Answer:
1. Demonstrate or whiteboard how you would suggest using configuration files in packages. Would you consider it a best practice to create a configuration file for each connection manager or one for the entire package?
There should be a single configuration file for each connection manager in your packages that stores their connection string information. So if you have 6 connection managers then you have 6 config files. You can use the same config file across all your packages that use the same connections.
If you have a single config file that stores all your connection managers then all your packages must have contain the connection managers that are stored in that config file. This means you may have to put connection managers in your package that you don’t even need.
2. Demonstrate or whiteboard how checkpoints work in a package.
When checkpoints are enabled on a package if the package fails it will save the point at which the package fails. This way you can correct the problem then rerun from the point that it failed instead of rerunning the entire package. The obvious benefit to this is if you load a million record file just before the package fails you don’t have to load it again.
3. Demonstrate or whiteboard using a loop in a package so each file in a directory with the .txt extension is loaded into a table. Before demonstrating this tell which task/container accomplishes this and which enumerator will be used. (Big hint on which task/container to use is that it requires and enumerator)
This would require a Foreach Loop using the Foreach File Enumerator. Inside the Foreach Loop Editor you need to set a variable to store the directory of the files that will be looped through. Next select the connection manager used to load the files and add an expression to the connection string property that uses the variable created in the Foreach Loop.
4. Demonstrate or whiteboard how transactions work in a package.
If transactions are enabled on your package and tasks then when the package fails it will rollback everything that occurred during the package. First make sure MSDTC (Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator) is enabled in the Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Component Services. Transactions must be enabled not only on the package level but also on each task you want included as part of the transaction. To have the entire package in a transaction set TransactionOption at the package level to Required and each task to Supported.
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