Small enhancement history of SSIS

In SQL Server 7.0 Microsoft worked on Data Transformation Service, there was a small team who worked on DTS features which were used for Import/Export Wizard. Starting purpose was to transfer data using OLEDB from any data source to any destination. It also has the ability to execute programs and run scripts, making workflow a minor feature.

In SQL Server 2000 Microsoft enhance the following features.

1.     Dynamic Property Task: Its enable you to alter package dynamically at runtime.

2.     ActiveX script: The main purpose of ActiveX script is to including business logic in packages. For example, ActiveX script can use conditional logic to manage package workflow. 

ActiveX script creates some problems for DBA because that time for the script they used VBScript but DBA don't have any experience to write VBScript.

After five years Microsoft releases SQL Server 2005 and SSIS, which had many new features.

1.     Import/Export wizard improved for multiple-table scenario.

2.     To change data type added Data Conversion Transformation.

3.     Include Sort Transformation

4.     Advance Editor UseBibaryFormat, CommandTimeout, Expression Builder etc.

But SSIS SQL Server 2005 was no longer stand in the market.

SQL Server 2008 comes with extra scalability features to help enterprise, Microsoft made a huge investment in usability, with simple enhancement like

1.     Toolbox: That's making easier to use.

2.     Focused on management and deployment.  

3.     Lookup Enhancement

4.     Data Profiling Task

5.     Pipeline Memory Limiter

6.     Pipeline Performance – Multicast Transform and Threading in SQL Server 2008

7.     VSTA support for Script Task and Script Component

8.     Import & Export Wizard Enhancements

9.     A brief explanation of leveraging SQL Server 2008 features in SSIS viz. CDC and MERGE statement

After Release of SQL Server 2008 Microsoft enhance the features in SSIS SQL Server 2012. Microsoft focused on SSIS manageability and making easier to deploy.

1.     SQL Server 2012 added ROBUST new data cleaning components that help you standardize and detect data anomalies.

2.     Deployment

3.     Management and Troubleshooting

4.     Development Enhancements

5.     Performance

6.     Data Quality

7.     Access to Samples and Tutorials 

There was no major enhancement comes to SSIS 2014 it’s all features near about same as SSIS 2012. But many enhancement and new features come in SSIS SQL Server 2016.

1- Manageability

         a) Better deployment

          1- SSISDB Upgrade Wizard

          2- Support for Always On in the SSIS Catalog

          3- Incremental package deployment

          4- Support for Always Encrypted in the SSIS Catalog

         b) Better debugging

                   1- New ssis_logreader database-level role in the SSIS catalog

                   2- New RuntimeLineage logging level in the SSIS catalog

                   3- New custom logging level in the SSIS catalog

                   4- Column names for errors in the data flow

                   5- Expanded support for error column names

                   6- Support for server-wide default logging level

                   7- New IDTSComponentMetaData130 interface in the API

         c) Better package management

                   1- Improved experience for project upgrade

  2- AutoAdjustBufferSize property automatically calculates buffer size for    data flow

                   3- Reusable control flow templates

                   4- New templates renamed as parts

2- Connectivity

         a) Expanded connectivity on premises

                   1- Support for OData v4 data sources

                   2- Explicit support for Excel 2013 data sources

                   3- Support for the Hadoop file system (HDFS)

                   4- Expanded support for Hadoop and HDFS

                   5- HDFS File Destination now supports ORC file format

                   6- ODBC components updated for SQL Server 2016

                   7- Explicit support for Excel 2016 data sources

                   8- Connector for SAP BW for SQL Server 2016 released

                   9- Connectors v4.0 for Oracle and Teradata released

         b) Expanded connectivity to the cloud

1- Azure Storage connectors and Hive and Pig tasks for HDInsight - Azure Feature Pack for SSIS released for SQL Server 2016

3- Usability and productivity

         a) Better install experience

          1- Upgrade blocked when SSISDB belongs to Availability Group

         b) Better design experience

1-    SSIS Designer creates and maintains packages for SQL Server 2016, 2014, or 2012

2-    Multiple designer improvements and bug fixes.

         c) Better management experience in SQL Server Management Studio

1-    Improved performance for SSIS Catalog views

 4- Other enhancements

1-    Balanced Data Distributor transformation is now part of SSIS

2-    Data Feed Publishing Components are now part of SSIS

3-    Support for Azure Blob Storage in the SQL Server Import and Export Wizard

4-   Change Data Capture Designer and Service for Oracle for Microsoft                    SQL Server 2016 released

5-    CDC components updated for SQL Server 2016

6-    Analysis Services Execute DDL Task updated

          7- Analysis Services tasks support tabular models

          8- Support for Built-in R Services

          9- Rich XML validation output in the XML Task