The most recent release of SQL Server is SQL Server 2025, there is no SQL Server 2026.

As for which version to migrate to, I would say SQL 2025 if it is only a matter of the Database Engine. There may be some initial bugs, but SQL Server is a mature product, so existing features tend to be stable. If there are more glaring bugs, they are more likely to be with new features. But be sure to apply Cumulative Updates when they come out!

One reason I suggest SQL 2025 is that SQL 2025 will be in mainstream support for five years, while SQL 2022 only have two years left. Which means that you will soon be in for an upgrade again. Whichever version you move to, you will need perform testing, so that you don't run into issues.

When it comes to SSIS and Visual Studio, I can't speak to these, since I don't use them myself. My understanding is that it can take some time before full support for the new version appears on the tooling side. Also, while Visual Studio has the 2026 moniker, I would not expect it as such to understand SQL 2025, which was released later.

If anyone in the future runs into this issue:

1. Install Visual Studio 2019,
2. Instal SQL Server Integration Services via the extension menu in VS 2019,
3. Open the SSIS project in question, open properties, change deployment target to SQL Server 2022,
4. (Possibly optional) Upgrade all packages by right clicking on the ssis folder and chosing the upgrade option.

After this, I have been able to open my project in Visual Studio 2022 Community [preview] without getting any of the errors from before.

Hello hope your doing well thanks for reaching out !

Close Visual Studio

• End all Visual Studio instances.
• In Task Manager, end any “devenv.exe” processes. Uninstall the SSIS 2.0 Preview extension
• Open Visual Studio.
• Go to Extensions > Manage Extensions > Installed.
• Find “SQL Server Integration Services” (2.0 Preview) and click Uninstall.
• Close Visual Studio to complete the uninstall. Install the latest stable SSIS extension (2022+)
• Open Visual Studio.
• Go to Extensions > Manage Extensions > Online.
• Search “SQL Server Integration Services Projects”.
• Install the latest stable “2022+” version (not a preview).
• Restart Visual Studio when prompted. Update Visual Studio 2026
• Open Visual Studio Installer.
• Select Visual Studio 2026 and click Update.
• Wait for the update to finish, then reboot if asked Clear Visual Studio’s MEF/component cache
  • Close Visual Studio.
    • Open File Explorer and go to:

      - %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\
      
         - Open your VS 2026 instance folder (e.g., “17.0_xxxxx” or similar).
      
            - Delete the “ComponentModelCache” folder.
      
               - Optional: also delete the “Cache” folder if present. **Repair Visual Studio (if needed)**
      
               - Open Visual Studio Installer.
      
               - Choose Visual Studio 2026 > More > Repair.
      
               - After repair, restart your machine. **Reinstall SSIS extension (if it didn’t persist)**
      
               - Open Visual Studio > Extensions > Manage Extensions > Installed.
      
               - Confirm “SQL Server Integration Services Projects 2022+” is Installed.
      
               - If not, repeat Step 3 and restart Visual Studio. **Recreate the Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD) component**
      
                  - Open your SSIS project and package.
      
                     - Delete the existing SCD component.
      
                        - Drag a new “Slowly Changing Dimension” component onto the Data Flow.
      
                           - Reconfigure the wizard (source, keys, attribute change types). **Verify target versions and project settings**
      
                                 - In Solution Explorer, right-click the SSIS project > Properties.
      
                                       - Set TargetServerVersion to the SSIS version you use (e.g., SQL Server 2019 or 2022).
      
                                             - Save and rebuild the project. **Test on a stable environment if issue persists**
      
                                                      - Install Visual Studio 2022.
      
                                                               - Install the same “SQL Server Integration Services Projects 2022+” extension.
      
                                                                        - Open the package and confirm the SCD component loads without errors. **Collect logs if the error still appears**
      
                                                                        - In Visual Studio, go to Help > View Activity Log.
      
                                                                        - Check for TypeLoadException or assembly load errors.
      
                                                                        - Share the log with support to pinpoint the missing assembly  If you want, tell me your exact Visual Studio 2026 instance name (from %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\VisualStudio) and TargetServerVersion, and I’ll tailor the steps to your setup.