Is BIML Express deprecated?

Last update for BIML Express was 2019-05-08 and although it provided support for VS2019, you can see in the forum that people are having issues with the extension due to bugs and there seems to be no response or any news for a new version. VS22

I know Varigence wants to focus on BIML Flex & BIML Studio, but if there are no plans for updating BIML Flex I think they should be straightforward about it, don't you think?

I'm not sure if people from Varigence see these forum posts but hopefully I can get others opinions about the topic.

I have contacted Varigence directly using their support form a few times over the years.

I used to get answers: First and excuses about the new download of BIMLExpress being delayed due to Covid. And later that they had decided not to release it due to some unmentioned problem.

But recently they don't even bother giving me a reply.

My support cases (about the same as you mention above) have simply been closed with no message to me at all.

I consider BIMLExpress dead, and will not recommend anyone to start using BIML for anything.

If you are working with SQL server on premise I would suggest that you:
1.Use stored procedures for all inter-server flow.
2. Use some sort of clever hand made, metadata-driven, SSIS-package for moving data between servers/files/outside world.

 

Sadly this is the conclusion I've come to as well.

I drank the BIML Kool-aid years ago and we designed our whole Data Warehouse with it. But keeping VS2015 installed just for this is painful.

I know their answer will be to buy BIMLStudio but I can't shell out that kind of money just for this one project.

Even if BIMLExpress was a cheaper paid license I'd probably pay it even for the limited functionality but to dangle BIMLExpress in front of us in it's current (unsupported) form is just cruel.

Unfortunately I don't know what other conclusion could be drawn. I suppose Varigence could say "What do you want for nothing? Your money back?" Fair enough.

I've been able to use BIMLExpress in VS2019 for a while (targeted toward SQL Server 2016 currently) and can limp by, but lately VS crashes multiple times every time I have to use it before I can actually get anything done. I'd like to introduce some of my staff to BIML so they can help support these small projects, but at this point I simply cannot justify spending time trying to bring them on board. BIMLExpress has become a maddening experience, and considering the cost of just a single license for BIMLStudio we would never even consider additional licenses for other developers who might need to touch it once a year.

Is support for the paid editions better? Perhaps. But my experience with Varigence is similar to that expressed by many others, and that does not inspire much confidence. Continuing to tout a free tier that is now nearly four years old and has never seen any of the bug fixes and revisions that were promised years ago is unprofessional. I want to like BIML, but sadly it's becoming a less viable option every day.

 

Heh... you must be like me that every time Varigence puts out a newsletter it reminds me to come see if there's been an update.

What's especially irritating is that the release notes even allude to a 2020 R1 update that apparently exist but cannot be downloaded.

https://docs.varigence.com/bimlexpress/release-notes/BimlExpress-2020.1

And even THAT would be 3 years out of date by now.

Well, it WAS working, even through minor VS 2019 updates, but today I am greeted by an error:

"BIML Features are currently unavailable while we wait for Varigence to provide an update to the BimlEngine component."

I'm hoping I can find a way to roll VS and SSDT back to a version that works, but if not it appears BIMLExpress may finally be dead.

Hi Andrew,<br> I had the same problem at the end of last year. BimExpress works only on Visual Studio 2019 with SQL Server Integration Services Projects 3.x. Newer Versions are not compatible.<br> I'm using SSIS 3.16 that is the last surely working.<br> <br> You can find more information on this post: <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/69556582/bimlexpress-and-vs2019-issues" target=_blank>BimlExpress and VS2019 issues</a>