Many of you may now or in the future have the need to upgrade your SSIS packages to the new SQL Server 2012 SSIS.  Luckily, upgrading from SSIS 2005 or 2008 isn’t nearly as painful as you may have experienced upgrading old DTS (SQL Server 2000) packages.  If you’re considering the upgrade to 2012 here are some of the new features you have to look forward to:

• Usability fixes in the development environment (Resolve References, Undo, Zoom, etc…)
• New/Changed Tasks and Transforms (CDC Control Task, Execute Package Tasks, DQS Cleansing, etc..)
• Project Deployment Model and Integration Catalog
• New native Logging and Execution Reports

There is far more than I could list here but you can do a search for “What’s new in SSIS 2012” just as easily as I can .

The upgrade process from 2005 or 2008 to SSIS 2012 is actually very straight forward.  There are a few things to note that are not upgraded automatically through the native upgrade steps.  The following are not upgraded and may need extra attention:

• Deployment model stays as a Package Deployment unless you do another conversion tool.
• Configurations are not upgrades.  For example, a configuration file may reference an old driver that is not longer used in 2012 so you would have to manually upgrade these.
• Execute Package changes are not upgraded

To get started open your old SSIS solution in SQL Server Data Tools (new name for BIDS), which will automatically launch a conversion wizard.  This conversion wizard actually does two conversions.  The first conversion is more of a Visual Studio upgrade and the second specific to SSIS.  The screenshot below shows the start of the VS upgrade, click Next past the welcome screen.

The Visual Studio conversion will ask if you would like to back up the original files.  I generally go ahead and create a backup just incase, then click Next.

Prior to starting the SSIS Conversion tool you’ll get a warning to ensure the SSIS project is coming from a trusted source so you don’t risk a security threat.  Keep in mind the Visual Studio wizard stays open in the background.

Click Next past the welcome screen of the SSIS upgrade wizard.

Select the packages you wish to upgrade and ensure to provide any package passwords then click Next.  These passwords came from the ProtectionLevel setting of the original packages.

There are few settings you can manipulate prior the the upgrade that are pretty straight forward.  Shown below are the default settings and I will mention that even though connection string provider names are upgraded it will not upgrade them in configurations.  So if a configuration overrides a connection it will still have the old provider.  Click Next.

Review the actions that will be taken by the wizard then click Finish.

A successful conversion should look similar to the below image.  Hit Close, which will end the SSIS upgrade wizard and return you back to the final step of the Visual Studio upgrade.

You are returned to the Visual Studio upgrade where you simply need to hit Close to complete the upgrade.

Your packages will now be upgrade and should run without problem.  As mentioned before you may still want to upgrade things like the package deployment model, configurations, and execute package tasks.