Expert SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services

9.3. Running Packages with DTExecUI

The primary way to manually execute a package is with DTExecUI.exe. This utility is a graphical wrapper for DTExec.exe and provides an easier way to produce the necessary switches to execute the package. Nearly all the same tabs and options you see in DTExecUI.exe will also be available when you schedule the package.

The quickest way to open the utility is from within Management Studio. To open it from there, right-click any package that you want to execute and select Run. You can also open the utility in Windows by selecting Start Run and typing DTExecUI.exe.

Before beginning the discussion of this utility, it's important to note that the utility is a 32-bit utility. The utility will run on a 64-bit machine, but it will wrap the 32-bit version of DTExec.exe. Later in this chapter, you'll learn about some tricks to use to run the package in 64-bit mode.

When you right-click a package and select Run, the first screen in DTExecUI.exe is filled out for you automatically. The first page (shown in Figure 9-4) points to the package you want to execute, and indicates where the package is located. If you select the Package Store to connect to from the Package source drop-down list box, you'll be able to see all the packages stored on the server, no matter where they are stored. Your other options are SQL Server or the File System. With the SQL Server ...