Parent-Child Patterns - SQL Server Integration Services Design Patterns - page 389

Master Package Pattern
When setting up a framework, one of the first things you want to do is find a way to or-
ganize how your packages execute. Your organization could include parallel versus
serial processing, conditional execution, and categorical batching. And although you
could have some of this organization occur in a job scheduler such as SQL Server
Agent or Tivoli, wouldn't it be easier if you could manage your package execution in
an environment you already know?
Luckily for you, Integration Services already provides this ability! By using the
workflow designer and the Execute Package task, you can execute other packages, cre-
ating a parent-child package relationship. When you use the parent-child relationship to
execute a series of packages, you call this a master package. There are two steps you
need to complete in order to set up one child package for your master package:
1. Assign the child package.
2. Configure the parameter binding.
Assign the Child Package
Once you have created your initial package, begin by using the Execute Package task
from the SSIS Toolbox. Drag the task to the control flow, and open the task to see mul-
tiple menus that you can modify. Let's begin by configuring the Package page, as
shown in Figure 16-1 .