Is there a way to select a database from a variable? - sql

Is there a way to select a database from a variable?
Declare #bob as varchar(50);
Set #bob = 'SweetDB';
GO
USE #bob

Unfortunately, no.
Unless you can execute the rest of your batch as dynamic SQL.
Using execute to dynamically execute SQL will change the context for the scope of the execute statement, but will not leave a lasting effect on the scope you execute the execute statement from.
In other words, this:
DECLARE #db VARCHAR(100)
SET #db = 'SweetDB'
EXECUTE('use ' + #db)
Will not set the current database permanently, but if you altered the above code like this:
DECLARE #db VARCHAR(100)
SET #db = 'SweetDB'
EXECUTE('use ' + #db + ';select * from sysobjects')
select * from sysobjects
Then the result of those two queries will be different (assuming you're not in SweetDB already), since the first select, executed inside execute is executing in SweetDB, but the second isn't.

declare #NewDB varchar(50)
set #NewDB = 'NewDB'
execute('use ' + #NewDB)

#TempTables will presist across GOs
you can create the table in the first batch, insert/select data as necessary in that or any following batch.
here is some sample syntax:
CREATE TABLE #YourTableName
(
col1 int not null primary key identity(1,1)
,col2 varchar(10)
)

Related

How to use a variable in "Select [some calculations] insert into #NameOfTheTableInThisVariable"?

I have a procedure in which there are calculations being done and the final result is inserted into a permanent table. I want to remove the permanent table and I cannot use Temp table as well. So i want to use a dynamic table name, which is stored in a variable:
Current scenario:
Insert into xyz_table
Select col1,col2,sum(col3)
from BaseTable
(In reality, there are lot of columns and a lot of calculations)
What I want:
Select col1,col2,sum(col3) into #DynamicTableName
from BaseTable
where the name of the table would be dynamic in nature i.e.,
#DynamicTableName = 'xyz ' + cast(convert(date,getdate()) as nvarchar)+' '+convert(nvarchar(5),getdate(),108)
It will have date and time in its name every time the procedure is run.
I want to use this name in the "Select * into statement"
How can I achieve this?
i tried it with the some short code. But since my procedure has a lot of calculations and UNIONS , I cannot use that code for this. Any help would be appreciated.
declare #tablename nvarchar(30)= 'xyz ' + cast(convert(date,getdate()) as nvarchar)+' '+convert(nvarchar(5),getdate(),108)
declare #SQL_Statement nvarchar(100)
declare #SQL_Statement2 nvarchar(100)
declare #dropstatement nvarchar(100)
SET #SQL_Statement = N'SELECT * Into ' +'['+#tablename +'] '+'FROM '+ 'dimBranch'
print #SQL_Statement
EXECUTE sp_executesql #SQL_Statement
SET #SQL_Statement= N'select * from ' + '['+#tablename + '] '
print #SQL_Statement
EXECUTE sp_executesql #SQL_Statement
set #dropstatement = 'DROP TABLE' + '['+#tablename + '] '
PRINT #dropstatement
exec sp_executesql #dropstatement
Reason why I want this is because I use this procedure in ETL job as well as in SSRS report. And if someone runs the package and the SSRS report at the same time, the incorrect or weird data gets stored in the table. Therefore I need a dynamic name of the table with date and time.
You can't parameterize an identifier in SQL, only a value
--yes
select * from table where column = #value
--no
select * from #tablename where #columnname = #value
The only thin you can do to make these things dynamic is to build an sql string and execute it dynamically, but your code is already doing this with sp_executesql
More telling is your complaint at the bottom of your question, that if the procedure is invoked simultaneously it gives problems. Perhaps you should consider using local table variables for temporary data storage that the report is using rather than pushing data back into the db
DECLARE #temp TABLE(id INT, name varchar100);
INSERT INTO #temp SELECT personid, firstname FROM person;
-- work with temp data
select count(*) from #temp;
--when #temp goes out of scope it is lost,
--no other procedure invoked simultaneously can access this procedure'a #temp
Consider a local temp table, which is automatically session scoped without the need for dynamic SQL. For example:
SELECT *
INTO #YourTempTable
FROM dimBranch;
The local temp table will automatically be dropped when the proc completes so there is no need for an explict drop in the proc code.

SQL Server stored procedure passing parameters into variables

I have a big query which works and I want to write a stored procedure for it.
I'm getting this error:
the OLE DB provider SQLNCLI11" for linked server "theServer" does not contain the table ""#dbName"."dbo"."tableName"
What I am trying to do:
create PROCEDURE [sys.sp_myProcedure]
(
#dbName varchar(30) output,
#rid varchar (10) output,
#mdate output
)
AS
BEGIN
declare #prt varchar(12)
declare #pid int
declare #cid int
--declare #rid int
declare #aid int
SET NOCOUNT ON;
set #cid= (select CID from theServer.[#dbName].dbo.tableName where RID= #rid)
set #pid= (select PID from theServer.[#dbName].dbo.tableName where RID= #rid)
set #aid= (select aid from theServer.[#dbName].dbo.tableName where RID= #rid)
--then my query begins
theServer.[#dbName].dbo.tablename is a linked server.
What I want to do is:
execute [sys.sp_myProcedure] 'someDbname', '123', '2012-03-03'
and the parameters passed here would set/update the variables #dbName, #rid, #mdate at runtime. ( #mdate I have it further away in the query, it's too big to adapt it with myTable and to change all the sensitive data).
How can I do this ?? (using SQL Server 2012)
edit (based on the comments and answers):
so, it's #thatString = '--insert the query here ' . Then, in my case how can i set those variables according to the parameters inside the query? Should i do it with replace? like this: set #thatString= replace(#thatString, dbName, #dbname) ?
**
edit 2
**
set #sql = '
use [someDbName];
use [123];
use [2012-03-03];
select ... '
set #sql = replace (#sql, 'someDbName', #dbName)
set #sql = replace (#sql, '123', #rid)
set #sql = replace (#sql, '2012-03-03', #mdate)
execute #sql
end
Did i get it right? is the execute #sql in the right place?
I'm asking cause it doesnt work. i'm getting the name ' --part of my query here' is not a valid identifier
Names of databases or other objects cannot be specified dynamically from variables. The workaround is to compose a dynamic SQL query in a string, into which you concatenate the required names, and then execute (#thatString).
(You might think you can employ use, but it is scoped such that you would have to include the rest of your query within the same executed string.)
--
Edit with more info as requested. You can compose the string however you like. If you need any more guidance, there are plenty of pages that discuss dynamic T-SQL. But hey, two ideas:
set #myDynamicQuery =
'
use [' + #myDynamicDatabase + '];
select BLAH from WHOM where DATA = ''what'';
';
or if you will be using the name a lot, you could reduce the hassle caused by breaking in and out of single quotes as follows - though I personally never use this as I don't like how it looks:
set #myDynamicQuery =
'
use [A_RARE_PLACEHOLDER];
select BLAH from WHOM where DATA = ''what'';
-- lots more uses of A_RARE_PLACEHOLDER
';
set #myDynamicQuery = replace(
#myDynamicQuery,
'A_RARE_PLACEHOLDER',
#myDynamicDatabase
);
Then execute (#myDynamicQuery);

Send query as parameter to SQL function

I want to create a SQL tabled-value function that will receive a query as n parameter through my API. In my function I want execute that query. The query will be a SELECT statement.
This is what I have done so far and what to achieve but it is not the correct way to do so.
CREATE FUNCTION CUSTOM_EXPORT_RESULTS (
#query varchar(max),
#guid uniqueidentifier,
#tableName varchar(200))
RETURNS TABLE
AS
RETURN
(
-- Execute query into a table
SELECT *
INTO #tableName
FROM (
EXEC(#query)
)
)
GO
Please suggest the correct way!
Try this one -
CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.sp_CUSTOM_EXPORT_RESULTS
#query NVARCHAR(MAX) = 'SELECT * FROM dbo.test'
, #guid UNIQUEIDENTIFIER
, #tableName VARCHAR(200) = 'test2'
AS BEGIN
SELECT #query =
REPLACE(#query,
'FROM',
'INTO [' + #tableName + '] FROM')
DECLARE #SQL NVARCHAR(MAX)
SELECT #SQL = '
IF OBJECT_ID (N''' + #tableName + ''') IS NOT NULL
DROP TABLE [' + #tableName + ']
' + #query
PRINT #SQL
EXEC sys.sp_executesql #SQL
RETURN 0
END
GO
Output -
IF OBJECT_ID (N'test2') IS NOT NULL
DROP TABLE [test2]
SELECT * INTO [test2] FROM dbo.test
What I see in your question is encapsulation of:
taking a dynamic SQL expression
executing it to fill a parametrized table
Why do you want to have such an encapsulation?
First, this can have a negative impact on your database performance. Please read this on EXEC() and sp_executesql() . I hope your SP won't be called from multiple parts of your application, because this WILL get you into trouble, at least performance-wise.
Another thing is - how and where are you constructing your SQL? Obviously you do it somewhere else and it seems its manually created. If we're talking about a contemporary application, there are lot of OR/M solutions for this and manual construction of TSQL in runtime should be always avoided if possible. Not to mention EXEC is not guarding you against any form of SQL injection attacks. However, if all of this is a part of some database administration TSQL bundle, forget his paragraph.
At the end, if you want to simply load a new table from some existing table (or part of it) as a part of some administration task in TSQL, consider issuing a SELECT ... INTO ... This will create a new target table structure for you (omitting indexes and constraints) and copy the data. SELECT INTO will outperform INSERT INTO SELECT because SELECT INTO gets minimally logged.
I hope this will get you (and others) at least a bit on the right track.
You can use stored procedure as well, here is the code that you can try.
CREATE FUNCTION CUSTOM_EXPORT_RESULTS
(
#query varchar(max),
#guid uniqueidentifier,
#tableName varchar(200)
)
RETURNS TABLE
AS
RETURN
(
declare #strQuery nvarchar(max)
-- Execute query into a table
SET #strQuery = REPLACE(#query,'FROM', 'INTO '+#tableName+' FROM')
exec sp_executesql #strQuery
)
GO

How can I spot in what database is a stored procedure with name 'myStoredProcedure'?

There are bunch of databases to the SQL server I am connected.
How should I query the sysobjects in order to spot in what database a stored procedure with name 'myStoredProcedure' is located ?
The query should return the database name.
Thanks
I know you are not asking for this, but I'd really download RedGate's Sql Search add-in for SSMS and use that. It allows you to find any object (proc, table, view, column, etc) on any database easily.
And it's free!
I'd give this a try:
CREATE TABLE ##DatabaseList
(
DatabaseName varchar(50)
)
EXECUTE SP_MSForEachDB 'USE [?]; INSERT INTO ##DatabaseList SELECT DB_NAME() FROM [sys].[objects] WHERE name = "MyStoredProcedure" AND type_desc = "SQL_STORED_PROCEDURE"'
SELECT * FROM ##DatabaseList
DROP TABLE ##DatabaseList
That's using the undocumented/ unsupported system stored procedure SP_MSForEachDb and writing any hits to a global temp table, then outputting the contents to the Results window before dropping the table. If you just need to know which database (or databases - there may of course be more than one) has an appropriately named SP, this should do it. If you want to use the output elsewhere as a parameter, it may take a little more work.
By the way, I'm only learning this stuff myself over the last few months so if anyone can critique the above and suggest a better way to go at it I'm happy to receive feedback. Equally, I can answer any further questions posted here to the best of my ability.
Cheers
So out of curiosity I decided to try write this myself, especially since ADG mentioned his solution was using an unsupported, undocumented procedure. This could also be expanded to take a 2nd parameter so where it checks the type = P (stored Proc) you could probably change it to look for other things like views / tables etc.
My solution is a bit long but here goes:
CREATE PROCEDURE spFindProceduresInDatabases
(
#ProcedureName NVARCHAR(99)
)
AS
BEGIN
-- Get all the database names and put them into a table
DECLARE #Db TABLE (DatabaseName Varchar(99))
INSERT INTO #Db SELECT name FROM Sys.databases
-- Declare a table to hold our results
DECLARE #results TABLE (DatabaseName VARCHAR(99))
-- Make a Loop
-- Declare a variable to be incremented
DECLARE #count INT
SET #count = 0
-- Declare the end condition
DECLARE #endCount INT
SELECT #endCount = COUNT(*) FROM #Db
-- Loop through the databases
WHILE (#count < #endCount )
BEGIN
-- Get the database we are going to look into
DECLARE #dbWeAreChecking VARCHAR(99)
SELECT TOP 1 #dbWeAreChecking = DatabaseName FROM #Db
DELETE FROM #Db WHERE DatabaseName = #dbWeAreChecking
-- Create and execute our query
DECLARE #Query NVARCHAR(3000)
SET #Query = N'SELECT #outParam = COUNT(*) FROM '+#dbWeAreChecking+'.sys.sysobjects WHERE type = ''P'' and name = #ProcedureName'
Declare #outParam INT
print (#Query)
DECLARE #ParmDefinition NVARCHAR(500)
DECLARE #IntVariable INT
SET #ParmDefinition = N'#ProcedureName VARCHAR(99),#outParam INT OUTPUT'
SET #IntVariable = 35
EXECUTE sp_executesql
#Query ,
#ParmDefinition,
#ProcedureName,
#outParam = #outParam OUTPUT
-- If we have a result insert it into the results table
If (#outParam > 0)
BEGIN
INSERT INTO #results(DatabaseName) VALUES(#dbWeAreChecking)
END
-- Increment the counter
SET #count = (#count + 1)
END
-- SELECT ALL OF THE THINGS!!!
SELECT * FROM #results
END

use variable in sql trigger creation

I'm trying to create a trigger dynamically and need to replace part of the create statement, in particular the database name that a join is done on.
CREATE TRIGGER [dbo].[tr_UseType_update] ON [dbo].[UseType] FOR UPDATE AS
BEGIN
SET NOCOUNT ON
INSERT [dbo].[UseType]
SELECT 'Updated', i.*
FROM inserted
INNER JOIN [(SELECT DB_NAME())].[dbo].[UseType] i ON inserted.[UseTypeID] = i.[UseTypeID]
END
I've tried this but obviously it just uses the text it doesn't actually evaluate SELECT DB_NAME(), is there a way to get it to evaluate this value.
I'm using sql 2005/8. We have a deployment tool that uses sqlcmd so a fallback will be to change the tool to take in variables that can be passed to sqlcmd but if I can reduce the amount of work and do it in the script itself (which is generated) that would be handy.
The only way would be to use dynamic sql.
There's no other way to parameterize database names or table names.
That being said, dynamically creating a trigger like this seems like a perilous idea.
The easiest way to do what you want will be something like:
USE MyDataBase
DECLARE #DB varchar(100) = 'MyOtherDatabaseThatIAmJoiningToInTheInsert'
DECLARE #SQL Varchar (MAX)
SET #SQL = '
CREATE TRIGGER [dbo].[tr_UseType_update] ON [dbo].[UseType] FOR UPDATE AS
BEGIN
SET NOCOUNT ON
INSERT [dbo].[UseType]
SELECT ''Updated'', i.*
FROM inserted
INNER JOIN ' + #DB + '.[dbo].[UseType] i ON inserted.[UseTypeID] = i.[UseTypeID]
END'
It's mandatory to read this before doing any dynamic sql code, though!
You could potentially execute dynamic sql and load that into a temp table which in turn would be available to the trigger.
CREATE TRIGGER [dbo].[tr_UseType_update] ON [dbo].[UseType]
FOR UPDATE
AS
BEGIN
SET NOCOUNT ON
CREATE TABLE #t (userTypeId INT)
DECLARE #sql NVARCHAR(500) SET #sql = 'insert into #t select userTypeID from ' + DB_NAME() + '.dbo.UseType'
EXEC sp_executeSQL #sql
INSERT [dbo].[UseType]
SELECT 'Updated',
i.*
FROM inserted
INNER JOIN #t i ON inserted.[UseTypeID] = i.[UseTypeID]
END