Dynamic SQL Server question

Question

I want to create dymamic SQL code to automatically create a table-replication.

I'm stuck on how to make the following code dynamic, so that it's possible to pass in SQL variables and use them in the code. I help myself at the moment with search and replacing the 'TODO:' parts, which is not very nice... Here is the code:

DECLARE @sql VARCHAR(MAX)
SET @sql = ''

SELECT
  @sql = @sql + 
         'exec sp_addarticle @publication = ''TODO:TREP_PUBLICATION_NAME'',@article = N''' + 
         name + 
         ''', @source_owner = N''dbo'', @source_object = N''' + 
         name + 
         ''', @type = N''logbased'', @description = N'''', @creation_script = N'''', @pre_creation_cmd = N''delete'', @schema_option = 0x0000000000000000, @identityrangemanagementoption = N''none'', @destination_table = N''' + 
         name + 
         ''', @destination_owner = N''dbo'', @status = 8, @vertical_partition = N''false'', @ins_cmd = N''SQL'', @del_cmd = N''SQL'', @upd_cmd = N''SQL'''
FROM
  TODO:PUBLICATION_DB.sys.tables
WHERE
  type      = 'U'
  AND name IN (
    SELECT 
      name
    FROM
      OPENROWSET('SQLOLEDB', 'TODO:SUBSCRIBER_SERVER';
                 'TODO:SUBSCRIBER_LOGIN';
                 'TODO:SUBSCRIBER_PASSWORD', 'select * from TODO:SUBSCRIBER_DB.sys.tables where type=''U''')
  )
  AND name IN (
    SELECT
      TABLE_NAME
    FROM
      TODO:PUBLICATION_DB.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS
    WHERE
      TODO:TABLE_NAME_FILTER
  )

EXEC(@Sql)

One problem is that I need dynamic SQL inside a dynamic SQL block. If somebody could help me to convert this code using variables I would really appreciate that!

Thanks Daniel

Answer 1

Dynamic SQL might not be the answer - but that doesn't mean you can't make it easier to automate and 'parameter-ize'.

In other words, I once managed a huge replication topology where I frequently had to tear down subscribers, and even (occasionally) recreate publications, and so on. Rather than mucking with trying to generate T-SQL that dynamically queried things and did EVERYTHING in one fell-swoop, I create a number of T-SQL Templates (.tql files) that I could then use to populate with a few parameters, and then turn loose.

And if you're unfamiliar with templates, just check out this video - which will quickly get you up to speed:

http://www.sqlservervideos.com/video/using-sql-server-templates

And here's an example of the kind of template I was using to add articles - as you're shooting for:

/* Add Article */


USE [<database,sysname,--Default>]
GO

EXEC sp_addarticle
    @publication = N'<publicationName,sysname,--Default>',
    @article = N'<article_1,sysname,--Default>',
    @source_owner = N'dbo', 
    @source_object = N'<article_1,sysname,--Default>',
    @destination_table = N'<article_1,sysname,--Default>',
    @type = N'logbased', 
    @creation_script = null, 
    @description = null, 
    @pre_creation_cmd = N'drop', 
    @schema_option = <bitmask_1,binary(8),0x000000000000CCD3>,
    @status = 16, 
    @vertical_partition = N'false', 
    @ins_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSins_<article_1,sysname,--Default>', 
    @del_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSdel_<article_1,sysname,--Default>', 
    @upd_cmd = N'MCALL sp_MSupd_<article_1,sysname,--Default>', 
    @filter = null, 
    @sync_object = null, 
    @auto_identity_range = N'false'
GO

EXEC sp_addarticle
    @publication = N'<publicationName,sysname,--Default>',
    @article = N'<article_2,sysname,--Default>',
    @source_owner = N'dbo', 
    @source_object = N'<article_2,sysname,--Default>',
    @destination_table = N'<article_2,sysname,--Default>',
    @type = N'logbased', 
    @creation_script = null, 
    @description = null, 
    @pre_creation_cmd = N'drop', 
    @schema_option = <bitmask_2,binary(8),0x000000000000CCD3>,
    @status = 16, 
    @vertical_partition = N'false', 
    @ins_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSins_<article_2,sysname,--Default>', 
    @del_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSdel_<article_2,sysname,--Default>', 
    @upd_cmd = N'MCALL sp_MSupd_<article_2,sysname,--Default>', 
    @filter = null, 
    @sync_object = null, 
    @auto_identity_range = N'false'
GO

EXEC sp_addarticle
    @publication = N'<publicationName,sysname,--Default>',
    @article = N'<article_3,sysname,--Default>',
    @source_owner = N'dbo', 
    @source_object = N'<article_3,sysname,--Default>',
    @destination_table = N'<article_3,sysname,--Default>',
    @type = N'logbased', 
    @creation_script = null, 
    @description = null, 
    @pre_creation_cmd = N'drop', 
    @schema_option = <bitmask_3,binary(8),0x000000000000CCD3>,
    @status = 16, 
    @vertical_partition = N'false', 
    @ins_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSins_<article_3,sysname,--Default>', 
    @del_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSdel_<article_3,sysname,--Default>', 
    @upd_cmd = N'MCALL sp_MSupd_<article_3,sysname,--Default>', 
    @filter = null, 
    @sync_object = null, 
    @auto_identity_range = N'false'
GO

EXEC sp_addarticle
    @publication = N'<publicationName,sysname,--Default>',
    @article = N'<article_4,sysname,--Default>',
    @source_owner = N'dbo', 
    @source_object = N'<article_4,sysname,--Default>',
    @destination_table = N'<article_4,sysname,--Default>',
    @type = N'logbased', 
    @creation_script = null, 
    @description = null, 
    @pre_creation_cmd = N'drop', 
    @schema_option = <bitmask_4,binary(8),0x000000000000CCD3>,
    @status = 16, 
    @vertical_partition = N'false', 
    @ins_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSins_<article_4,sysname,--Default>', 
    @del_cmd = N'CALL sp_MSdel_<article_4,sysname,--Default>', 
    @upd_cmd = N'MCALL sp_MSupd_<article_4,sysname,--Default>', 
    @filter = null, 
    @sync_object = null, 
    @auto_identity_range = N'false'
GO

And in some cases... I also used these templates which in turn had some nested/dynamic SQL. But by using both, I found that I was able to very easily tame some of the more redundant tasks necessary without over-complicating things.