Architecture of Integration Services

As shown in the following diagram, Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services consists of diverse components.

Of the components shown in the previous diagram, here are some important components to using Integration Services succesfully:

SSIS Designer

SSIS Designer is a graphical tool that you can use to create and maintain Integration Services packages. SSIS Designer is available in Business Intelligence Development Studio as part of an Integration Services project.

Runtime engine

The Integration Services runtime saves the layout of packages, runs packages, and provides support for logging, breakpoints, configuration, connections, and transactions.

Tasks and other executables

The Integration Services run-time executables are the package, containers, tasks, and event handlers that Integration Services includes. Run-time executables also include custom tasks that you develop.

Data Flow engine (also known as the pipeline) and Data Flow components

The Data Flow task encapsulates the data flow engine. The data flow engine provides the in-memory buffers that move data from source to destination, and calls the sources that extract data from files and relational databases. The data flow engine also manages the transformations that modify data, and the destinations that load data or make data available to other processes. Integration Services data flow components are the sources, transformations, and destinations that Integration Services includes. You can also include custom components in a data flow.

API or object model

The Integration Services object model includes managed application programming interfaces (API) for creating custom components for use in packages, or custom applications that create, load, run, and manage packages. Developer can write custom applications or custom tasks or transformations by using any common language runtime (CLR) compliant language.

Integration Services Service

The Integration Services service lets you use SQL Server Management Studio to monitor running Integration Services packages and to manage the storage of packages.

SQL Server Import and Export Wizard

The SQL Server Import and Export Wizard can copy data to and from any data source for which a managed .NET Framework data provider or a native OLE DB provider is available. This wizard also offers the simplest method to create an Integration Services package that copies data from a source to a destination.

Other tools, wizards, and command prompt utilities

Integration Services includes additional tools, wizards, and command prompt utilities for running and managing Integration Services packages