Professional SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services

16.4. Package Configurations

Package configurations are a flexible method of dynamically configuring a package at runtime. This allows you a high degree of flexibility in the execution of SSIS packages. This allows you to design the package to run in different environments without having to modify the package file itself. When a package is written, not all operational parameters may be known, such as the location of a file or the value of a variable. By supplying this information at runtime, the user does not have to hard-code these values into a package. When a package is run, the values stored in the specified configuration store are loaded for use during the package's execution. The configuration capabilities of SSIS support the storage of data in five different data stores. The following list describes each type of data store and its capabilities:

• XML File Configuration: The XML File Configuration option stores package information in an XML file on the file system. This configuration provider lets you store multiple configuration settings in a single file. As an alternative to hard-coding the path to the XML file, the path can be stored in a user-defined environment variable. This option allows you to modify the XML file easily and distribute the configuration easily with the package.

• Environment Variable: The Environment Variable option allows you to store a configuration value in an Environment variable. This option will only allow you to save a single configuration parameter. ...