Understanding Package Configurations And Setting Variables
Feb 26, 2008
I am trying to understand the relationship of setting package configurations and setting variable values during job scheduling. I understand that I can select variables that I want to manipulate at run time using package configurations. I understand that the configuration file is an xml file that the job can be told to access at run time. Here are my questions:
1. Once I create a configuration file, do I physically modify the file to change the variable that is input at runtime?
2. Do I have to select the config file and then change the value using the Set values tab?
3. What is the relationship between the config file and the set values tab?
4. When creating a package configuration, when would you use the options other than XML configuration file?
I just spent the past 3 or 4 hours trying to figure out how i could represent carriage returns and line feeds properly in package configuration variables that an SSIS package can properly handle, so i figured I'd post my results in case anyone else has struggled with this.
Initially, I thought I would be able to just represent the delimiter as the same value that you can pick from in the flat file connection manager dialog, i.e. {CR}{LF}, {CR}, {LF}, etc. nope.
Then I decided to try actually storing the characters as hex, i.e. _x000D__x000A_ for {CR}{LF}. nope.
After scanning the .dtsx packages for a while, I finally found something that works: you have to represent the curly brackets in hex, and you can simply use the CR or LF string literals. so if you wanted to have a row delimiter that was {CR}{LF}, you would need to set your variable to: _x007B_CR_x007D__x007B_LF_x007D_
Hope this saves some people the pain I had to endure.
I am using a FTP Connection Manager and the configuration setting for it is being set in the package configuration xml file. So the xml file contains the Ftpserver, FTp server username and password. The package is picking up the values from the xml file and is executing successfully. I have to do this because I was not able to provide an expression to the Connection Manager Server Password property.
Now, I want to pick up the ftp details from a database table and set it in the xml file during runtime. Is this possible? OR something like using the
Kindly look at the items in bold. Is this possible? Then I can set the value of the variable in the package before the FTP connection manager task is executed.
I am making use of the DtUtil tool to deploy my package to SQL Server. Following is my configuration: 32-bit machine and 32-bit named instance of Yukon.
I have some package variables which need to be set in the code.
Previously I did it as follows:
Set the package variables in the code. For example:
Here the package was successfully deployed and when i open those packages using BIDS, I am able to see that the variables are set to the values as doen in teh code.
Because of oen problem I am not using SaveToSQLServer method. So I switched to DTUtil tool. Now I am doing it this way:
Set the package variables as before. Deploy the package to SQL Server using DTUtil tool.
Now is the problem: The package is successfully deployed. But the variables are not set to the value that I have specified in the code.
I also tried DTexec utility to set the package variable. Even that does n't work. Can anyone help me out? Is there any alternate method to set package variables?
Hi, Let's say I have a package taking as parameter "InvoiceID". I want to execute this package as a child in another package. The parent package gets the list of invoices to produce and calls the child package for each entry of the list.
How do I pass the InvoiceID to the child? I know I can use the parent's variables from the child but I don't want the child package to be dependant on the parent package. For example, I might want to execute the "child" package as a stand-alone in development (providing it with a predefined InvoiceID). I might also want to call the same child package from another parent package with other variable names.
What I would like to do is "push" the value instead of "pulling" it. I know it's possible using the command line and the /SET option (ex.: /SET Package.Variables[InvoiceID].Value;' 184084)... Is it possible using the Execute Package Task?
Hi all, I need one more help! we can select the dtsconfig file with the Environment variable(indirect configuration); but i need to select the configuration file at runtime; i've to load the package from the server and apply local configuration file to the package and run in a web server;
Requirements; 1. i have packages with its xml configurations for connection strings alone! 2. i deployed it on the server 3. Trying to execute the packages in a web page onclick event;
We have ASP.net WebPage; in On_Click Event, i have this code;
Application ap = new Application(); Package pk = ap.LoadFromSqlServer("\PROJECT", "itsssqldb", "pmo_package_user", "password", null); pk.ImportConfigurationFile(@"Packagesdev_staging.dtsConfig"); pk.Execute(); here PROJECT is the Package name; i'm loading the package from the Common Sequel Server 2005; and applying the configuration file to that package and trying to execute this; but its not using the config file what i mentioned; its returning failure!!
Can you please help me to resolve this issue!,
(The intention of doing this job is to select the configuration file( prod, dev) at runtime)
I went thru the online tutorial, but I was not able to finish "Deploying Packages Tutorial" because for some reason the sample packages they had use in the tutorial came up with errors when I added them to my project.
EDIT: See the following post for the trouble I ran into using the sample tutorial. http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3145471&SiteID=1&mode=1
But I read thru the rest and I was able to get the gist of it and I did a simple example on my own.
And here are some questions.
In my example, I have one package that does a simple load from an XL spreadsheet into a database table. The package also writes some kickout rows (bad data) to a flat file. To keep the example simple, I configure just one value in the .dtsConfig file, and that is the server name.
Question:
(1) According to the tutorial, after I've created the deployment bundle I'm supposed to copy this over to the destination computer and run it there. Can't I just run it from my computer and choose where to install the package in the Package Installation Wizard? That's what I did and it worked and I am able to see the package on the target SQL Server. So, I'm wondering why I need to copy the demployment bundle to the target and run it there.
(2) In the Package Installation Wizard, there is a step called "Select Installation Folder". And the description on this page says, "The installer will install SSIS package dependencies in the following folder". Without knowing what this is going to do, I just picked a folder, and finished out the wizard. When I go and check that folder after the wizard is completed, I see that the .dtsConfig file got put there (on my local machine). What implication does this have? (I don't know how to schedule a job in SQL Server Agent, so I havent actually tried running the deployed package.) I'm going to guess the package is not going to run because the config file ended up in my machine.
(3) In my example, I could've also configured the connection string for the XL file and the flat file directory for the kickout data. But since the file names are a part of the connection string and the file names are likely to remain the same, but the directory locations may change, should I handle this with system variables? (Where the variable will contain the directory path only)
I have a question about Package Configurations. I had developed a prototype that has connections defined to 2 DEV SQL Servers and runs fine in DEV. I created a Configuration XML file and changed the XML file settings to point to our 2 TEST SQL Servers. I ran this package without issues. However, I was expecting the 2 SQL Server OLE DB connections within BIDS to point to the TEST Server after the package ran. I still was pointing to DEV. Am I missing something here? Thanks in advance.
I have a package configuration for my SSIS packages to allow me to dynamically change the connection string of the connections in my packages. This was done so that when I deploy my packages to my development or test server, the packages would use either the development or test server name in the connection string. I have set the configuration up to use an environment variable to store the location of the config file (an xml config file). The package however does not seem to be using the environment variable though. If I change the location of the config file in the variable's value, it still points to the old location. Can someone please help.
Before I started using package configurations, I made several (wrong) assumptions. My primary use for configurations are to move packages between environments (dev, test, prod), so my config files only contain connection information.
My first assumption was I could create 3 different configuration files (XML) with the connection string properties for each environment. Because I use shared data source connections in my packages, these are the only properties I should have to store within my configuration file. Then I use indirect configurations, which I had a system environment variable set up on each server, called SSISConfigPath. On all servers, I have it pointing to a shared folder on our network so us developers can update the configuration files at will, if needed.
Now, in theory if I deploy all of my packages to the SQL Server MSDB on each of the servers, and schedule a job on each server, everything should work, right? Wrong.
First of all, we had to restart the SQL Agent service in order for the package to recognize there is a new system variable (similar to the Indirect Configuration "gotcha" that Jamie blogged about, but in this case, it wasn't a cmd window, but a windows service).
Next, an SSIS package doesn't first read the configuration file, but it tries to validate the connections that were originally stored in the package to begin with before replacing them. This is a problem when the environment you develop on is your local PC (laptop for example), and deploy to production, the SSIS package tries to connect to your laptop PC first, throwing an error because it cannot find it. If it can find your laptop, it succeeds, and only then switches the connection info with what is in the configuration file.
Can this "validation" step be disabled? It seems changing the "Delay Validation" = true on the package doesn't work for connections.
And when you open BIDs to run a package, the "Syncronize Connection Strings" dialog always appears. When you say OK, it doesn't stick and always asks you each time you open the file.
Please let me know what I should be doing, because this doesn't seem to work as flawlessly as I thought it should.
Within the SSIS package i am currently developing I have a number of variables relating to folder locations. I have added these to a SQL configuration package as i'd like to be able to change these prior to the SSIS package being executed. I plan to launch the package by calling a SQL Agent job from a web page.
On this web page i'd like to be able to change the values in the SQL database so that the package runs with User specified folder locations.
If anyone has done this before i'd appreciate if you could suggest how best to accomplish this. At present i'm thinking of just interogating the created database but as there are no keys etc set up this may not make updating the table easy.
I have an SSIS Package that utilizes two Configurations at design time...
1. Environment Variable Configuration sets the root folder variable and subsequently several other variables within the package using expressions (adapted from Jamie Thompson's template package - thanks Jamie)
2. Indirect XML Configuration to set the connection string to the appropriate db.
I've got 3 environments in play.
1. My workstation, using BIDS to design / debug the package. For my PC, the Indirect Config sets the connection to our test server/database.
2. A test server. For the test server, the Indirect Config on the test server sets the connection string to the test database on that server.
3. A production server. For the production server, the Indirect config on the prod server sets the connection string to the prod database on that server.
Problem...
Running the package in BIDS correctly runs against the test db, no problems.
Running the package on the test server in SSMS (either in the Execute Package Utility or using the Agent) without specifying any Configurations on the Configuration tabs, runs fine against the test db.
Running the package on the prod server in SSMS (again, in the Execute Package Utility or using the Agent) without specifying any Configurations on the Configurations tabs runs the package against the test db.
Is this because I'm not specifying the Configuration I have stored on the production server to use the connection string for production?
Curiously, the Indirect Configuration I have setup to read an environment variable to set the root folder (for logging, etc) works fine without having to specify any configurations on the configuration tabs in SSMS. In fact, I don't think you can specify environment variable configurations on these tabs - they open a Browse window to search the filesystem for a config file.
Any clarification anyone can give me regarding these Configuration tabs, indirect configurations, and what their purpose is would be great. I've spent days researching, reading through the two books I have, etc, and there's not much out there on this.
I created an xml configuration file and specified all the details,i have saved the package with protection level as "dont save sensitive".We are running the package thru autosys.But the package is repeatedly failing,not sure whats wrong with this one.
I am not comfortable with DTS 2000 but I need to execute a encapsulated DTS 2000 package from a SSIS package. The real problem is when I need to pass SSIS variables to DTS 2000 package. The DTS 2000 package have 3 global variables that I can identify on " Execute DTS 2000 Package Task Editor - Inner Variables ". I believe the SSIS variables must be mapped on " Execute DTS 2000 Package Task Editor - OuterVariables ". How can I associate the SSIS variables(OuterVariables ) to "Inner Variables"? How can I do it? Much Thanks.
I have just set up my first deployment utility for the Integration services package i've been building. I seem to be getting problems with the package Configurations. I added an XML config file so that i could change the values of my SQL connection manager at deployment time. This was so that i could deploy it on both a test environment and the live environment. Any other variables can be changed in code by the calling application. As soon as i added the options for the sql connection manager and enabled package configuration i got errors when running the application:
[Execute SQL Task] Error: Failed to acquire connection "InternalProductionData Connection Manager". Connection may not be configured correctly or you may not have the right permissions on this connection.
This is before i even deploy the project. If i disable the package configurations everything works as expected. Can anyone help suggest why this might not be working.
I'm relatively new to SSIS, but I have read all the info/threads on Package Config. and I'm really confused.
Our production env. is clustered, and we are running multiple sql instances, so the sys admin does not want me to use Env. Variables or XML files for the package configurations (it's too hard for him to maintain the info across multiple instances, etc). So, I am storing the package configurations in SQL.
Just as a simple test, I used the wizard to create the 1 package configuration for production. The configured value as a complete connection string
When I run the package, it completely ignores the package configuration. How do I change the connections on my tasks to read from the package configuration instead of the connection manager they are currently associated with?
I have a solution with a lot of packages, and each of them has configurations set on an SQL Server table. Right now the information in the table is outdated and I'd like to overwrite it with the new values on the properties of each package (and its elements). Is there another (faster) way to do this without having to disable/enable or recreate all configurations manually?
I have a package that will be run by many people, basically that take a flat file from one format to another format. The variables I'd need to change are @originalFilePath and @destinationFilePath.
I'm looking at package configurations now, and am wondering what I'm missing. It seems like the configuration settings are static, with an xml file or a sql server table being my most viable options.
What I need is for multiple users to be able to execute the same package with different parameters at the same time. Can anyone guide me in the right direction? I know that through ASP, I could generate XML docs on the fly, but I want to make sure I'm using the best method. What's the best way of going about dynamic configs?
I have a package that executes several other packages. I have an XML packageconfiguration file to set the servername for the parent package, do I need to just add that packageconfiguration to the parent package and the servername in the XML file will be used until all the packages executed from the parent package are executed or do I need to add that configuration file to each lower level package?
May be I am doing something wrong over here, but I have been trying in vain to test out a simple scenario where I can use my Parent Package configurations in my Child package. I have two packages ready and can someone please walk me through this process. Appreciate all help
I've been planning on putting all my connection strings for my SSIS packages into package configurations. So far, I've been using XML config files, and these strip out the passwords in connection strings which then have to be retyped every time in notepad.
Has anyone got some better guidance regarding this? Could I use another type of package config to avoid this problem?
My contraints are such that I cannot use integrated security for the packages, so the password MUST be in the connection string. However, I can place the config files in a secure location where only the package and admins have access to them.
I am trying to create indirect package configurations so that:
1) My configuration data is stored in a SQL Server table, and
2) The location of that table is stored in an environment variable.
Achieving #1 is easy, but when I hit the "Configuration location is stored in an environment variable", I strike problems. I can specify a environment variable no problems, but there doesn't seem to be anywhere in the documentation to describe the syntax of WHAT should go in that environment variable.
I'm looing for advice on how to organize my SSIS packages. I'll quickly describe my requiremenst, and then outline how I see the solution.
1. Should work for development in BI Studio. Design time experience should be good, so static schema information should be available in all steps. Packages should run in debug mode inside BI Studio. 2. Should be able to run automated tests (which I gather is difficult. See proposed solution below). Tests should run both on a test machine, in batch mode, and from BI Studio. 3. Should work for deployment.
The packages should be fine-grained. Automated tests will be implemented as SSIS packages that call the packages to be tested via an Execute Package Task. There will be one test package per testcase. A test will look like: [Create Schema] -> [Load test data]->[Execute Package to be tested]->[Verify expected results]->[Teardown].
There will be one master test package that executes all the tests.
For this I need a) some way to vary the connections for the packages depending on whether they are run from a testcase or from the normal control flow. I'm considering making the connection strings configurations based on a parent package variable. Other configuration types strike me as not suitable since developers will want to run packages both as part of normal flow and as testcases on their machines. Is this a viable strategy? Any drawbacks?
b) need to organize testcases some way. I tried putting tests in a subfolder of the project to minimize the clutter, but BI studio shows them at the root node. I tried putting a new project (for containing the tests) in the same folder, and adding the packages (via add existing item), but BI Studio insists of adding copies (!) of the package files, rather than reusing the existing files. Any suggestions?
I welcome any feedback, suggestions of alternate strategies, etc.
If the configurations are stored in the database then does the package pick up the configuration as and when required or it a one time pick when the package is executed.
What I plan to do? When the package is executed, I want to have a script task at the start of the package that will update the configuration table in the database with the values that the package needs to run with. I mean change the values of the configurations of the tasks which will be executed after the script task.
If your XML configuration files will be in the same location on your Development, UAT and PROD servers, is there any merit to making your configurations indirect?
I am modifying the connection string with the XML. My strategy is to set up an XML configuration for each database that we have. The Dev XML config will point to Development connection, UAT to UAT etc..
My thought is that by using the direct configuration it will eliminate the need for environment variables and also allow me to add configs without having to reboot the servers, which you would need to do in order to get server to recongize the EV.
I am using package configurations to hold an email address. I can happily change the email adress when teh config is in an XML file, but when I choose SQL Server to store the package configurations I can change the email address but the changes are not picked up despite coming out of dev studio and back in again - it picks up the default set on the variables tab.
It simply refuses to pick up the email address from the SQL table, but happily creates the dbo.[SSIS Configurations] table with correct entries in the wizard 1st time round.
