Table of Contents

Editorial: Business Intelligence by Steve Jones

Mining the Flow by Jamie MacLennan SQL Server 2005 also comes with powerful data mining transforms that allow you to perform mining operations directly in your operational data flow. Jamie Maclennan shows a few of the tricks you can use in data mining with Integration Services.
	Synchronous and Asynchronous Script Components by Jamie Thomson The quickest and easiest way of extending functionality is through the use of the script component, which is available in SSIS data-flows.
Configurations in SQL Server Integration Services 2005 by Allen Mitchell and Darren Green The fact that the instructions are processed before the package executes is a very important concept in SSIS because once the package starts to execute we are not allowed to change the package internally
	Migrating to Integration Services by Ranjeeta Nanda and James Howey With Integration Services replacing DTS and a tremendous investment in DTS by many companies, there is quite a bit of concern about the upgrade process. Two of the Microsoft Integration Services team bring us a look at some of the issues that you many encounter and ways in which you can ensure your packages continue to work.
Using SQL Server Integration Service to go Beyond ETL by Kamal Hathi ETL is the primary focus of Integration Services, but it can easily go well beyond simply moving and cleaning data. A look at some cutting edge ways in which you build solutions that will leverage the incredibly power of SQL Server.
	Web Services Task and XML Data Source by Kathi Kellenberger SQL Server Integration Services has replaced DTS in the next version of SQL Server and includes many more tasks and connections to handle most any type of data. The XML task is one new task that allows you to work with XML documents and web services.
2005 PASS Community Summit Prepares Professionals For the Release of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 by the PASS Staff A look back at the 2005 PASS Community Summit in Grapevine, TX on September 26-30, 2005.

The more time I spend in business situations and with business leaders, the more I start to wonder if that isn’t some oxymoron like it seems to be in the armed forces ?

We’ve almost completed one full year of topical issues and I think it’s been a success for both us and you subscribers. This month we were looking to tackle the BI parts of SQL Server since I am constantly hearing how “BI is catching on” and “getting big”. I’m not sure and I can’t be certain if that’s true, but I do know one thing. I had a hard time getting BI/Analysis Services articles and a glut of Integration Services ones.

I do know that the data movement business, whether for assembling some type of warehouse, or exporting data for reports or partners, is definitely getting big. My research and observations on the web have been that Integration Services might be the feature most looked forward to in SQL Server 2005. Especially now that Database Mirroring has been delayed!

This month we’ve got quite a variety of articles on various aspects of Integration Services. Longtime DTS and now IS gurus Darren Green and Allan Mitchell bring us a look at Configurations, pre package executions, similar to what the Dynamic Properties task did in SQL 2000. We’ve also got a look at a few different tasks. One looks at the XML and Web Services tasks and one synchronous and asynchronous tasks.

From Microsoft, we’ve got two interesting articles, one practical and one more pie-in-the-sky. First a look at migrating DTS packages, which will be crucial for many people. As with any fundamental change across versions, some things will not migrate at all, so this is a must read before you move. The second article looks at data mining, the one true BI article that we have in this issue.

Lastly, PASS brings us a look back at the recently completed PASS Summit. This is THE SQL Server event of each year and if you have never been, read about it and make plans for the 2006 Summit in Seattle in November. If you were there, this should bring back some find memories.

Steve Jones