Expert SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services

10.3. Other Data Sources

Each data source will have its own intricacies based on how much effort the provider themselves invested in making it efficient. With data sources such as DB2, you have many options, just like in Oracle. Many customers have legacy data sources that lack OLE DB providers to assist you. In these cases, you can use ODBC and the Script source to read data, or the Script destination to write data into the database. This section covers a few other common data sources that we have found in the field, and some interesting alternatives you may not have known about. You may be interested in a fantastic site by the connectivity team that may help you connect to a data source that's not listed in this section: http://ssis.wik.is.

10.3.1. DB2

If you are a consumer of DB2, there are several options you have. One of the easiest options you have is to use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2. This can be downloaded for free as part of the SQL Server 2005 Feature Pack if you have an Enterprise Edition license of SQL Server. To find the Feature Pack, search for "SQL Server 2005 Feature Pack" in your favorite search engine. You can also use drivers such as DB2 Connect from IBM and StarSQL (by StarQuest). Each of these providers has its own benefits and problems.

With any of these providers, it's best to use the OLE DB source in the data flow instead of the Datareader (which is actually Ado.Net) source. The Microsoft Provider has an incredibly fast provider option that ...