By: Jeremy Kadlec | Updated: 2008-07-09 | Comments (1) | Related: More > Professional Development Interview Questions BI
Problem
Over the years at MSSQLTips.com the tips focusing on interview questions have been popular with the community. From our first tip on SQL Server Concurrency and Locking Interview Questions to our most recent on SQL Server Backup and Recovery Interview Questions. Our Integration Services tips have also been very popular and a big help to those developers\DBAs making the transition from DTS. Let's bring the two topics together in today's tip and test your knowledge of SQL Server Integration Services with interview style questions. Good luck!
Solution
Question Difficulty = Easy
- Question 1 - True or False - Using a checkpoint file in SSIS is just like issuing the CHECKPOINT command against the relational engine. It commits all of the data to the database.
- False. SSIS provides a Checkpoint capability which allows a package to restart at the point of failure.
- Additional information: Checkpoints in SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Packages to restart from the point of failure
- Question 2 - Can you explain the what the Import\Export tool does and the basic steps in the wizard?
- The Import\Export tool is accessible via BIDS or executing the dtswizard command.
- The tool identifies a data source and a destination to move data either within 1 database, between instances or even from a database to a file (or vice versa).
- Additional information:
- Question 3 - What are the command line tools to execute SQL Server Integration Services packages?
- DTSEXECUI - When this command line tool is run a user interface is loaded in order to configure each of the applicable parameters to execute an SSIS package.
- DTEXEC - This is a pure command line tool where all of the needed switches must be passed into the command for successful execution of the SSIS package.
- Additional information:
- Question 4 - Can you explain the SQL Server Integration Services functionality in Management Studio?
- You have the ability to do the following:
- Login to the SQL Server Integration Services instance
- View the SSIS log
- View the packages that are currently running on that instance
- Browse the packages stored in MSDB or the file system
- Import or export packages
- Delete packages
- Run packages
- You have the ability to do the following:
- Question 5 - Can you name some of the core SSIS components in the Business Intelligence Development Studio you work with on a regular basis when building an SSIS package?
- Connection Managers
- Control Flow
- Data Flow
- Event Handlers
- Variables window
- Toolbox window
- Output window
- Logging
- Package Configurations
Question Difficulty = Moderate
- Question 1 - True or False: SSIS has a default means to log all records updated, deleted or inserted on a per table basis.
- False, but a custom solution can be built to meet these needs.
- Additional information: Custom Logging in SQL Server Integration Services Packages (SSIS)
- Question 2 - What is a breakpoint in SSIS? How is it setup? How do you disable it?
- A breakpoint is a stopping point in the code. The breakpoint can give the Developer\DBA an opportunity to review the status of the data, variables and the overall status of the SSIS package.
- 10 unique conditions exist for each breakpoint.
- Breakpoints are setup in BIDS. In BIDS, navigate to the control flow interface. Right click on the object where you want to set the breakpoint and select the 'Edit Breakpoints...' option.
- Additional information:
- Question 3 - Can you name 5 or more of the native SSIS connection managers?
- OLEDB connection - Used to connect to any data source requiring an OLEDB connection (i.e., SQL Server 2000)
- Flat file connection - Used to make a connection to a single file in the File System. Required for reading information from a File System flat file
- ADO.Net connection - Uses the .Net Provider to make a connection to SQL Server 2005 or other connection exposed through managed code (like C#) in a custom task
- Analysis Services connection - Used to make a connection to an Analysis Services database or project. Required for the Analysis Services DDL Task and Analysis Services Processing Task
- File connection - Used to reference a file or folder. The options are to either use or create a file or folder
- Excel
- FTP
- HTTP
- MSMQ
- SMO
- SMTP
- SQLMobile
- WMI
- Additional information:
- Question 4 - How do you eliminate quotes from being uploaded from a flat file to SQL Server?
- In the SSIS package on the Flat File Connection Manager Editor, enter quotes into the Text qualifier field then preview the data to ensure the quotes are not included.
- Additional information: How to strip out double quotes from an import file in SQL Server Integration Services
- Question 5 - Can you name 5 or more of the main SSIS tool box widgets and their functionality?
- For Loop Container
- Foreach Loop Container
- Sequence Container
- ActiveX Script Task
- Analysis Services Execute DDL Task
- Analysis Services Processing Task
- Bulk Insert Task
- Data Flow Task
- Data Mining Query Task
- Execute DTS 2000 Package Task
- Execute Package Task
- Execute Process Task
- Execute SQL Task
- etc.
Question Difficulty = Difficult
- Question 1 - Can you explain one approach to deploy an SSIS package?
- One option is to build a deployment manifest file in BIDS, then copy the directory to the applicable SQL Server then work through the steps of the package installation wizard
- A second option is using the dtutil utility to copy, paste, rename, delete an SSIS Package
- A third option is to login to SQL Server Integration Services via SQL Server Management Studio then navigate to the 'Stored Packages' folder then right click on the one of the children folders or an SSIS package to access the 'Import Packages...' or 'Export Packages...'option.
- A fourth option in BIDS is to navigate to File | Save Copy of Package and complete the interface.
- Additional information:
- Question 2 - Can you explain how to setup a checkpoint file in SSIS?
- The following items need to be configured on the properties tab for SSIS package:
- CheckpointFileName - Specify the full path to the Checkpoint file that the package uses to save the value of package variables and log completed tasks. Rather than using a hard-coded path as shown above, it's a good idea to use an expression that concatenates a path defined in a package variable and the package name.
- CheckpointUsage - Determines if/how checkpoints are used. Choose from these options: Never (default), IfExists, or Always. Never indicates that you are not using Checkpoints. IfExists is the typical setting and implements the restart at the point of failure behavior. If a Checkpoint file is found it is used to restore package variable values and restart at the point of failure. If a Checkpoint file is not found the package starts execution with the first task. The Always choice raises an error if the Checkpoint file does not exist.
- SaveCheckpoints - Choose from these options: True or False (default). You must select True to implement the Checkpoint behavior.
- Additional information: Checkpoints in SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Packages to restart from the point of failure
- The following items need to be configured on the properties tab for SSIS package:
- Question 3 - Can you explain different options for dynamic configurations in SSIS?
- Use an XML file
- Use custom variables
- Use a database per environment with the variables
- Use a centralized database with all variables
- Additional information: Using XML Package Configuration with SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Packages
- Question 4 - How do you upgrade an SSIS Package?
- Depending on the complexity of the package, one or two techniques are typically used:
- Recode the package based on the functionality in SQL Server DTS
- Use the Migrate DTS 2000 Package wizard in BIDS then recode any portion of the package that is not accurate
- Additional information:
- Depending on the complexity of the package, one or two techniques are typically used:
- Question 5 - Can you name five of the Perfmon counters for SSIS and the value they provide?
- SQLServer:SSIS Service
- SSIS Package Instances - Total number of simultaneous SSIS Packages running
- SQLServer:SSIS Pipeline
- BLOB bytes read - Total bytes read from binary large objects during the monitoring period.
- BLOB bytes written - Total bytes written to binary large objects during the monitoring period.
- BLOB files in use - Number of binary large objects files used during the data flow task during the monitoring period.
- Buffer memory - The amount of physical or virtual memory used by the data flow task during the monitoring period.
- Buffers in use - The number of buffers in use during the data flow task during the monitoring period.
- Buffers spooled - The number of buffers written to disk during the data flow task during the monitoring period.
- Flat buffer memory - The total number of blocks of memory in use by the data flow task during the monitoring period.
- Flat buffers in use - The number of blocks of memory in use by the data flow task at a point in time.
- Private buffer memory - The total amount of physical or virtual memory used by data transformation tasks in the data flow engine during the monitoring period.
- Private buffers in use - The number of blocks of memory in use by the transformations in the data flow task at a point in time.
- Rows read - Total number of input rows in use by the data flow task at a point in time.
- Rows written - Total number of output rows in use by the data flow task at a point in time.
- Additional information: Perfmon Counters for the Data Flow Engine in SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
- SQLServer:SSIS Service
Next Steps
- If you are interested in more SQL Server Integration Services tips, check out the SQL Server Integration Services category. When this tip was published we had over 20 tips in the category. So if you are interested in upgrading your SSIS Packages or how to handle fact data in your data warehouse or even the Merge Join component, check out those tips.
- The same is true with interview questions. We have over 10 tip the category. Here are some of the tips:
About the author
Jeremy Kadlec is a Co-Founder, Editor and Author at MSSQLTips.com with more than 300 contributions. He is also the CTO @ Edgewood Solutions and a six-time SQL Server MVP. Jeremy brings 20+ years of SQL Server DBA and Developer experience to the community after earning a bachelor's degree from SSU and master's from UMBC.This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.
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Article Last Updated: 2008-07-09
