Datasheet

Using the Control Flow
The Control Flow tab is where you perform the package’s workflow. For example, you may decide to
receive a file through FTP, transform the data within the file, and then archive the file. In that example,
you would have three tasks:
❑ An FTP Task
❑ A Data Flow Task
❑ A File System Task
If you need help with the configuration of these tasks, consult one of the starter books such as the
Professional SQL Server 2005 Integration Services book. Configuration of these tasks is not addressed in this
book. Instead, we will concentrate on how to build solutions using the tasks.
In the Control Flow tab of the example package, drag over a single Data Flow Task onto the design pane.
This Data Flow Task will perform the transformation of data. Rename the task Create Product File by
right-clicking the task and choosing Rename.
Select Variables from the SSIS menu, which opens the Variables window. Create three variables in the
window:
❑
RowCount as an int32 data type
❑
StartDate as a datetime data type
❑
EndDate as a datetime data type
Create the default value of the
StartDate to some date in 2001, and set the default value of the
EndDate variable to some date in 2007.
Working in the Data Flow
When you double-click on the Data Flow Task, you are taken to the Data Flow tab. The Data Flow Task
streams data from nearly any structured, semi-structured, or non-structured source to nearly any desti-
nation. In this case, you will pull data from a SQL Server source, transform the data by using a number
of transformation components, and then write the result to a text file. Figure 1-4 shows the Data Flow tab
in a package without the components defined yet. Notice that the toolbox contains adapters and trans-
formations that you will be using throughout this book.
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Chapter 1: Getting Started
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