Set the Properties of a Data Flow Component

Applies to: SQL Server SSIS Integration Runtime in Azure Data Factory

To set the properties of data flow components, which include sources, destinations, and transformations, use one of the following features:

• The component editors that Integration Services provides. These editors include only the custom properties of each data flow component.

• The Properties window lists the component-level custom properties of each element, as well as the properties common to all data flow elements.

• The Advanced Editor dialog box provides access to custom properties for each component. The Advanced Editor dialog box also provides access to the properties common to all data flow components-the properties of inputs, outputs, error outputs, columns, and external columns.

Set the properties of a data flow component with a component editor

1. In SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), open the Integration Services project that contains the package you want.

2. In Solution Explorer, double-click the package to open it.

3. Click the Control Flow tab, and then double-click the Data Flow task that contains the data flow with the component whose properties you want to view and modify.

4. Double-click the data flow component.

5. In the component editor, view or modify the property values, and then close the editor.

6. To save the updated package, on the File menu, click Save Selected Items.

Set the properties of a data flow component in the Properties window

1. In SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), open the Integration Services project that contains the package you want.

2. In Solution Explorer, double-click the package to open it.

3. Click the Control Flow tab, and then double-click the Data Flow task that contains the component whose properties you want to view and modify.

4. Right-click the data flow component, and then click Properties.

5. View or modify the property values, and then close the Properties window.

   Note

   Many properties are read-only, and cannot be modified.

6. To save the updated package, on the File menu, click Save Selected Items.

Set the properties of a data flow component with the Advanced Editor

1. In SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), open the Integration Services project that contains the package you want.

2. In Solution Explorer, double-click the package to open it.

3. Click the Control Flow tab, and then double-click the Data Flow task that contains the component you want to view or modify.

4. In the data flow designer, right-click the data flow component, and then click Show Advanced Editor.

   Note

   In SQL Server, data flow components that support multiple inputs cannot use the Advanced Editor.

5. In the Advanced Editor dialog box, do any of the following steps:

   • To view and specify the connection that the component uses, click the Connection Managers tab.

     Note

     The Connection Managers tab is available only to data flow components that use connection managers to connect to data sources such as files and databases

   • To view and modify component-level properties, click the Component Properties tab.

   • To view and modify mappings between external columns and the available output, click the Column Mappings tab.

     Note

     The Column Mappings tab is available only when viewing or editing sources or destinations.

   • To view a list of the available input columns and to update the names of output columns, click the Input Columns tab.

     Note

     The Input Columns tab is available only when working with transformations or destinations. For more information, see Integration Services Transformations.

   • To view and modify the properties of inputs, outputs, and error outputs, and the properties of the columns they contain, click the Input and Output Properties tab.

     Note

     Sources have no inputs. Destinations have no outputs, except for an optional error output.

6. View or modify the property values.

7. Click OK.

8. To save the updated package, on the File menu, click Save Selected Items.

Common properties of data flow components

The data flow objects in the Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services object model have common properties and custom properties at the component, input and output, and input column and output column levels. Many properties have read-only values that are assigned at run time by the data flow engine.

This topic lists and describes the common properties of data flow objects.

• Components

• Inputs

• Input columns

• Outputs

• Output columns

Component properties

In the Integration Services object model, a component in the data flow implements the IDTSComponentMetaData100 interface.

The following table describes the properties of the components in a data flow. Some properties have read-only values that are assigned at run time by the data flow engine.

Input properties

In the Integration Services object model, transformations and destinations have inputs. An input of a component in the data flow implements the IDTSInput100 interface.

The following table describes the properties of the inputs of components in a data flow. Some properties have read-only values that are assigned at run time by the data flow engine.

Destinations and some transformations do not support error outputs, and the ErrorRowDisposition and TruncationRowDisposition properties of these components are read-only.

Input column properties

In the Integration Services object model, an input contains a collection of input columns. An input column of a component in the data flow implements the IDTSInputColumn100 interface.

The following table describes the properties of the input columns of components in a data flow. Some properties have read-only values that are assigned at run time by the data flow engine.

Input columns also have the data type properties described under "Data Type Properties."

Output properties

In the Integration Services object model, sources and transformations have outputs. An output of a component in the data flow implements the IDTSOutput100 interface.

The following table describes the properties of the outputs of components in a data flow. Some properties have read-only values that are assigned at run time by the data flow engine.

Output column properties

In the Integration Services object model, an output contains a collection of output columns. An output column of a component in the data flow implements the IDTSOutputColumn100 interface.

The following table describes the properties of the output columns of components in a data flow. Some properties have read-only values that are assigned at run time by the data flow engine.

Output columns also include a set of data type properties.

External metadata column properties

In the Integration Services object model, inputs and outputs can contain a collection of external metadata columns. An external metadata column of a component in the data flow implements the IDTSExternalMetadataColumn100 interface.

The following table describes the properties of the external metadata columns of components in a data flow. Some properties have read-only values that are assigned at run time by the data flow engine.

External metadata columns also include a set of data type properties.

Data type properties

Output columns and external metadata columns include a set of data type properties. Depending on the data type of the column, properties can be read/write or read-only.

The following table describes the data type properties of output columns and external metadata columns.

Custom properties of data flow components

For information about custom properties, see the following topics

• ADO NET Custom Properties

• CDC Control Task Custom Properties

• CDC Source Custom Properties

• Data Mining Model Training Destination Custom Properties

• DataReader Destination Custom Properties

• Dimension Processing Destination Custom Properies

• Excel Custom Properties

• Flat File Custom Properties

• ODBC Destination Custom Properties

• ODBC Source Custom Properties

• OLE DB Custom Properties OLE DB Custom Properties

• Partition Processing Destination Custom Properties

• Raw File Custom Properties

• Recordset Destination Custom Properties

• SQL Server Compact Edition Destination Custom Properties

• SQL Server Destination Custom Properties

• Transformation Custom Properties

• XML Source Custom Properties

Use an expression in a data flow component

This procedure describes how to add an expression to the Conditional Split transformation or to the Derived Column transformation. The Conditional Split transformation uses expressions to define the conditions that direct data rows to a transformation output, and the Derived Column transformation uses expressions to define values assigned to columns.

To implement an expression in a transformation, the package must already include at least one Data Flow task and a source.

1. In SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), open the Integration Services project that contains the package you want.

2. In Solution Explorer, double-click the package to open it.

3. In SSIS Designer, click the Control Flow tab, and then click the Data Flow task that contains the data flow in which you want to implement an expression.

4. Click the Data Flow tab, and drag either a Conditional Split or Derived Column transformation from the Toolbox to the design surface.

5. Drag the green connector from the source or a transformation to the Conditional Split or Derived Column transformation.

6. Double-click the transformation to open its dialog box.

7. In the left pane, expand Variables to display system and user-defined variables, and expand Columns to display the transformation input columns.

8. In the right pane, expand Mathematical Functions, String Functions, Date/Time Functions, NULL Functions, Type Casts, and Operators to access the functions, the casts, and the operators that the expression grammar provides.

9. Depending on the transformation, do one of the following to build an expression:

   • In the Conditional Split Transformation Editor dialog box, drag variables, columns, functions, operators, and casts to the Condition column. Alternatively, you can type an expression directly in the Condition column.

   • In the Derived Column Transformation Editor dialog box, drag variables, columns, functions, operators, and casts to the Expression column. Alternatively, you can type an expression directly in the Expression column.

     Note

     When you remove the focus from the Condition column or the Expression column, the expression text might be highlighted to indicate that the expression syntax is incorrect.

10. Click OK to exit the dialog box.

    Note

    If the expression is not valid, an alert appears describing the syntax errors in the expression.

Data flow properties that you can set with an expression

The values of certain properties of data flow objects can be specified by using property expressions available on the Data Flow task container.

For information about using property expressions, see Use Property Expressions in Packages.

You can use property expressions to customize configurations for each deployed instance of a package. You can also use property expressions to specify run-time constraints for a package by using the /set option with the dtexec command prompt utility. For example, you can constrain the MaximumThreads used by the Sort transformation, or the MaxMemoryUsage of the Fuzzy Grouping and Fuzzy Lookup transformations. If unconstrained, these transformations may cache large amounts of data in memory.

To specify a property expression for one of the properties of data flow objects listed in this topic, display the Properties window for the Data Flow task by selecting the Data Flow task on the Control Flow surface of the designer, or by selecting the Data Flow tab of the designer without selecting any individual component or path. Select the Expressions property and click the ellipsis (...) to display the Property Expressions Editor dialog box. Drop down the Property list to select a property, then type an expression in the Expression text box, or click the ellipsis (...) to display the Expression Builder dialog box.

The Property list displays available properties for only those data flow objects that you have already placed on the Data Flow surface of the designer. Therefore, you cannot use the Property list to view all the possible properties of data flow objects that support property expressions. For example, if you have placed an ADO NET source on the designer surface, the Property list contains an entry for the [ADO NET Source].[SqlCommand] property. The list also displays many properties of the Data Flow task itself.

The values of the properties in the following list can be specified by using property expressions.

Data flow sources

Data flow transformations

For more information about these custom properties, see Transformation Custom Properties.

Data flow destinations