Manually Installing Task Factory on ADF

Warning: Follow these instructions only if you are having difficulty installing Task Factory on Azure through the installer or if you had difficulty installing Task Factory with the Enabling Task Factory on Azure-SSIS IR in ADF instructions.

These instructions walk through the alternative steps to create an Azure SSIS Integration Runtime (IR), and install SolarWinds Task Factory during the start-up process of the Integration Runtime.

Note: Currently, the only way to install third-party SSIS components such as Task Factory is by creating a main.cmd batch file that runs the installation and licensing commands during the start-up process of the Azure SSIS IR.

Additional Information: For more information about the general process of custom start-up scripts for an Azure IR see the Customize setup for the Azure-SSIS integration runtime MSDN article.

System Requirements

You need the following prerequisites to set up Task Factory for your Azure Data Factory SSIS Integration Runtime:

Azure subscription
Azure SQL Database or Managed Instance Server
Microsoft Azure Storage ExplorerEdition Restrictions

The following components are incompatible on an Azure Data Factory SSIS Integration Runtime :

USPS Address Verification
Task Factory Excel Power Refresh Task
- Note: Install Excel on the Azure Data Factory Integration Runtime through this installation script to enable this component.

Note: Currently, there isn’t a trial version of Task Factory to run on Azure Data Factory SSIS Integration Runtime because of the way the IR handles the installation and licensing for third-party components.

Important: Before activating your Task Factory license, you need to obtain an ADF-ready license from the SolarWinds sales department. Select the license based on the number of nodes in your SSIS Integration Runtime.

Creating an Azure Storage Container

Create a new Azure blob storage container by completing the following: .

Open Azure Storage Explorer, and browse to your blob container.
Right-click Blob Containers, select Create Blob Container, and then name your blob.

Setting up the main.cmd File

Set up the main.cmd file by downloading the latest version of Task Factory and renaming the installation file TaskFactory_Install.exe. Download the ADF Task Factory installation zip file from our public blob container by opening Azure Storage Explorer and completing the following steps:

Right-click Storage Accounts in the (Local and Attached) node, select Connect to Azure Storage, select Use a connection string or a shared access signature URI, and then select Next.
Select Use a SAS URI and enter the following Shared Access Signature (SAS) URI for the Public Preview container:
https://pwsdownloads.blob.core.windows.net/taskfactory-adf/azure-configure-ssis-ir-taskfactory.zip?st=2018-11-06T14%3A48%3A00Z&se=2020-11-07T14%3A48%3A00Z&sp=rl&sv=2017-04-17&sr=c&sig=zQ4Bu7ka5AsosiefY0RGnrpw4PxXLfh5Dz3berixFko%3D

Select Next and then select Connect to continue.

SolarWinds Task Factory Attach with Connection String or SAS URI

3. Download the azure-configure-ssis-ir-taskfactory.zip file and extract the contents.

4. Open the cmd file and replace (Enter License Key Here) with your Task Factory activation key in the following command :

set DIR=%CUSTOM_SETUP_SCRIPT_LOG_DIR%

echo Step 1: Installing task factory %TIME%

::Install Task Factory

"TaskFactory_Install.exe" /q /L*V "%DIR%\install_log.txt"

echo Step 2: Activating license %TIME%

::Activate License

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Solarwinds\Task Factory\LicenseManager\PragmaticWorks.TaskFactory.Licensing.exe" activate (Enter License Key Here) %SSIS_CLUSTERID%

IF %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 (

echo Error code %ERRORLEVEL%

)

echo Complete %TIME%

Note: If you don’t have your key, please contact support at support.solarwinds.com to obtain your key.

5. Upload your edited cmd file and TaskFactory_Install.exe to your blob storage container.

Creating Your Shared Access Signature URL

You need to provide an Share Access Signature URL (SAS) to the script for the Azure IR to see the Task Factory files. Create your SAS by completing the following steps:

Right-click the blob container you created and select Get Shared Access Signature to open the Shared Access Signature window.
Select the Write option in the Permissions section to enable the installation process to write a log file for the main.cmd, Task Factory installation, and activation processes.
Set the Expiry time to exactly one year from the current date and time. Select Create to display a URL on the next screen, and then copy and save that URL temporarily.

Creating Your Data Factory

Additional Information: Use the SAS URL you created as you go through the Provision the Azure-SSIS Integration Runtime in Azure Data Factory MSDN tutorial. The specific step you use the URL on is Step Four (Advanced Settings).

Note: The tutorial doesn’t mention that you need an Azure SQL Server instance that doesn’t have an SSISDB database on it. If you have an SSISDB database on the SQL Server you provide during the process of creating your Azure IR , the IR creation process fails.

Every time you want to create an SSIS IR, you need to delete the current SSISDB or create a new server without an SSISDB database.

Follow the tutorial to set up your Data Factory and Azure SSIS IR instance.

After you have created the Data Factory, log directories are created in your blob storage container. Log files are located under the main.cmd.log directory. If you had Storage Explorer open already, you might need to refresh the window.

Review the log files for any errors. If you don’t see any errors, you’re good to go.

Note: You shouldn’t need to review the Task Factory installation log unless you run a package with Task Factory and receive a specific Task Factory failure message.

Deploying Packages to Azure SSIS IR

Now that your Azure IR has been created and Task Factory is installed, you should be able to take any package created locally in SSDT, deploy it to Azure IR, and execute it successfully.

Additional Information: To deploy your packages to your Azure IR, follow the Deploy and run a SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) package in Azure MSDN tutorial.

Note: You must have the latest version of SQL Server Management Studio 17.2 or above installed to follow the tutorial and view the Integration Service Catalog.

If you encounter any issues while installing or activating Task Factory in your Azure SSIS IR, contact our support team at support.solarwinds.com.