The Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS for short) is normally used to develop Microsoft BI software. There is room for improvement everywhere, and in this case BIDS Helper brings them.
BIDS Helper is a Visual Studio add-in that adds a number of extra features and options to Visual Studio, which can make the life of a BI developer a lot easier. Most of the additions are in the Analysis Services and Integration Services projects, and they range from nice to extremely useful. Many of these additions are things that make you wonder why Microsoft did not build them in themselves…
A few examples that I found very useful myself:
- Sorting Integration Services packages by name within a project
- Moving/copying variables within packages to another Scope
- In Analysis Services, the option to show your attribute relations graphically
- A Smart-Diff option to find differences between 2 packages or cubes
And there are many more additions that can make your life in Visual Studio a lot easier.
The add-in comes from an open source project that is hosted on Codeplex (run by Microsoft), so it is completely free to use. It is available in both a 2005 and a 2008 version, each meant for the matching Visual Studio version, so make sure you pick the right one 😉
Download it, install it and try it yourself!
Frequently asked questions
What is BIDS Helper?
A Visual Studio add-in with extra features for BI developers. Most of them are in the Analysis Services and Integration Services projects.
Is BIDS Helper free?
Yes. The add-in comes from an open source project that was hosted on Codeplex. You can use it completely free.
Which features does BIDS Helper have for Integration Services?
You can sort SSIS packages by name within a project. You can move or copy variables to another scope. A Smart-Diff shows the differences between two packages.
Can I show attribute relations graphically in Analysis Services?
Yes, with BIDS Helper. The add-in shows attribute relations graphically. With the Smart-Diff option you can also find differences between two cubes.
Which version of BIDS Helper do I need?
There is a 2005 and a 2008 version, each for the matching Visual Studio version. Pick the version that fits your Visual Studio.
Comments
Related blogs
Custom Logging in SSIS
Analysis Services Enterprise vs Standard
A tool to help you find KPIs