What would cause SSIS to ignore Package Configuration Connections? - sql

Question

I have a very simple SSIS Package that has 2 connections defined in the Connection Manager section. An MS Access Data Source and an MS SQL Data Source Destination. All this package does is Truncate a table in the SQL Destination and Imports data from MS Access into the SQL table. This works as expected during Development within VS2013.
Now, I also have enabled Package Configurations for the package and have a couple of XML Configuration files (1 for each Connection) in a folder on the root of the C: drive. The Configuration file connections differ based on the server where they reside, but the folder structure exists on both servers so the package can execute against the server from which it is run.
I've checked the box to enable Package Configurations and deploy the package to 2 different Servers. 1 for Development and the other for QA. When I execute the package via the SSMS Integration package execution on my Development Server, the package utilizes the Development table. But when I execute the same package on my QA environment, it also utilizes the Development table.
Since the Development connection is the one that is embedded in the package via the Connection Manager, it appears (presumably anyway) that the package is using the embedded connection and ignoring the configuration files.
I have alternatively explicitly added the path to the Configuration file within the Execute Package Utility in the Configurations section to see if it made any difference but the results are the same. The configuration file is not acknowledged. So it again appears that the package is using the embedded connections that defined in the Configuration Managers.
I suppose I "may" be able to remove the Connections from the package in the Connection Managers section and turn off validations during Design time and then deploy again in effort of forcing the package to use the Config files but that doesn't seem like the way to go and a hack at best; provided that it would even work.
Not that I think it should make a difference but to provide more detail, here is a bit more concerning my Server Configuration:
Development - SQL 2014 [ServerName]
Quality Assurance - SQL 2014 [ServerName][InstanceName]
I don't recall ever having this issue before, hence my reason for posting.

Answer 1

Ok, since I am working against a dead line; I was hoping to acquire an answer sooner than later. But since that wasn't the case and because I've seen variations of this question before without a definitive answer (at least to satisfy this scenario) I performed some tests and am posting this for others who may also have need of this information.
The Following Conditions will ignore the use of Configuration Files even if Package Configurations are enabled in an SSIS Package. These findings are based on actual tests and affirmed to be true for SQL 2014 although prior versions may also be applicable.
Disclaimer: These tests focused on the Configuration Files as they pertained to actual Server Connections. (E.g. Connection Strings) and not any other variables although it’s conceivable that any other values within the Configuration file would also be affected.
Execution of the Package from within SSMS while connected to the Integrated Services Component and selecting to Run Package. The noted behavior is that whatever Connection value was acquired prior to deployment to the Server is the one that will be used; irrespective of the Configuration Files
Note: This holds true even if configurations are added in the Configurations section prior to execution. Although there is mention that the configurations are not imported and they cannot be edited; the fact is they were neither used during the testing.
If an SQL job is of type SQL Server Integration Services Package and no Configuration File references are actually added to the Configurations tab, the values the job will execute under whatever values were used during the last build within BIDS prior to deployment (Embedded Values)
If multiple configuration files are used by the package but some are omitted in the Configurations tab of the job; the job will use those Configuration Files designated but will default to the last values used in Development (Embedded Values) for those which are not present in the context of the job
Some of these behaviors are not very obvious and I'd imagine it could be a frustrating puzzle when someone expecting to follow the rules of most online tutorials for using Package Configuration files; would have the expected more straight forward results.
I know it was a time consuming task of testing to identify the root cause for me and although I'm not an expert; I'm certainly far from a novice with SSIS.
At any rate, I hope this helps someone else from hours of work and investigations.