Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? This course provides comprehensive coverage of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (SSIS). You learn how to migrate and transform data among heterogeneous data sources such as text files, Oracle, Access, XML, ODBC and OLE DB. The numerous hands-on exercises in this course are designed to illustrate real-world problems and provide practical solutions that you can apply immediately in the workplace. Who will benefit from this course? It is essential for organizations to securely manage data migration among a myriad of platforms to enhance their business intelligence capabilities. In this course, attendees learn to leverage SQL Server 2005 Integration Services to extract, transform, load and integrate data from a variety of sources. Typical participants include database developers and analysts who need to migrate data among diverse platforms. Database administrators who need to manage Integration Services packages stored on SQL Server and database professionals working in mixed environments of DBMSs such as Oracle, Access and SQL Server will benefit from this course. What background knowledge do I need? You should have a basic knowledge of relational database management systems and the SQL language. Specific experience with Microsoft SQL Server is helpful, but not required for this course. You should also have some knowledge of basic programming concepts but specific knowledge of a particular language is not required. Familiarity with the Windows interface and basic Windows security is recommended. Do I need to know SQL? A basic knowledge of SQL is required. You should be able to write a SELECT statement to query a table. How much of this class is focused on scripting and/or programming? Most tasks in this course can be accomplished with no programming. You will learn to use programming to extend the capabilities of SSIS even if you have never programmed before. All of the necessary information to complete the exercises will be given in the course. What is the role of SSIS in Business Intelligence? SSIS is one of the components in Microsoft's Business Intelligence platform. The other two consist of Reporting Services and Analysis Services. SSIS allows you to migrate data for decision support purposes. Once migrated, data can be analyzed with Analysis Services and reports can be built using Reporting Services. I am using Oracle as my main database platform. Will this course be helpful to me? Yes! Integration Services can be used to migrate data from virtually any source. For example, it can be used to migrate from Sybase to Oracle or even from Oracle 9i to 10g. Specific examples will be demonstrated in class. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours SSIS Architecture and Tools 2.5 Implementing SSIS Tasks and Containers 5.5 Extending capabilities with scripting 1.5 Transforming with the Data Flow Task 7.0 Error Handling, Logging and Transactions 2.0 Administering Business Intelligence 3.5 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. How much time is devoted to hands-on exercises? Approximately 45% of class time is spent engaging in hands-on exercises. These include: Upgrading packages with the DTS Migration Wizard Converting data among heterogeneous sources: Oracle, Access, and others Automating complex multi-step tasks including multi-file imports Manipulating package variables with scripting Handling errors and managing exception rows Administering the storage, security and execution of packages Writing data to multiple destinations with multicasting Reporting on package data for Business Intelligence Why should I take this course instead of one offered by Microsoft? Learning Tree is dedicated to helping accelerate the careers of our clients by providing them with world-class technology and management training. Our independence from Microsoft (and any other vendor) allows us to give an unbiased view of what works and what does not. This course is objective in its approach, having been developed independently from Microsoft by industry experts who bring their real-world experience to the classroom. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? The SQL Server courses you take vary depending on the role you play in your organization. Please refer to the SQL Server 2005 Curriculum Q&A for details on which courses are most appropriate to your role and the order in which you should take them. You may be interested in these SQL Server 2005 and related courses: 523, SQL Server® 2005 Reporting Services: Hands-On provides experience creating reports using data stored in SQL Server and is one of the components of the Business Intelligence platform. 131, SQL Server 2005 Comprehensive Introduction: Hands-On provides a solid foundation on which to build essential SQL Server development and administrative skills. 133, SQL Server 2005 Server-Side Programming: Hands-On provides experience creating procedural code in T-SQL and .NET. 126, Hands-On Crystal Reports® offers extensive experience using Crystal Reports to connect to databases, retrieve and format data, and create reports. 502, Programming with .NET: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction provides the fundamental knowledge and hands-on experience to write applications using basic programming logic and .NET. For detailed information about these courses, please refer to the individual Q&As.

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