I have a stored procedure in SQL 2005. The Stored Procedure is actually creating temporary tables in the beginning of SP and deleting it in the end. I am now debugging the SP in VS 2005. In between the SP i would want to know the contents into the temporary table. Can anybody help in in viewing the contents of the temporary table at run time.
Thanks
Vinod T
There are several kinds of temporary tables, I think you could use the table which is not dropped after SP used it. Just make sure you don't call the same SP twice or you'll get an error trying to create an existing table. Or just drop the temp table after you see it's content. So instead of using a table variable (#table) just use #table or ##table
From http://arplis.com/temporary-tables-in-microsoft-sql-server/:
Local Temporary Tables
Local temporary tables prefix with single number sign (#) as the first character of their names, like (#table_name).
Local temporary tables are visible only in the current session OR you can say that they are visible only to the current connection for the user.
They are deleted when the user disconnects from instances of Microsoft SQL Server.
Global temporary tables
Global temporary tables prefix with double number sign (##) as the first character of their names, like (##table_name).
Global temporary tables are visible to all sessions OR you can say that they are visible to any user after they are created.
They are deleted when all users referencing the table disconnect from Microsoft SQL Server.
Edit the stored procedure to temporarily select * from the temp tables (possibly into another table or file, or just to the output pane) as it runs..?
You can then change it back afterwards. If you can't mess with the original procedure, copy it and edit the copy.
I built a few stored procedures which allow you to query the content of a temp table created in another session.
See sp_select project on github.
The content of the table can be displayed by running exec sp_select 'tempdb..#temp' from no matter which session.
Bottom line: the default Visual Studio Microsoft debugger is not in the same session as the SQL code being executed and debugged.
So you can ONLY look at #temp tables by switching them to global ##temp tables or permanent tables or whatever technique you like best that works across sessions.
note: this is VERY different from normal language debuggers... and I suspect kept
that way by Microsoft on purpose... I've seen third party SQL debugger tools decades ago
that didn't have this problem.
There is no good technical reason why the debugger cannot be in the same session as your SQL code, thus allowing you to examine all produced contructs including #temp tables.
To expand on previous suggestions that you drop the data into a permanent table, you could try the following:
-- Get rid of the table if it already exists
if object_id('TempData') is not null
drop table TempData
select * into TempData from #TempTable
This helped me.
SELECT * FROM #Name
USE [TEMPDB]
GO
SELECT * FROM syscolumns
WHERE id = ( SELECT id FROM sysobjects WHERE [Name] LIKE '#Name%')
this gives the details of all the temp table
Related
Image #1: I am creating a stored procedure for inserting records into #t1.
In the same session I am executing the Localtemp1 stored procedure for any number of times, and it works fine:
Image #2: again executing the stored procedure in another session & works fine as well:
Image #3: now creating stored procedure for inserting records into ##tt. For the first execution of globaltemp1 stored procedure, it works well:
Image #4: but when I executed it a second time, it is showing errors (does not exist in DB):
Image #5: then I closed the session where globaltemp stored procedure was created, and in a new session, I executed the stored procedure, and it works well for the first time:
Image #6: but when I execute it a second time, again it is showing errors (does not exist in DB):
What I know is scope of local temp & global temp, but in stored procedures, they were completely different
Can someone tell me
Execution of localtemp1 stored procedure for many times gives output but while executing globaltemp1 sp for the first time gives output and second time results in an error
As far as I know, after execution of stored procedure temptable gets dropped. Then why localtemp1 stored procedure is getting executed across all sessions and many number of times?
Why globaltemp1 stored procedure is executing once and for second time showing an error?
Final one, Globaltemp stored procedure shows output in another session for the first time only when created session was closed
I mean
56 ----> globaltemp sp was created
57 ----> to get o/p i need to close 56
58 ----> to get o?p i need to close 57 ( WHY ??? )
I am a beginner at SQL and please, someone make me understand because if I don't find logic & correct reason I could not dive into another topic.
The concept of temp table is to hold records temporarily. It's some kind of an array where you can store multiple records using the same variable.
When you create a Temp Table, actually it is being created in the tempdb of the corresponding server. Even if you are naming it as just #temp, the name on which it was created on the tempdb will be having some additional parameters like your database name from which the table was created and your session id etc.
I just created the following temp table in my master database
and this is how it was named in the tempdb
still, in my database, I can access it using the name #temp. But The limitation of such temp table is that they are local and can be accessed only from that session, So if I try to access this #temp from any other Query Window (Session) even on the same database, I won't be able to access it. That's where we use Global temp tables. So If I add one more # to the table name then it becomes global temp table which can be accessed across the sessions. It is still created on the Tempdb but like this
Whenever you close the query window/session both Local and Global temp tables are automatically dropped.
So in the case of stored procedures, the starting and ending time of the sp is treated as one session. So once the sp execution is completed all the temp tables created inside that sp is dropped. So you can not use one temp table that was created by one SP in another one.
Hope this helps
Local temporary tables are visible only in the current session, and global temporary tables are visible to all sessions. Global temporary tables are automatically dropped when the session that created the table ends and all other tasks have stopped referencing them. The association between a task and a table is maintained only for the life of a single Transact-SQL statement. This means that a global temporary table is dropped at the completion of the last Transact-SQL statement that was actively referencing the table when the creating session ended.
If you have absolutely have to have a global temp table available your best solution would be to create a permanent table and then drop the table at the end of the stored procedure. You can check for it's existence before creating it:
IF OBJECT_ID('dbo.yourtablenamehere', 'U') IS NOT NULL
DROP TABLE dbo.yourtablenamehere;
The differences between a temp table and a permanent table are really not that much different, mostly that the temp table drops automatically. If you are using this in an application that is calling this procedure, it might be best to have the application load the temp table into array and do the comparisons for you since it can maintain the array while executing and re-executing stored procs.
There is a good reason to write to a temp table instead of creating a table then dropping it... access rights. If you are creating tables to be used by people who are only granted read only privileges, they will not be able to create the table.
After a user is logged into his system and opens my progamm he can see data from a database depending on his WindowsUsername(I wrote a little stored procedure for that).
This Data comes from a query with a temporary Table (#temp). My question is now, if many users use this programm, after opening it they would all try to build the #temp Table within the stored procedure. Is that even possible?? Because if i try to build a tempTable with the same name the server gives me an error. Do i have to give dynamic TempTable names maybe according to the user who is logged in??? Or is there another better option?
MS-SQL Server
A local temp table (one #TableName) is per session/connection
Many users can not share a session/connection
So, a local temp table in a stored procedure is safe for may concurrent users
On the other hand you use a global temp table (##TableName) then it is visible to world+dog
From MSDN (my bold)
There are two types of temporary tables: local and global. Local temporary tables are visible only to their creators during the same connection to an instance of SQL Server as when the tables were first created or referenced. Local temporary tables are deleted after the user disconnects from the instance of SQL Server. Global temporary tables are visible to any user and any connection after they are created, and are deleted when all users that are referencing the table disconnect from the instance of SQL Server.
If it is a true temp table within a stored procedure (SP) then the temp table is created/only exists during the execution of the SP. If the sp is run multiple times by multiple users at the same time the temp table is created multiple times and stored in its own memory space for each user.
The results returned to each user will be unique and each copy of the temp table will not see the temp table from other sp calls.
If you are testing in a query window by creating the temp table twice then you will get an error.
To prove that the above works schedule the SP to run twice at the same time passing a different user id. You will get two different result sets.
In SSMS can I select against temp tables created in the SPROC I'm debugging while the debugger is paused?
Something like in the immediate window of Visual Studio?
When I try SELECT in the command window, it doesn't work. IS this even possible?
From CREATE TABLE
Temporary Tables
You can create local and global
temporary tables. Local temporary
tables are visible only in the current
session; global temporary tables are
visible to all sessions.
You will notice from SSMS, that each tab has a different session id, so, I dont think this is possible, unless you make these global.
You can do the following:
Create the temp table, say #tmp1 outside of the stored procedure
Inside the stored procedure you can create the tmp table, if it doesn't exist. I'm not sure if that step is required.
Now after calling the stored procedure, you can select from the temp table.
Note:
I'm using this at work, but I'm not proud of this trick anymore. In a distributed development environment it is difficult to ensure, that both definitions of the temp table are identical. Maintenance can become a headache.
I built a few stored procedures which allow you to query the content of a temp table created in another session.
See sp_select project on github.
The content of the table can be displayed by running exec sp_select 'tempdb..#temp' from no matter which session.
I have a stored procedure on SQL Server 2000. It contains:
select ... into ##Temp ...
...
drop table ##Temp
When I run the stored procedure with ADO a second time, it prompts:
There is already an object named '##Temp' in the database.
Could anyone kindly tell me what's wrong?
You should re-write your stored proc to drop the temp table if it exists, then you won't ever have this issue
IF (SELECT object_id('TempDB..##Temp')) IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
DROP TABLE ##Temp
END
You are using a global temp table as indicated by the ## at the beginning of the table name. This means multiple sessions can access the table.
It's likely that you have a connection open that created the table, but failed to drop it. Are you sure that the first ADO run actually drop the table. Could it have failed, or did the flow control in the procedure skip the drop statement?
You may want to test the procedure in SQL Server Enterprise Manager to see if it reports any errors.
Since you chose to use a global temporary table ##Temp, it is visible to all SQL connections at any given time. Obviously, while the stored proc is running for one connection, a second connection comes in and tries to create yet another ##Temp but that already exists....
Use connection-local #Temp tables (only one #) instead.
Oh, it's all my fault. I called the SP twice through one connection by mistake.
That's why it always reports error when being called the second time.
Of course you won't know that by reading my description. Sorry guys...
For me this solution works :
IF (SELECT object_id ='#Temp') IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
DROP TABLE #Temp
END
I am making use of temporary tables #tempTable in my stored procedure - that I make use to run my ASP.net Reports (Reporting services)
I am doing something like
eg. Code
SELECT * INTO #tempTable FROM Contacts WHERE ContactID < 10
Then I use something like
SELECT o.* FROM #tempTable t INNER JOIN Orders o ON t.ContactID =o.ContactID
to return values to my reports aka results for the stored procedure
I do not get rid of my #tempTable
i.e. I don't do
DROP TABLE #tempTable
I have read that the scope of temporary table is only for the stored procedure - so is doing the above necessary - if I dont do the above what problems will I get into in the future
First, local temporary tables created within a procedure are dropped once the procedure finishes. From the BOL on Create Table:
A local temporary table created in a stored procedure is dropped automatically when the stored procedure is finished. The table can be referenced by any nested stored procedures executed by the stored procedure that created the table. The table cannot be referenced by the process that called the stored procedure that created the table.
If your data access code is properly opening a connection, calling a stored procedure and then closing the connection, the temp table is created in the procedure is effectively destroyed.
I say "effectively" to bring up another point. I would not recommend dropping the temp table at the end of your procedure although I would add a check just before I created the temp table and drop it if exists (e.g. if object_id('tempdb..#Foo') is not null). The argument against dropping the temp table at the end is that by calling the Drop statement, you are forcing SQL Server to expend resources to destroy the table then and there while you wait for your procedure to end. If instead, you let it go out of scope, your procedure ends immediately and you let SQL Server destroy the table at a time of its own choosing.
The #Temp table is limited scope to YOUR SESSION and lifespan of the batch, meaning nobody else can see your temp table and anyone else can create their own #Temp table with the same name. Once your session or batch ends, SQL Server will clean up the temp table.
On another note the ##Temp table behaves like a normal table. Everyone can see it, and there cannot be more than 1 ##Temp table with the same name. SQL Server will clean these ##Temp tables when the server restarts.
It's considered good coding practice to explicitly drop every temporary table you create. If you are executing scripts through SQL Server Management Studio/Query Analyzer the temp tables are kept until you explicitly drop them or until you close the session.
In general, you're probably not going to have problems by not dropping temporary tables. The local temp table has session scope, or SP scope in your case. It will drop automatically when the session is closed or the SP completes.
However, you do increase the risk of problems by regularly following this practice. For example, if you don't use an SP, but submit your SELECT statement from ASP .net and leave the SQL Server connection open, the temp table will continue to exist. Continued use of the connection and other temp tables will result in tempdb growth over time.
I also support the other comments regarding the use of temp tables in this case. If you create a solution without temp tables, you'll probably have a faster report and avoid the DROP temp table command too.