| Feature Category | Specific Enhancements in SSIS 2012 | | :--- | :--- | | | - Transition from BIDS to SSDT with VS 2010 for a modernized UI, zoom controls, and improved usability. - New Undo/Redo functionality in the control and data flow designers. - A dedicated SSIS Toolbox , separate from the Visual Studio toolbox, for easier component access. | | Project & Deployment Model | - Introduction of the project deployment model and SSIS Server , centralizing package management, execution, and monitoring. - Project-level parameters to pass runtime values, simplifying configuration across multiple packages. | | Data Flow & Tasks | - Native ODBC source and destination components. - A new Expression Task to dynamically assign values to variables, reducing the need for Script Tasks. - Enhanced Change Data Capture (CDC) tasks for incremental data loads. | | Operational & Debugging | - Data Taps to programmatically inspect data flowing through the pipeline during execution for real-time debugging. - The SSIS Server catalog ( SSISDB ) provides built-in reports for execution history and performance trends. |

So, what makes SSIS 212 better than its predecessors? Here are some of the key features that set it apart: