Chapter 3: SSIS Tasks

Overview

Tasks are the foundation of the controller flow in SSIS. Even the data flow is tied to the controller flow by a task. A task can be anything from moving a file to moving data. More advanced tasks enable you to execute SQL commands, send mail, run ActiveX scripts, and access Web services. You already used the Execute Process task in the simple example in Chapter 2, and you'll be using various tasks throughout the rest of the book as you work through the examples. This chapter will introduce you to the more common tasks you'll be using and give you some examples of how to use them.

All tasks have some common features. To add a task to the controller flow pane, click and drag it from the Toolbox onto the pane. You can then double-click on the task to configure it. You may see a red or yellow warning on the task until you configure it with the required fields. You'll find out more about these fields in the next section. Some of the advanced tasks in SSIS will be covered lightly in this chapter and covered in more detail in Chapter 6.