Professional SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services

14.2. The Pipeline Component Methods

Components are normally described as having two distinct phases: design-time and runtime. When you implement a component, you inherit from the base class, Microsoft.SqlServer.Dts.Pipeline. PipelineComponent, and provide your own functionality by overriding the base methods, some of which are primarily design-time, others runtime. If you are using native code, then the divide between the runtime and design-time is clearer because they are implemented on different interfaces. Commentary on the methods has been divided into these two sections, but there are some exceptions, notably the connection-related methods; a section on Connection Time–related methods is included later on.

In programming terms, a class can inherit functionality from another class, termed the base class. If the base class provides a method, and the inheriting class wishes to change the functionality within this method, it can override the method. In effect, you replace the base method with your own. From within the overriding method, you can still access the base method, and call it explicitly if required, but any consumer of the new class will see only the overriding method.

14.2.1. Design-Time

The following methods are explicitly implemented for design-time, overriding the PipelineComponent methods, although they will usually be called from within your overriding method. Not all of the methods have been listed, because for some there is little more to say, and others have ...