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Top 10 SSIS Best Practices
Tim Mitchell
Artis Consulting
Session Objectives
• Review and discuss common best practices
• Q&A
The World’s Largest Community of SQL Server Professionals
Tim Mitchell
• Business Intelligence Consultant – Artis
Consulting, Dallas TX
• Contributing author, MVP Deep Dives 2
• Coauthor, SSIS Design Patterns
• North Texas SQL Server User Group
• SQL Server MVP
• TimMitchell.net | Twitter.com/Tim_Mitchell
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Housekeeping
• Questions
• Surveys
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Disclaimer
• My best practices != the only way
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Best Practice #1: Configurations
• Externalize logic for packages
• Easier administration, maintenance
• Change once globally
The World’s Largest Community of SQL Server Professionals
Best Practice #1: Configurations
The World’s Largest Community of SQL Server Professionals
Best Practice #1: Configurations
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Best Practice #2:
Package Protection Level
• Never use EncryptSensitiveWithUserKey
• When possible, use DontSaveSensitive
– Previous tip
• If you must encrypt, use
EncryptSensitiveWithPassword or
EncryptAllWithPassword
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Best Practice #2:
Package Protection Level
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Best Practice #3: Row Count Audit
• In/out rowcount for proper package audit
• Insure precise control over data pipeline
• May help satisfy regulatory requirements
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Best Practice #3: Row Count Audit
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Best Practice #3: Row Count Audit
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Best Practice #4: Lookup Cache Modes
• Default = Full Cache
• Full Cache is case sensitive, other modes
depend on database collation
– UPPER() and LOWER()
• Partial cache
• No cache – avoid if possible
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Best Practice #4: Lookup Cache Modes
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Best Practice #5: Event Handlers
• Handle various events, errors and otherwise
• Address errors inline
• Respond to other events
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Best Practice #5: Event Handlers
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Best Practice #6: Small SSIS Packages
• One package = one logical unit of work
– Load a fact table
– Load a single dimension
• Easier to debug
• Faster validation
• Reusability
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Best Practice #6: Small SSIS Packages
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Best Practice #7: Logging
• Log errors, warnings
• Capture other standard events
• Custom logging (supplement)
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Best Practice #7: Logging
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Best Practice #8: Script instead of
complex expression
• Replace complex expressions with script task
or script component
• Easier to develop
• Inline comments
• Intellisense
• Error handling
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Best Practice #8: Script instead of
complex expression
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Best Practice #9: Naming Convention
• Use descriptive names for containers, tasks,
components
• Use a standard naming convention for SSIS
objects
• No functional difference, but helps to quickly
identify type
• SSIS API
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Best Practice #10: MERGE
• T-SQL MERGE statement usually outperforms
SSIS SCD components (native or 3rd party)
• Some limits on use
• Staging
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Best Practice #11: Annotations
• Document, document, document
• Easy value add
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Best Practice #12: Variables
• Naming convention
• Package scope
• Expressions
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Best Practice #13: ETL Frameworks
• Managed execution of packages
• Group packages according to function,
dependency, and precedence
• Unified logging and error handling
• Free and commercial tools
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Best Practice #14:
Custom Components
• Repetitive use of the same logic in multiple
packages
• Custom component allows easy deployment
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The World’s Largest Community
of SQL Server Professionals
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