Chapter 5. SQL Server and Data Integration Tools Primer

Way back in the Permian epoch of database technologies, circa 2000 CE to 2005 CE, data integration in the Microsoft stack was accomplished through DTS and MSMQ. Like in the real Permian epoch, huge bugs roamed the landscape, ready to devour the lives of the poor database professional stuck in the La Brea tar pits of system integration support and master data management.

Those of us who look back on those days and shudder were truly grateful for the introduction of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) and SQL Server Service Broker (SSSB) with SQL Server 2005. SQL Server 2008 now supports multiple tools for data integration and master data management, including the following functionalities:

• SSIS new functionality

• SSSB

• Master Data Services

• The Sync Framework, for databases that are only occasionally connected with your networks

With SSIS, SSSB, Master Data Services, and the Sync Framework, database professionals can actually see their children...