SSIS tutorial: Difference between the Control Flow and the Data Flow

Introduction

In SSIS, Control Flow and Data Flow define the backbone of an ETL package.

Understanding their differences is key to building efficient workflows.

Here’s a quick overview of both concepts using ZappySys SSIS PowerPack components.

Comparison

Control Flow

• Manages the overall orchestration of the package.
• Runs tasks like API calls, SQL commands, and loops.
• Think of it as the “manager” that decides what happens and when.

Data Flow

• Focuses on data movement and transformation.
• Works row by row, extracting, transforming, and loading records.
• It’s the “worker” that processes the actual data.

Summary

• Use Control Flow for orchestration and logic.
• Use Data Flow for record-level processing.
• Combine both for powerful, modular ETL designs.

👉 Read the full tutorial with examples and screenshots here:

SSIS tutorial: Difference between the Control Flow and the Data Flow