Is basic file reformatting a valid use case for SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)?

Question

Is using SSIS to do reformatting of flat files from one format to another (not using a database; just flat file connections) a common practice, or is it like using a sledgehammer to drive a nail?

The reason I ask is that at the company I currently work for we have production personnel (some not too tech-savvy) using an in-house programming language to write custom programs to do file reformatting/data transformation. My thought after breifly looking at and playing with BIDS and SSIS is that building a package with the GUI would seem to provide a substantial productivity boost over them having to write custom reformatting logic. I'm just wondering if this is a common usage scenerio?

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The reformatting/data transformation performed can range from the basic cleanup (justification/casing adjustment/filling) to complex stuff where pieces of data may be handed off, processed in various ways, and returned.

There definitely will be automation involved in some cases (as that is one of the reasons I started looking into this in the first place). I already discussed this with one of our network guys and we do have these tools and licenses available to use, so the cost is not an issue.

Answer 1

I think that this really depends. Certainly having used SSIS a lot I have found it to be a very flexible tool, suited nicely to the purposes that you describe above (although a little more detail on the file reformatting/data transformation might be useful).

I would be interested to know if SSIS is a tool that you already have available to you, or if you would be purchasing it especially for this task. If the tools are there already for everyone to use then I am of the opinion that it perfectly suitable. The licence costs for developer editions are very reasonable, and I don't have much of a problem with the fact that you won't be utilising any of the database aspects of this (if I have understood you correctly).

I would also be interested to know if there is some sort of automation planned for what you are doing. i.e. some place where processes would be run that could be deemed a 'LIVE' environment. If so, then you may find costs associated with the provision of a SQL Server - Server Licence. A licence of this sort that is able to run SSIS packages isn't a small amount of money, although I'm not the most knowledgeable about this, so this question is maybe best deferred to a more appropriate forum (e.g. ServerFault).

You mentioned that the organisation have an in-house programming language. This may be inefficient, however I'm guessing that this fits in with some sort of existing framework/environment for change control, shipping, etc. If you are introducing SSIS, then you will find that you may have to integrate this into existing processes. I'm not saying that a show-stopper, but all part of considerations that you may have to make.