Hi, I am having a hard time grasping how to use configuration files. Here's an example: I created a simple package (one execute sql task) that simply does a "select * from xyz". Tablexyz only exists on Server 1. I then created a configuration file, the only setting being the ole db connection manager which is pointing to Server 1. I then went into the file and added the "password=zzz" since it's a sql server login. When I run the package it worked. Next, I went into the configuration file I just created and had it point to another server, Server 2, thinking this would now cause the execute sql task to fail since table xyz does not exist on Server 2. But it's still running succesfully. What's the deal here? Shouldn't changing the configuration file settings cause the package to now fail? Thanks

However, if I change my ole db connection manager to point to Server 2, it then fails. It's like it's not really using the configuration file at all. It's just picking up the ole db connection from the connection manager. So how do you get it read the connection from the configuration file? This is terrifically confusing.

Did you turn on package configurations from the control flow? Did you specify an absolute path to the config file?Any warnings show up when you ran the package indicating that it cannot find a configuration file?

Phil Brammer wrote: Did you turn on package configurations from the control flow? Did you specify an absolute path to the config file?Any warnings show up when you ran the package indicating that it cannot find a configuration file? Yes, I turned on the package configuration in the control flow by right-clicking > package configurations > enable checkbox. There is an absolute path also. No warnings.

In the configuration file, try changing the server to something that doesn't exist and see if the package fails then.You are debugging the package, right, or using dtexec to run it? In other words, you can't just right-click and select "execute task" and have it pick up configurations. I suspect you are not doing that, but just in case....As long as you have a fully qualified path to the configuration file, specified in the package configurations wizard, SSIS will pick it up, provided it has permissions to access that directory/file.How are you executing the package?

There is now an utility available in CodePlex which can be used to batch update SSIS Package Configuration File paths without using BIDS: http://ssisconfigeditor.codeplex.com/