Getting Syntax Help for DTSRun

By Darren Green

If you are having problems with the syntax for the dtsrun command line, or just want an easy way of generating a valid command line first time, try using the dtsrunui utility. As the name indicates it is very similar to dtsrun, but with a user interface. This allows you to easily select your package, including settings for global variables and logging, then use the generate function to create a valid dtsrun command line.

There is no shortcut provided for dtsrunui, so just type dtsrunui in the Windows Run dialog or from a command prompt. Select the storage location and then select your package as shown below.

Click Advanced to set options such as global variables and logging, and access the Generate function.

The example shown has two global variables which are being set, which result in two instances of the /A parameter included in the generated command line. The command will also contain either the version GUID or package GUID, depending on if you selected a specific version or the package only. Since the command line also contains the name, and only one of the three is required, and since most people think in names not GUIDs it is usual to remove the GUID and just leave the name. This ensures that if you change the package or replace it, in a way such that the specified GUID changes, you do not have to update the command line string.

For example, the example command line is:

DTSRun /S "(local)" /N "MyPackage" 
  /V "{92A57960-D9E1-40F4-9919-5773E9E35F12}" 
  /A "MyStringVar":"8"="String Value" 
  /A "MyIntegerVar":"3"="1" /W "0" /E

For flexibility this can be shortened to:

DTSRun /S "(local)" /N "MyPackage" 
  /A "MyStringVar":"8"="String Value" 
  /A "MyIntegerVar":"3"="1" /W "0" /E

dtsrunui also supports creating encrypted command lines, as is the default when using the Schedule Package function within Enterprise Manager. These no longer provide protection as there is at least one public tool that allows the decryption of the cipher text. There is some risk mitigation in the restriction that only members of the sysadmin role or job owners can see the details of a given job.