ETL SSIS Packages

For Microsoft's detailed explanation of SSIS Packages, see the MSDN article at Integration Services Packages.

SSIS packages are stored as a file with a DTSX extension. When you view a DTSX file from an XML editor, the file appears as an XML document.

When you view a DTSX file with SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio (Visual Studio with Business Intelligence projects), there are added visualizations for the SSIS package. For example, you can view a Control Flow for an SSIS package.

Note: For information about the version of Visual Studio to use, see Visual Studio Versions for Custom Packages.

These visualizations enable drill-down and properties information. Here is an example of a Data Flow: