By: Ray Barley
Overview
BIDS is the tool that we use to develop SSIS packages. It provides an intuitive interface based on Microsoft's Visual Studio product which has been used by developers for many years. This is a departure from DTS which used SQL Server Enterprise Manager as the tool to design packages. While there are some differences, you will probably find that BIDS is much easier to use, although there may be a little bit of a learning curve. This section will provide an introduction to BIDS and a review of an existing SSIS package.
BIDS is included with SQL Server. It is installed when you select client tools during the SQL Server installation. After you install BIDS, you can launch if from the Microsoft SQL Server program group.
