Why I Choose BIML Scripting


What is Biml Scripting?

I’m sure some of you have never heard of Biml. Rather than re-write what Andy Leonard (Blog/Twitter) already has, I’ll just link you to the 2nd Step in the Stairway to Biml series for details. In a nutshell Biml, which is short for Business Intelligence Markup Language, is a published dialect of XML which can be used to generate SQL Server objects such as tables and views, SSIS Packages, and SSAS Cubes.

Biml is fairly easy to read and write using the intellisense built into SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) and BIDS Helper which is available as a free download. You can then use BIDS Helper to generate a subset of these objects for Free. Using Biml alone can greatly improve productivity, but the real magic happens when you embed code snippets into Biml and automate repetitive tasks. This is called Biml Scripting. You can implement Biml Script using VB.Net or C#, though most of the examples tend to be written with C#. I’ve been working on my C# skills for some time, so all of my code samples are likely to follow suit.

Varigence, the company which wrote Biml, also offers a commercial product to assist in writing Biml Script. Mist is a Biml IDE which makes writing Biml Script much more efficient and easy to understand, especially for complex projects. Unless otherwise specified, all of my examples will work just fine using BIDS Helper, and cost nothing to implement, but your time.

Series – Why I Choose Biml Scripting and You Should Too

1 comment to Why I Choose Biml Scripting – Series

  • Our organization ( offers a cloud based meta-data drive SSIS accelerator. BIMP will transform the way you develop by using templates and design patterns that integrate directly with MIST and generate all the BIML code. This allows organizations to focus on architecting a BI solution without getting bogged down in writing lots of code.

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