Data Source (SSIS)

A data source is a connection reference that you create outside a package. A data source represents a simple connection to a data store, which includes all tables and views in the data store. For more advanced features, such as the ability to select specific database objects such as tables and views or add new relationships between objects, use a data source view instead of a data source. For more information, see Data Source View (SSIS).

When you add a data source to a package by using SSIS Designer, SQL Server Integration Services adds a connection manager that can be resolved as an OLE DB connection at run time, sets the connection manager properties, and adds the connection manager to Connections collection of the package. To associate the data source and the connection manager, Integration Services sets a property, DataSourceID, on the connection manager to the name of the data source. Except for the presence of the DataSourceID property, a connection manager that is created from a data source is the same as a connection manager that is created from an OLE DB connection. For more information, see OLE DB Connection Manager.

Because a data source is not created within the context of a package, multiple packages can use the same data source. This makes it simple to synchronize the connection managers that reference the data source by updating the data source. In Integration Services, data sources are design-time objects that you use when you build packages in SSIS Designer. Data Sources are not used when you build packages programmatically.

In Business Intelligence Development Studio, data sources can be created in Analysis Services, Reporting Services, and Integration Services projects. If you create a data source in a project—Analysis Services, Reporting Services, or Integration Services—other than the one in which you want to use the data source, you can copy and paste the data source into that project. You create data sources by using the Data Source Wizard and then modify them in the Data Source Designer dialog box. For more information, see Defining Data Sources (Analysis Services)