Sql-server – SQL Server – Ignoring object dependencies to copy a DB (despite some column referenced in a stored procedure no longer existing)

A common problem when developers involves the schema that SQL Server assumes when creating or altering an object. This is especially likely in the following circumstances:

1. The developer has recently been removed from the db_owner role The developer is working on a server that they normally don't.
2. They are likely to see the problem on a production server (where their permissions are tightly controlled) rather than a development server (where they might be a member of db_owner or even sysadmin).

This problem is often described by developers as "SQL Server is using the old version of my proc". What really happens is that the developer is modifying a copy of the procedure and executing a different copy of the procedure.

The quick way out of this is to ensure that you are providing a schema for the stored procedure with your drop, create, alter and execute statements. In SQL Server, the vast majority of the time, that schema is "dbo". In other words, prefer this:

alter procedure dbo.foo
as
select 1
go 
exec dbo.foo

and avoid this:

alter procedure foo
as
select 1
go 
exec foo

While I am in full agreement that source control is the right way to do this, I also understand that not all environments are disciplined enough to rely on that alone (if at all), and that sometimes changes have to made directly to keep the app running, save a client, what have you.

You can use a DDL trigger to keep all revisions in a table in a separate database (and of course back up that database frequently). Assuming you have a utility database:

USE Utility;
GO


CREATE TABLE dbo.ProcedureChanges
(
    EventDate    DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    EventType    NVARCHAR(100),
    EventDDL     NVARCHAR(MAX),
    DatabaseName NVARCHAR(255),
    SchemaName   NVARCHAR(255),
    ObjectName   NVARCHAR(255),
    HostName     NVARCHAR(255),
    IPAddress    VARCHAR(32),
    ProgramName  NVARCHAR(255),
    LoginName    NVARCHAR(255)
);

Now in your database, first let's grab what we'll call "initial control" - the current version of the stored procedures:

USE YourDB;
GO

INSERT Utility.dbo.ProcedureChanges
(
    EventType,
    EventDDL,
    DatabaseName,
    SchemaName,
    ObjectName
)
SELECT
    N'Initial control',
    OBJECT_DEFINITION([object_id]),
    DB_NAME(),
    OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME([object_id]),
    OBJECT_NAME([object_id])
FROM
    sys.procedures;

Now to capture subsequent changes, add a DDL trigger to the database:

USE YourDB;
GO

CREATE TRIGGER CaptureStoredProcedureChanges
    ON DATABASE
    FOR CREATE_PROCEDURE, ALTER_PROCEDURE, DROP_PROCEDURE
AS
BEGIN
    SET NOCOUNT ON;

    DECLARE @EventData XML = EVENTDATA(), @ip VARCHAR(32);

    SELECT @ip = client_net_address
        FROM sys.dm_exec_connections
        WHERE session_id = @@SPID;

    INSERT Utility.dbo.ProcedureChanges
    (
        EventType,
        EventDDL,
        SchemaName,
        ObjectName,
        DatabaseName,
        HostName,
        IPAddress,
        ProgramName,
        LoginName
    )
    SELECT
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/EventType)[1]',   'NVARCHAR(100)'), 
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/TSQLCommand)[1]', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'),
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/SchemaName)[1]',  'NVARCHAR(255)'), 
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/ObjectName)[1]',  'NVARCHAR(255)'),
        DB_NAME(), HOST_NAME(), @ip, PROGRAM_NAME(), SUSER_SNAME();
END
GO

Over time it will become easy to see and compare changes to procedures, watch new procedures get added to the system, see procedures get dropped, and have a good idea of who to talk to about any of these events.

More information here:

http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2085/sql-server-ddl-triggers-to-track-all-database-changes/