Comparing two SSIS Packages?

I'd like to know how people out there are comparing ("diffing") their DTSX files.

Using XML file compare doesn't seem to work, because the package XML appears to be arbitrarily ordered and reordered by the designer in Visual Studio.

ApexSQL is supposedly planning to have a tool available in Q3, but even their product page does not seem too hopeful: "Compare and Document SSIS Packages (may be released with ApexSQL Doc and ApexSQL Diff in Q3)"

I remember seeing a CodePlex project that was hoping to address this and other issues, but it was in its infancy, and I can't seem to locate it today.

I'm thinking of starting to write my own package compare tool that will work with the SSIS .NET API, but this seems like it's going to be a ridiculous amount of work and an exercise in pain, and it seems unlikely that I will make the time to target anything more than the specific portions of the package model that I really need.

So if anyone out there has words of wisdom to share, I'd love to hear it. And if (dare I get my hopes up?) have a URL to share, I'll buy you a beer at TechEd in Orlando week after next.

Thanks in advance!

No words of wisdom to share, but I agree on the need for this kind of tool. We've been looking into rolling our own tools as well, but creating anything of general applicability would be a major project.|||

I don't know if there is a clever way of comparing packages. Perhaps you should open a suggestion in SQL Server connect site

http://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=68

[Microsoft follow-up]

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Thanks for the feedback, Rich and Rafael. I'll definitely post this as a suggestion in Connect, but...

Is no one out there (or more specifically, no one here on the SSIS forums) doing anything to compare or diff SSIS packages? I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to say "oh yeah, I use XXX tool, it does a great job" but I was expecting something...

To take this thread in a somewhat different direction, if I were to start a CodePlex project with the aim of developing a package diff utility based on the SSIS object model, would anyone else be interested in contributing? I'll bet I'm not the only SSIS ETL guy out there with a C# background...

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Rather than starting a new project, would you be interested in rolling this into BIDSHelper? http://www.codeplex.com/bidshelper

Sounds like the type of functionality we are interested in. Though I think having this available outside of BIDS as well would be handy.

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jwelch wrote:

Rather than starting a new project, would you be interested in rolling this into BIDSHelper? http://www.codeplex.com/bidshelper

Sounds like the type of functionality we are interested in. Though I think having this available outside of BIDS as well would be handy.

Thank you!

This was the CodePlex project I mentioned in my original post - I stumbled across it once, but could not find it again when I started this thread here.

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jwelch wrote:

Rather than starting a new project, would you be interested in rolling this into BIDSHelper? http://www.codeplex.com/bidshelper

Sounds like the type of functionality we are interested in. Though I think having this available outside of BIDS as well would be handy.

So... what are you using to compare packages, today?

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I try not to

Usually I use a text difference tool and deal with the headaches of elements being in different order.

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jwelch wrote:

I try not to

Usually I use a text difference tool and deal with the headaches of elements being in different order.

Well, it's good to know that great minds do indeed think alike.

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Can I just add my voice to the need for such a tool. I still use DTS Compare for our 2000 installations and something similar for SSIS would be of great use.