Does anyone have some code to simply log some detailed information to a file within a SQL query (or stored procedure or trigger)? I'm not looking for anything fancy. All I want to do is to quickly put debug information into my SQL, much like folks do for JavaScript debugging using alerts. I looked at using Lumigent, but that seems like overkill for what I want to do. I don't care what the format of the logging is in. Below is a simple example of what I'd like to do.
Example:
DECLARE #x int;
SET #x = '123'
-- log the value of #x
============
9/6/2011 # 4:01pm update
I tried the sqlcmd below, which works well. But it doesn't work well when there are 100 parameters on a stored procedure when I want to debug. In that case, I need to go put a break-point in my client code, then get the value of each argument. Then go and type out the exec command, and then look at the output file. All I want to do is put one simple line of code into my SQL (perhaps calling another stored procedure if it takes more than one line of code), that writes a variable value to a file. That's it. I'm just using this for debugging purposes.
One pretty easy method is to use either OSQL or SQLCMD to run your procedure. These are command-line methods for executing SQL commands/procedures/scripts.
With those utilities you can pipe the output (what would normally appear in the "Messages" tab in SSMS) to a text file.
If you do this, in your example the code would be:
DECLARE #x int;
SET #x = '123'
PRINT #x
If you are running the same procedure multiple times, you can just save it a a one-line batch file to make it very easy to test.
Now with more background I think I can promote my comment to an answer:
Why does it have to be a file? If this is just during debugging, can't you just as easily log to a table, and when you want to see the recent results:
SELECT TOP (n) module, parameters, etc.
FROM logTable
ORDER BY DateCreated DESC;
You can simplify the logging or at least make it easier to replicate from procedure to procedure by having a stored procedure that takes various arguments such as ##PROCID and others to centralize the logging. See this article I wrote for some ideas there - it's geared to just logging once per stored procedure call but you could certainly call it as often as you like inside any stored procedure.
This seems like much less hassle than using an archaic file-based log approach. You're already using a database, take advantage!
If you're committed to using a file for whatever reason (it might help to understand or counter if you enumerate those reasons), then the next best choice would likely be CLR, as already mentioned. A complete solution in this case might be beyond the scope of this single question, but there are tons of examples online.
Related
Is it possible (using only T-SQL no C# code) to write a stored procedure to execute a series of other stored procedures without passing them any parameters?
What I mean is that, for example, when I want to update a row in a table and that table has a lot of columns which are all required, I want to run the first stored procedure to check if the ID exists or not, if yes then I want to call the update stored procedure, pass the ID but (using the window that SQL Server manager shows after executing each stored procedure) get the rest of the values from the user.
When I'm using the EXEC command, I need to pass all the parameters, but is there any other way to call the stored procedure without passing those parameter? (easy to do in C# or VB, I mean just using SQL syntax)
I think you are asking "can you prompt for user input in a sql script?". No not really.
You could actually do it with seriously hack-laden calls to the Windows API. And it would almost certainly have serious security problems.
But just don't do this. Write a program in C#, VB, Access, Powerscript, Python or whatever makes you happy. Use an tool appropriate to the task.
-- ADDED
Just so you know how ugly this would be. Imagine using the Flash component as an ActiveX object and using Flash to collect input from the user -- now you are talking about the kind of hacking it would be. Writing CLR procs, etc. would be just as big of a hack.
You should be cringing right now. But it gets worse, if the TSQL is running on the sql server, it would likely prompt or crash on the the server console instead of running on your workstation. You should definitely be cringing buy now.
If you are coming from Oracle Accept, the equivalent in just not available in TSQL -- nor should it be, and may it never be.
Right after reading your comment now I can understand what you are trying to do. You want to make a call to procedure and then ask End User to pass values for Parameters.
This is a very very badddddddddddddddddddd approach, specially since you have mentioned you will be making changes to database with this SP.
You should get all the values from your End Users before you make a call to your database(execute procedure), Only then make a call to database you Open a transaction and Commit it or RollBack as soon as possible and get out of there. as it will be holding locks on your resources.
Imagine you make a call to database (execute sp) , sp goes ahead and opens a transaction and now wait for End user to pass values, and your end user decides to go away for a cig, this will leave your resources locked and you will have to go in and kill the process yourself in order to let other user to go and use database/rows.
Solution
At application level (C#,VB) get all the values from End users and only when you have all the required information, only then pass these values to sp , execute it and get out of there asap.
You can specify the parameters by prefixing the name of the parameter with the # sign. For example, you can call an SP like this:
EXEC MyProc #Param1='This is a test'
But, if you are asking if you can get away with NOT providing required parameters, the answer is NO. Required is required. You can make them optional by providing a default value in the declaration of the SP. Then you can either not pass the value or call it like this:
EXEC MyProc #Param1=DEFAULT
--OR
EXEC MyProc DEFAULT
We have many SQL Server scripts. But there are a few critical scripts that should only be run at certain times under certain conditions. Is there a way to protect us from ourselves with some kind of popup warning?
i.e. When these critical scripts are run, is there a command to ask the user if they want to continue?
(We've already made some rollback scripts to handle these, but it's better if they not be accidentally run at all).
No, there is no such thing.
You can write an application (windows service?) that will only run the scripts as and when they should be.
The fact that you are even asking the question shows that this is something that should be automated, the sooner the better.
You can mitigate the problem in the meanwhile by using if to test for these conditions and only execute if they are met. If this is a series of scripts you should wrap them in transactions to boot.
One work-around you can use is the following, which would require you to update a value in another table:
CREATE PROC dbo.MyProc
AS
WHILE (SELECT GoBit FROM dbo.OKToRun) = 0
BEGIN
RAISERROR('Waiting for GoBit to be set!', 0,1)
WAITFOR DELAY '00:00:10'
END
UPDATE dbo.OKtoRun
SET GoBit = 0
... DO STUFF ...
This will require you to, in another spid or session, update that table manually before it'll proceed.
This gets a lot more complicated with multiple procedures, so it will only work as a very short-term workaround.
sql is a query language. does not have ability to accept user inputs.
only thing i can think of would be to have it #variable driven. first part should update #shouldRunSecond = 1. and the second part should be wrapped in a
if #shouldRunSecond = 1
begin
...
end
second portion will be skipped if not desired.
The question is - where are these scripts located ?
If you have them as .sql file that you open every time before you run, then you can simply add some "magic numbers" before beginning of the script, that you will have to calculate every time, before you run it. In example below each time before you run your script you have to put correct date and minute into IF fondition, other wise script will not run
IF DATEPART(dd,GETDATE())!=5 or DATEPART(mi,(GETDATE()))!=43
BEGIN
RAISERROR ('You have tried occasionally to run your dangerous script !!!',16,1);
RETURN
END
--Some dangerous actions
drop database MostImportantCustomer
update Personal set Bonus=0 where UserName=SUSER_SNAME()
If your scripts reside in stored procedure - you can add some kind of "I am sure, I know what I do" parameter, where you will always pass, for example Minute multiplied by Day.
Hote it helps
I have seen batch scripts containing SQLCMD ..., so instead of running the .sql script from code or management studio, you could add a prompt in the script.
I have (on limited occasion) created an #AreYouSure parameter that must be passed into a stored procedure, then put comments next to the declaration in the stored procedure explaining the danger of running said procedure.
At least that way, no RANDOs will wander into your environment and kick off stored procedures when they don't understand the consequences. The parameter could be worked into an IF statement that checks it's value, or it doesn't really have to be used at all, but if it must be passed, then they have to at least figure out what to pass.
If you use this too much, though, others may just start passing a 'Y' or a 1 into every stored procedure without reading the comments. You could switch up the datatypes, but at some point it becomes more work to maintain this scheme than it is worth. That is why I use it on limited occasion.
I have a cursor which returns two values: one which I will use (and therefore will assign to an out variable) and another which I've only had returned to make the ROWNUM thing work.
If I run the cursor as a query, it works as expected. But if I execute the procedure the out variable comes empty. Is my approach somehow not supported? I mean, returning two values but only using one of them?
Here is my procedure code: (Don't delve too much on the query itself. It works, I know it's a bit ugly but it works. It was the only way I found to return the second-last row)
procedure retorna_infos_tabela_164(i_nip in varchar,
o_CODSDPANTERIOR out number) is
cursor c_tabela_164 is
select *
from(
select CODSDP,ROWNUM rn
from
(
select NRONIP,CODTIPOMOV,CODSDP
from TB164_HISTORICOMOVIMENTACOES
where NRONIP = i_nip and
CODTIPOMOV='S1'
order by DTHMOV desc
)
)
where rn=2;
v_temp_nr number;
begin
open c_tabela_164;
fetch c_tabela_164 into o_CODSDPANTERIOR,v_temp_nr;
close c_tabela_164;
end retorna_infos_tabela_164;
EDIT The way I've tried to run this procedure was by dbms_output.put_line(o_CODSDPANTERIOR) which didn't work. Then I googled a little bit and saw I should TO_CHAR() my var first and then have it output. Didn't work either.
There's no problem with passing a number to DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE. Oracle will silently convert other built-in types to VARCHAR2 using the default format. You only need to use TO_CHAR if you want to control the format used -- which is often a good idea, but not generally necessary.
One possibility, though, is that you are not seeing the output because you have not enabled it. If you are running your test in SQLPlus, make sure you SET SERVEROUTPUT ON before running code that includes DBMS_OUTPUT calls. If you are using some other client, consult its documentation for the proper way to enable DBMS_OUTPUT. (You can of course test if it's enabled by adding another call to output a string literal.)
There's nothing inherently wrong with the technique you're using to populate the out parameter. However, it's not necessary to return two columns from the cursor; your select * could simply be select CODSDP. You seem to be under the misconception that any column referenced in the predicates has to be in the select list, but that's not the case. In your innermost query, the select list does not need to include NRONIP or CODTIPOMOV, because they are not referenced in the outer blocks; the WHERE clause in that query can reference any column in the table, regardless of whether it is in the select list.
So, my first guess is that you simply don't have server output enabled. The only other possibility I can think of right now is that you're running your query and the procedure in two different sessions, and one of them has uncommitted transaction against the table, so they are actually seeing different data.
If those suggestions don't seem to be the problem, I'd suggest you run your tests of the standalone query and the procedure in a single SQLPlus session, then copy and paste the entire session here, so we can see exactly what you're doing.
I'm sorry I've had you guys take the time to answer me when the answer was something to do with the tool I'm using. I hope all you guys have learnt something.
The query does work for me at least, I've not come across any edge cases where it doesn't work, but I haven't tested it exhaustively.
The problem was that TOAD, the tool I'm using to run the procedures, sometimes populates the procedures with the parameters I tell it to but sometimes it doesn't. The issue here was that I was trying to execute the procedure with no parameters, yielding no results...
Lesson Learnt: double check the generated procedure code when you run a Procedure using Right Click > Run Procedure on TOAD version 9.
I have a stored procedure that causes blocking on my SQL server database. Whenever it does block for more than X amount of seconds we get notified with what query is being run, and it looks similar to below.
CREATE PROC [dbo].[sp_problemprocedure] (
#orderid INT
--procedure code
How can I tell what the value is for #orderid? I'd like to know the value because this procedure will run 100+ times a day but only cause blocking a handful of times, and if we can find some sort of pattern between the order id's maybe I'd be able to track down the problem.
The procedure is being called from a .NET application if that helps.
Have you tried printing it from inside the procedure?
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms176047.aspx
If it's being called from a .NET application you could easily log out the parameter being passed from the .net app, but if you don't have access, also you can use SQL Server profiling. Filters can be set on the command type i.e. proc only as well as the database that is being hit otherwise you will be overwhelmed with all the information a profile can produce.
Link: Using Sql server profiler
rename the procedure
create a logging table
create a new one (same signature/params) which calls the original but first logs the params and starting timestamp and logs after the call finishes the end timestamp
create a synonym for this new proc with the name of the original
Now you have a log for all calls made by whatever app...
You can disbale/enable the logging anytime by simply redefining the synonym to point to the logging wrapper or to the original...
The easiest way would be to run a profiler trace. You'll want to capture calls to the stored procedure.
Really though, that is only going to tell you part of the story. Personally I would start with the code. Try and batch big updates into smaller batches. Try and avoid long-running explicit transactions if they're not necessary. Look at your triggers (if any) and cascading Foreign keys and make sure those are efficient.
easiest way is to do the following:
1) in .NET, grab the date-time just before running the procedure
2) in .Net, after the procedure is complete grab the date-time
3) in .NET, do some date-time math, and if it is "slow", write to a file (log) those start and end date-times, user info, all the the parameters, etc.
what is the best way of troubleshoot a stored procedure in SQL Server, i mean from where do you start etc..?
Test each SELECT statements (if any) outside of your stored procedure to see whether it returns the expected results;
Make INSERT and UPDATE statements as simple as possible;
Try to test Inserts and Updates outside of your SP so that you can check it gives the expected results;
Use the debugger provided with SSMS Express 2008.
Visual Studio 2008 / 2010 has a debug facility. Simply connect to to your SQL Server instance in 'Server Explorer' and browse to your stored procedure.
Visual Studio 'Test Edition' also can generate Unit Tests around your stored procedures.
Troubleshooting a complex stored proc is far more than just determining if you can get it to run or not and finding the step which won't run. What is most critical is whether it actually returns the corect results or performs the correct actions.
There are two kinds of stored procs that need extensive abilites to troublshoot. First the the proc which creates dynamic SQL. I never create one of these without an input parameter of #debug. When this parameter is set, I have the proc print the SQl statment as it would have run and not run it. Almost everytime, this leads you right away to the problem as you can then see the syntax error in the generated SQL code. You also can run this sql code to see if it is returning the records you expect.
Now with complex procs that have many steps that affect data, I always use an #test input parameter. There are two things I do with the #test parameter, first I make it rollback the actions so that a mistake in development won't mess up the data. Second, I have it display the data before it rollsback to see what the results would have been. (These actually appear in the reverse order in the proc; I just think of them in this order.)
Now I can see what would have gone into the table or been deleted from the tables without affecting the data permananently. Sometimes, I might start with a select of the data as it was before any actions and then compare it to a select run afterwards.
Finally, I often want to log actions of a complex proc and see exactly what steps happened. I don't want those logs to get rolled back if the proc hits an error, so I set up a table variable for the logging information I want at the start of the proc. After each step (or after an error depending on what I want to log), I insert to this table variable. After the rollback or commit statement, I select the results of the table variable or use those results to log to a permanent logging table. This can be especially nice if you are using dynamic SQL because you can log the SQL that was run and then when something strange fails on prod, you have a record of which statement was run when it failed. You do this in a table variable because those do not go out of scope in a rollback.
In SSMS, you can simply start by opening the proc., and clicking on the check mark button (Parse) next to the Execute button on the menu bar. It reports any errors it finds.
If there are no errors there and you're stored procedure is harmless to run (you're not inserting into tables, just creating a temp table for example), then comment out the CREATE PROCEDURE x (or ALTER PROCEDURE x) and declare all the parameters by copying that part, then define them with valid values. Then run it to see what happens.
Maybe this is simple, but it's a place to start.