How This Book Is Organized

This book is organized into six parts starting from basic introductory or conceptual discussions and steadily transitioning to more advanced topics. The first parts are appropriate for those seeking a high-level overview of Integration Services. The middle parts are appropriate for users such as Database Administrators, ETL developers, and data architects. The last part is appropriate for those interested in writing custom components or simply better understanding how Integration Services works "under the cover."

• Part 1 Getting Started covers how to set up the sample packages and sources, setting up Integration Services, and how to migrate packages from DTS.

• Part 2 Integration Services Basics and Concepts is a conceptual and practical guide to understanding and using the product. This is a high-level overview of important concepts.

• Part 3 Control Flow Services covers the stock tasks and other control flow features of Integration Services.

• Part 4 Management Services covers the features that support the day-to-day management of Integration Services solutions.

• Part 5 The Data Flow Task focuses on exploring the capabilities of the Data Flow Task and components.

• Part 6 Programming Integration Services teaches you how to build components that plug into Integration Services.

Each chapter was written to stand alone as much as possible. Although some topics naturally rely on other previously discussed concepts, great effort was made to write the chapters so that each could be read independently. Also, most of the topics are reinforced with samples. Samples are an important part of this book and should be studied carefully if you want to fully understand Integration Services.

Each chapter begins with a quote. Many books do this. Some with erudite quotes that make your head swim with visions of celestial ponderings. These quotes are a little more down to earth and most of them have been collected over the period during which Integration Services was developed. Many of the quotes are from key individuals on the team, some are simply humorous, and still others should give you some insight into the day-to-day life on the Integration Services team. They are offered to you as simple entertainment.