More Changes for the Dimension Merge SCD?

A while back, I ran a contest to find a new name for the SCD component hosted on CodePlex.  The results were the best "lemons into lemonade" situation I could have expected.  Now I've got some other news I can share that should extend the reach and capabilities of every Data Warehouse ETL developer that uses Integration Services. 
This Time, No Lemons... Porkbellies Instead

One of the problems I'd always had with offering a component on CodePlex was that it meant some enthusiastic would-be users couldn't end up using it in their production environments.  The reasons they were unable to use the component weren't technical, they were business-related:

• Open-source project software was avoided due to (valid) longevity concerns.
• In-house development capabilities weren't sufficient to provide support, should a problem occur.
• "Untrusted" vendor code wasn't permitted on production servers.

The "easy" solution?  Offer support for the component myself, building up that trust level and support network.  But I've got a very nice day job, thank you, and not nearly enough free time - not "easy" for me, I'm afraid.  The bottom line is that offering support myself doesn't make sense for me, or a good business proposition for those potential users.  I just don't have the economies of scale to work with, or the track record.
So if I can't do it, who can turn those porkbellies into tasty bacon?
Heat Up the Frying Pan
One of the component's ardent enthusiasts for a few years now has been Joe Salvatore.  He's helped with testing and has provided feedback on improvements for several releases.  Just recently, he started with a new consulting company, and apparently the guy is pretty vocal.  ;)  I don't know the whole story, but I can imagine Joe did a demonstration or two, some quick talking, and twisted someone's arm.  Questionable karaoke footage could have factored into the equation as well.
So who's attention did Joe attract that could smoke and cure a little raw porkbelly into something you can actually sink your teeth into?  Brian Knight and his crew at Pragmatic Works, that's who.  This is the Brian Knight that's written quite a few books, has a successful consulting company, has contributed voluminous amounts of time to the community by serving on the PASS board, co-founding SQL Saturdays and SQLServerCentral.com.  You know Brian's all about the bacon for the SQL community.
Soft or Crispy?

If you're looking for a dimension table loading experience in Integration Services that's fast, flexible, and maintainable, you can't look to in-the-box Microsoft tools today.  They're continuing to stand pat with what they have in that department - arguably a very servicable tool in the SCD Wizard.  But if that's not good enough for you, and you're not keen on re-inventing the wheel, you now have very viable choices.  How do you like your 3rd party components?  Open-source or commercial?  Community forums or paid support?  This partnership gets you what you need, the way you want it.
Pragmatic Works is working on improving the component in ways that work for them and their customers; they'll be including it in their Task Factory set of tools.  That's a great option for the more "conservative" organizations out there.  But if that's not you, you're not left out in the cold.  The free-to-use open-source project on CodePlex is independent, and will continue on its own - that's the beauty of open source and business working together.  Brian knows there's a real gap in the Dimension Merge SCD story today - the lack of vendor support.  Even if he didn't change a stitch of code, providing that support adds value for his customers that they're willing to pay for.  There's no need for any kind of exclusivity in this arrangement - the value is self-evident.
Order Up!
I'd like to give a hearty thanks to Brian Knight and everyone that works with him.  I'll be helping them out as much as I can to explain the spaghetti code they're trying to understand, but I'm confident they'll be providing a Dimension Merge SCD that works even better and easier than what I've made so far - and they'll stand behind it.  Brian didn't have to even talk to me to get this done - he could have freely downloaded the code and used it as he wished.  But he's a community-minded guy.  He reached out to me for my support and I really appreciate it.  Thanks, Brian!

Say Hi to the Dimension Merge SCD Component

Last week was a great week all around.  It started with Canada's first SQL Saturday in Vancouver - packed with over 300 attendees watching five tracks of local speakers and MVP designated imports.  I had the privilege of hosting one of those rooms and watching Donabel Santos (blog|twitter) elucidate on SSRS, John Welch (blog|twitter) go 2-for-2 on exposing SSIS internals, and Bill Pearson (blog) delivering an introduction to MDX in his fine southern accent.  I suggest you download their code and slides from the SQL Saturday session list, or their blogs.  I've just uploaded my slide deck and demo package for the talk I did on Data Warehouse ETL with SSIS - thanks again for all those that attended that last session of the day!
MVP Summit 2011
Of course, SQL Saturday #65 was scheduled on February 26th very deliberately - in order to benefit from proximity to the Microsoft MVP Summit being held the following week in Bellevue/Redmond.  A fantastic experience (again), and definitely one I hope to repeat many more times.  Not only was it an amazing opportunity to connect with the development crew of SQL Server Integration Services directly - it's also a spectacular opportunity to interact with the best of the best, the other MVPs.  After last week, I have a list as long as my arm of things to investigate - it's almost depressing to have a real job!
The Contest Results
But the real action last week was, of course - my contest to find a new name for the better-than-decent Slowly Changing Dimension component I've been hosting on CodePlex for the last few years.  I was absolutely blown away by the response - you could see the comments on the original post, but there was also quite a few submissions via twitter and email.  A huge thank-you has to go out to Steve Jones and the SQLServerCentral crew that highlighted the contest on their weekly newsletter to their million-plus membership.  There was a massive response from that exposure - nothing like I could have ever expected.
Down to brass tacks!  The title of this post told you the new name of the component: the "Dimension Merge SCD" - so congratulations go out to Merrill Aldritch (blog), a fellow SQL blogger.  There were some other names that I was really attracted to - it wasn't an easy call!  In the end, Merrill's was the most descriptive and fit in with what I was looking for.  So congratulations to Merrill - I'll be sending off a Windows 7 Pro to him, even though I promised an Ultimate.  Purchasing limits and prior commitments conspired against me on that - so I've also included a little something extra to make up for it.
More To Come
Obviously, there's more in store for the Dimension Merge SCD - I have to release v1.6 into the wild, and those of you with a finger on the pulse of the community may have an inside track on another bit of news I'll be shouting from the rooftops in short order.  Stay tuned...