August 11, 2002 at 10:20 pm
We have a new project where we want to extract data from a SQL database, massage it into a new format, and download it, via the Web, into a client system. The client can start this process at any time via a menu option. We want to pass a flag between the client and server to indicate if a record was successfully downloaded. Finally, the client also needs the ability to update the SQL server, via the web, when the client receives new user input.
I’m considering using DTS for part of this project but I wonder if it’s flexible enough. DTS error handling, out of the box, is laughable and while it can be started using dtsrun this hardly seems to be a "polished" approach. DTS is not an easy “component” to just slip into any process. DTS seems best guided by the skilled hand of a DBA. Do you agree with me or am I selling DTS short?
TIA,
Bill
P.S. I suspect that BizTalk — more complicated, more money, more rich – may be a better fit for this application than DTS.
August 12, 2002 at 7:17 am
Havent used BizTalk. Looks interesting, but its a v1 product:-) DTS is...interesting. Im not an advanced DTS user myself, typically I'll build a package using the designer and then if I need more than what I have (or just dont know how to do it in DTS) I'll save it out as VB code and just add it to a mini app. Much easier to work with their, you can add to VSS, etc.
Andy
August 15, 2002 at 2:51 pm
Bill,
I disagree with your statement that "DTS is best guided by the skilled hand of a DBA". DTS is for developers. There isn't much, if anything, that can be done with a DTS package that a skilled DBA couldn't do using T-SQL.
When called from within a VB application, the error handling is quite sophisticated. When a step fails, your application can call GetExecutionErrorInfo to get the source, code, and description of the error and decide what to do next. After evaluating the error your application can decide to repeat the step, go to a different step or quit the package.
From what I can see, the only part of your project where a DTS package would be used is the "extract data from a SQL database, massage it into a new format". You can certainly do that with or without DTS. It's up to you.
John
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