Using SSIS with Script Task for API Data Pulls

By Tom Nonmacher

In today's data-driven world, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) have become an essential tool for retrieving remote data. Developers often need to integrate these data sources with SQL databases, and this is where SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) comes in. SSIS, a development tool and data integration service for Microsoft SQL Server, allows developers to extract, transform, and load data into databases such as SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2017, MySQL 5.7, DB2 11.1, and Azure SQL. One of the most powerful features in SSIS is the Script Task, which can be used to call APIs and pull data.

The Script Task in SSIS provides flexibility to perform functions that are beyond the capabilities of the built-in tasks in SSIS. It allows developers to write code in either C# or VB.NET to perform functions that might be impossible or cumbersome using only the built-in tasks and transformations. For instance, if you need to pull data from an API into your SQL Server instance, you would use a Script Task.

To start with, create a new SSIS package in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). Drag a Script Task into the Control Flow. In the Script Task Editor, you can select the language you prefer (C# or VB.NET). Now, you can write your data retrieval code in the Script section. The code to call an API and retrieve data will vary depending on the API and the data format (usually JSON or XML).

Once you've retrieved your data, you'll likely need to parse it into a format that can be loaded into the database. SSIS provides the Data Flow Task, which allows you to transform the data as it's being loaded. You can use built-in transformations to parse and convert the data, or you can use a Script Component within the Data Flow Task to write custom parsing code.

Finally, to load the parsed data into the database, use a destination component that corresponds to your database type. For instance, if you're loading data into SQL Server 2016 or 2017, use an OLE DB Destination. If you're loading data into MySQL 5.7 or DB2 11.1, use the ADO.NET Destination with the appropriate provider. If you're loading data into Azure SQL, use the Azure SQL Destination.

Here's an example of how you might insert data into a SQL Server 2017 table using T-SQL:

INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerID, CustomerName)
VALUES ('CUST01', 'Customer 1');
-- Add 
 after each line to simulate line breaks

And here's an example of how you might insert data into a MySQL 5.7 table:

INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerID, CustomerName)
VALUES ('CUST01', 'Customer 1');
-- Add 
 after each line to simulate line breaks

And finally, here's an example of how you might insert data into a DB2 11.1 table:

INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerID, CustomerName)
VALUES ('CUST01', 'Customer 1');
-- Add 
 after each line to simulate line breaks

In conclusion, by leveraging the power of SSIS and the flexibility of the Script Task, developers can effectively pull data from APIs into their SQL databases. This opens up endless possibilities for integrating external data sources and leveraging them for business intelligence, reporting, and more.

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