I recently attended a Pragmatic Works webinar entitled ‘New SSIS Features and Enhancements in Denali’ presented by Jamie Thomson.  The following are my notes from the webinar.

Configuration/Deployment/Operational Management

• Projects and Parameters
  • Ability to deploy projects, not just single packages.
  • Parameters – like variables but exist outside of packages. Can be seen external to the package.
  • Can reference other packages in a project without specifying the full path to the package.
• New SSIS server, integrated into SSMS – full lifecycle support and enhanced monitoring, server logging, debugging.
• Integration services node in SSMS – SSISDB database. Under SSISDB node exists projects and packages.
• SSISDB system views: catalog.executions, catalog.operations_messages
• Can view information about running packages.
• Can execute packages in T-SQL.
• Project needs to be built any time a change is made. File with .ispac extension is created when a project is compiled. This file can be deployed to an SSIS server.
• Deployment Wizard
  • Select .ispac file.
  • Select destination to deploy to.
  • Can update parameter values if needed.

Designer Updates

• Enhanced usability – UI redesign, easier for new users, shorter learning curve.
• Zoom functionality in designer surface.
• New SSIS toolbox – provides different groupings for tasks (Favorites, Common, Containers, Other Tasks). Can move tasks between the groups. When a 3rd party component is installed it automatically shows up in the toolbox.
• Improved copy/paste functionality – can copy between packages and retain functionality and layout of components.
• Data Flow Updates
  • Connection Assistances (Destination and Source) – simplifies process to create new connection. Select type (e.g. SQL Server, Oracle), connector is auto-selected.
  • Grouping – can group tasks for readability/organization. Does not affect functionality.
  • Flexible Order of Authoring – can edit tasks that are missing incoming data flow.
• Undo/Redo Functionality.
• In the current CPT, BIDS is still VS2008. Will be upgraded by RTM.

CTP1 Includes

• Project and Parameter Model.
• IS Server.
• Designer enhancements.

Future Release

• Data Quality Services.
• SQL Agent integration for server execution.
• Troubleshooting and logging enhancements.
• Package format changes – currently difficult to merge version of packages in multi-developer environments. Easier to merge.
• Quality improvements.