BI Session – First Look to SSIS 2012

The day after...
The SQL Saturdays #115 that held in Portugal yesterday at Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa was in my perspective a fantastic conference. The organization provided by the Portuguese SQL user group SQL Port, was absolutely amazing! Everything worked perfectly and all the small issues raised, were faster resolved by volunteers that has a common passion like me: the SQL Serer. Speaking on the some track of persons that I follow for some years, like Alan Mitchel, Rui Quintino and Andro Moreira was a big honor to me… also, having the room complete on a Saturday at 9h30 AM was a big surprise. I just want to mention a fact that made me a little disappointed… some submitted sessions was not approved and I’m absolutely sure that the conference would be even better with the speakers like Rui Romano, Tiago Moreiras and Tiago Rente. But I understand that it’s impossible to have all speakers in action.

I've submitted two sessions about SSIS 2012, but just one session was approved by the organization. It were understandable but forced me to summarize the two sessions in only one. I was a little fast presenting my session, because my main goal was to provide the first impact to SSIS 2012 and cover the most new features and improvements to the attendees. I think almost attendees got the overall vision about this new version and I have no doubts that they will now go into deep detail on the new features and improvements they think more usefully.

I've included below my session slides presentation that I hope you enjoy and can share some feedback with me. As I already wrote on this blog, I’m finishing the book on the SSIS 2012 version and I hope you could help me to continue writing on the future about subjects I love!

A special thanks to the organizers, master BI students, friends, colleagues an all the attendees who chose my session.

BI Conference – SQL Saturdays #115 Portugal 2012

Dear Friends,
Next Saturday I’ll present a session on SQL Saturdays Portugal! On this session I’ll show the first look to the SQL Integration Services 2012 based on my last 6 months experiences writing a book about it with my friend Reza Rad. We are currently writing the latest chapters and very excited with the updates made to this version. Some of those, are highlighted below:

Legacy and Project deployment Models
The deployment approach used in the previous version of SSIS is called Legacy Deployment Model and the new one is the Project Deployment Model. If the new approach (Project Deployment Model) is used, almost custom logging made in the legacy deployment mode (previous versions) doesn’t make more sense now. This new approach has an important new SSIS Catalog that automatically logs all package execution activity along with some built-in reports that provide a more intuitive perspective over log activity and performance

Change Data Capture (CDC) tasks and components
Change Data Capture (CDC) feature was included in SQL 2008 version and provides other possibility to detect change on data under a database. This version include a new CDC task and components to make the life easier for those persons that choose this approach to deal with changed data

SQL Server Data Tools
The old Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) does not exist anymore. Now is the SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) and has a very intuitive layout with new tasks and components design and is under the very interesting Visual Studio 2010 environment

Simple and important improvements
Several simple and important improvements were made. Some examples are the improvement on the variables toolbar, Undo & Redo capabilities, easier way to zoom and several other improvements

More new features
In addition to CDC task and components, I should highlight some other new features like: data flow column mapper, the expression task, package parameters, data quality services and several other very interesting features that I’ll highlight on the next weeks!

I hope to see you next Saturday on my session! More details about the conference could be shown here!
I’ll add the slide presentation soon here
Just to remember that the book I wrote with Reza is not on Pre-Order here! I hope to get feedback from you soon! :-)

BI Tool – SQL Server 2012 Released to Manufacturing

Today… I have one more reason to write here… Microsoft announced that SQL Server 2012 has released to manufacturing. Now it’s your turn to download and evaluate this new amazing version. Relating to SSIS 2012 I’ll write more often about it just because I passed the last 6 months investigating it through the SSIS book that I’m finishing with my friend Reza rad. For now, I want to highlight the following new updates:

Microsoft SQL Server Data Tools
Business Intelligence Development Studio known as BIDS there will not exist anymore. Now, the name is Microsoft SQL Server Data Tools. Take a look here.
Download SQL Server Data Tools

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2010
I thought Data Mining strategy had died, but has not yet! Fortunately Microsoft update the old Add-In to the new SQL 2012 and Excel 2010 versions. This package includes two add-ins for Microsoft Office Excel 2010 (Table Analysis Tools and Data Mining Client) and one add-in for Microsoft Office Visio 2010 (Data Mining Templates)
Download Data Mining Add-In

Today, don’t forget to attend the SQL Server 2012 Virtual Launch Event, featuring keynotes by Ted Kummert and Quentin Clark and a number of video presentations about SQL Server 2012 by other SQL Server expert.

BI Book – SSIS 2012 Integration Services Book

I've never been so long without writing on the blog. The last months have been very complicated in terms of time, but I promise that I will not be so long time without writing! The main reason for such a long absence was undoubtedly the book I'm writing since September 2011! Yes…I’m writing a book and you know it now in first hand! This book is focused on the next version of SQL Integration Services (SSIS 2012 version) and is being written with my friend Reza Rad. This book is being reviewed by SSIS world reference professionals Phil Brammer and Rafael Salas that I need to thank for all the feedback they are giving to us!

The book is almost complete and has been an incredible challenge for me! It has been an authentic miracle working in a full-time job, teaching at the weekend and still has time to investigate and write a book! I want to thank all the effort that has been made also by Reza Rad (co-author), all reviewers, and especially PacktPub publisher staff. Thanks to Joana, my girlfriend, that always supported and motivated me to take this up until the end and never give up.
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Integration Services: An Expert Cookbook
Reza Rad, Pedro Perfeito

"SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) is a leading tool in the data warehouse industry - used for performing extraction, transformation, and load operations. This book is aligned with the most common methodology associated with SSIS known as Extract Transform and Load (ETL); ETL is responsible for the extraction of data from several sources, their cleansing, customization, and loading into a central repository normally called Data Warehouse or Data Mart.

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Integration Services: An Expert Cookbook covers all the aspects of SSIS 2012 with lots of real-world scenarios to help readers understand usages of SSIS in every environment.

Written by two SQL Server MVPs who have in-depth knowledge of SSIS having worked with it for many years. This book starts by creating simple data transfer packages with wizards and illustrates how to create more complex data transfer packages, troubleshoot packages, make robust SSIS packages, and how to boost the performance of data consolidation with SSIS. It then covers data flow transformations and advanced transformations for data cleansing, fuzzy and term extraction in detail. The book then dives deep into making a dynamic package with the help of expressions and variables, and performance tuning and consideration"

Me and reza didn't wrote this book for money, but by the desire of writing about what we like to do. Help us continue to share knowledge with the comunity. The book is now in pre-order and will available soon in several places like Amazon, Lehmans and in the PacktPub Publisher Website

Order the Book NOW