.
I am trying to find a better way of doing things. My thoughts were
- Rather than having multiple projects with individual packages in them, just have one project with multiple packages.
- Have a project parameter to the SQL Server to be used
- Set up two environmental variables DEV and LIVE to feed the Project Parameter
- Develop any new packages to use the Development Environment then when it’s done rather than having to open the package, edit the connection manager, save it, then re-upload it, all we will have to do is change the package so that it looks at the Live Environment
Each package can still have its own job (I will look into creating a file watcher type thing at a later date), but it means that once the environments are set up, we could in theory have x amount of packages looking at one environment, and x amount of packages looking at another, it would tidy things up a little bit.
I can’t see the point of having 40 odd projects each with a single package in them, to me it makes more sense to have one project with multiple packages in it.
Does this seem reasonable, or am I completely going off on the wrong track?, I would appreciate any feedback from more experienced users of SSIS
debbie coates
