Best Method to SFTP or FTPS Files via SSIS
- by Registered User
What is the best method using SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) to upload a file to either a remote SFTP (secure FTP with SSH2 protocal) or FTPS (FTP over SSL) site? I've used the following methods, but each has short-comings I would like to avoid:
COZYROC LIBRARY
Method: Install the CozyRoc library on each development and production server and use the SFTP task to upload the files.
Pros: Easy to use. It looks, smells, and feels like a normal SSIS task. SSIS also recognizes the password as sensitive information and allows you all the normal options for protecting the sensitive information instead of just storing it in clear text in a non-secure manner. Works well with other SSIS tasks such as ForEach Loop Containers. Errors out when uploads and downloads fail. Works well when you don't know the names of the files on the remote FTP site to download or when you won't know the name of the file to upload until run-time.
Cons: Costs money to license in a production environment. Makes you dependent upon the vendor to update their libraries between each version. Although they already have a 2008 version, this caused me a problem during the CTP's of 2008. Requires installing the libraries on each development and production machine.
COMMAND LINE SFTP PROGRAM
Method: Install a free command-line SFTP application such as Putty and execute it either by running a batch file or operating system process task.
Pros: Free, free, and free. You can be sure it is secure if you are using Putty since numerous GUI FTP clients appear to use Putty under the covers. You DEFINATELY know you are using SSH2 and not SSH.
Cons: The two command-line utilities I tried (Putty and Cygwin) required storing the SFTP password in a non-secure location. I haven't found a good way to capture failures or errors when uploading files. The process doesn't look and smell like SSIS. Most of the code is encapsulated in text files instead of SSIS itself. Difficult to use if you don't know the exact name of the file you are uploading or downloading.
A 3RD PARTY C# or VB.NET LIBRARY
Method: Install a SFTP or FTPS library and use a Script Task that references the library to upload the files. (I've never tried this, so I'm going to guess at the pros and cons)
Pros: Probably easy to capture errors. Should work well with variables, so it would probably be easy to use even when you don't know the exact name of the file you are uploading or downloading.
Cons: It's a script task combined with .NET libraries. If you are using SSIS, then you probably are more comfortable with SSIS tasks then .NET code. Script tasks are also difficult to troubleshoot since they don't have the same debugging tools and features as regular .NET projects. Creates a dependency on 3rd party code that may not work between different versions of SQL Server. To be fair, it is probably MORE likely to work between different versions of SQL Server than a 3rd party SSIS task library. Another huge con -- I haven't found a free C# or VB.NET library that does this as of yet. So if anyone knows of one, then please let me know!
