DTS packages can become very complex, with numerous transformations and ActiveX scripts, among other hidden details that can take a considerable amount of effort to reveal in total.  These buried details are where the power of DTS lies, so documenting these details is essential.

 

In this example we will document a simple DTS which archives orders and order details.  When you first start dtsdoc, you are prompted for login credentials.

Figure 15

 

On the Packages tab is listed all DTS's on the server. Here, we can select one or more packages to document.

Figure 16

 

On the output tab, you specify the filename and XSLT to transform the XML output. The Generate button starts the generation process and in a few short moments, our DTS is documented.

Figure 17

 

The final output includes an XML file, a folder of XSLT and images, and an HTML file you open to views the transformed XML.

Figure 18

Opening the HTML file displays the package documentation. All connections are listed, excluding the password for security.

Figure 19

Tasks are detailed, including a SQL statement if there is one.

Figure 20

Every transformation for the task is listed, showing the column mappings and what the transformation is.

Figure 21

 

To summarize the package, steps are listed in order and hyperlinked to the associated task. As steps are added to a DTS over time, the order of the listing may not match the execution order.  For larger packages, it might be a good idea to change the names of the tasks so they better represent the order of execution. A DTS may have multiple simultaneous execution paths, which are difficult to represent in a list form. Dtsdoc does not store a visual representation of the package, so you may want to maintain a screenshot library of your packages, in addition to the documentation produced here.

Figure 22

Those deep down step properties we discussed earlier are also documented, and hyperlinked to other parts of the documentation file.

Figure 23