DTS How to… Execute a DTS Package from…

To execute a package first you need to load the package into an object, then simply use object.Execute method.
To use the DTS objects enable the reference to the Microsoft DTSPackage Object Library.
Here is an example for a server package.

Sub Main()
	Dim oPKG As New DTS.Package
	oPKG.LoadFromSQLServer "Server", , , 256, , , , "PackageName"
	oPKG.Execute
	oPKG.UnInitialize
	Set oPKG = Nothing
End Sub

Error checking should also form a part of any execution routine.
For this I’d recommend reading the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article:

For those that want more control, you can declare the package object WithEvents.
This gives you progress and error events as they happen. It also allows you to
cancel execution in a similar method to that used by the Enterprise Manager execution interface.
For more information about WithEvents and DTS, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article:

An alternative to using WithEvents, but still getting similar functionality, is to use the Microsoft SQLNamespace Object Library to handle execution.
You can see this used in my DTSBrowse program.

A limitation of executing packages from Visual Basic is the need to ensure all
steps execute in the main thread.

Sub Main()
	Dim oPKG As New DTS.Package
	oPKG.LoadFromSQLServer "Server", , , 256, , , , "PackageName"

	' Set ExecuteInMainThread for ALL Steps
	Dim i As Integer
	For i = 1 To oPKG.Steps.Count
		oPKG.Steps(i).ExecuteInMainThread = True
	Next i

	oPKG.Execute
	oPKG.UnInitialize
	Set oPKG = Nothing
End Sub