Tài liệu MASTERING SQL SERVER 2000- P16 pdf

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using properties of the SQLServer object. For example, once you’ve instantiated a
SQLServer object and connected it to a particular server, you can use the Databases
property of the SQLServer object to retrieve a Database object referring to a particular
database:
Set objDatabase = objSQLServer.Databases(“Northwind”)
In this example, objSQLServer is a SQLServer object. When this line of code is exe-
cuted, the objDatabase object will be set to point to the Northwind database owned
by the specified SQL Server.
You can also use the SQLServer object to perform operations that affect an entire
server. For example, you could use properties and methods of this object to drop a
database, set serverwide options, or manipulate the default timeout for SQL Server
logins.
NOTE All of the sample code in this chapter was written with Visual Basic. Of course,
because SQL-DMO is a COM server, you can use the objects, methods, and properties it
exposes from any COM client language. You need to set a reference to the Microsoft
SQLDMO Object Library in your client code to use these objects.
In the following pages, we’ll list the properties, methods, and events of the
SQLServer object. These lists will give you an overview of the tasks that you can per-
form directly with this object. But first, we need to explain why there are two differ-
ent SQLServer objects in SQL Server 2000. Later in this chapter (in the section
“Creating and Connecting a SQLServer Object”), we’ll show you an example of work-
ing with these objects.
SQLServer and SQLServer2
SQL Server 2000 has two different objects to represent the entire SQL Server. The SQL-
Server object can be used with both SQL Server 2000 and earlier versions of SQL Server.
The SQLServer2 object can be used only with SQL Server 2000. The SQLServer2 object
includes all of the methods, properties, and events of the SQLServer object. In addition,
it exposes some new methods and properties that pertain only to SQL Server 2000.
The SQLServer2 object is an example of an extended SQL-DMO object. If you’re sure

that your code will be working with the latest version of SQL Server, you should use
the extended objects. Otherwise, you should use the earlier versions of the objects for
portability.
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You can’t create the extended objects directly. Rather, you create the original
object and then retrieve the extended object from the interface of the original
object. In Visual Basic or VBA, this is as simple as assigning one object to another,
as this example shows:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer2
Dim objOldSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Set objOldSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objOldSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objOldSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
On Error Resume Next
Set objSQLServer = objOldSQLServer
If Err = 0 Then
Debug.Print objSQLServer.StartupAccount
Else
Debug.Print “This function is not supported.”
End If
Here, the purpose is to retrieve the Windows NT account used by the SQLServer-
Agent by querying the StartupAccount property of the SQLServer object. This prop-
erty is available from only the extended version of the object. The code first connects
to a particular SQL Server (in this case, one named HENHOUSE) using the original
SQLServer object. This will work for any version of SQL Server from 6.5 forward. The
code then assigns this object to the new extended object. If the assignment succeeds,
the code can retrieve the value of the StartupAccount property; if the assignment
fails, you know that this is an older server and that the requested information isn’t

available.
Properties
Table 20.2 lists the properties of the SQLServer and SQLServer2 objects. Although in
general we’re not going to list all the properties of objects in this chapter, we wanted
to give you a feel for the richness of the SQL-DMO object model. Properties with a
check mark in the Extended column are available on only the SQLServer2 object.
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TABLE 20.2: PROPERTIES OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT
Property Extended Description
AnsiNulls True if ANSI null compatibility is enabled
Application The SQL-DMO Application object
AutoReConnect True if the SQLServer object automatically tries
to reconnect in case of any problem
AutoStart ✔ True if the SQLServerAgent starts automatically
when the operating system starts
BlockingTimeout Timeout interval in milliseconds when waiting
for a blocked resource
CodePage Code page of the server
Collation ✔ Collation name for this server
CommandTerminator T-SQL batch delimiter (defaults to GO)
ConnectionID Unique identifier for a connected SQLServer
object

EnableBcp True if bulkcopy operations are enabled
Hostname Network name of the client where this object
is running
InstanceName ✔ Name of the current instance of SQL Server
IsClustered ✔ True if this server is part of a cluster
Isdbcreator True if the login for this object is a member of
the dbcreator role
Isdiskadmin True if the login for this object is a member of
the diskadmin role
Isprocessadmin True if the login for this object is a member of
the processadmin role
Issecurityadmin True if the login for this object is a member of
the securityadmin role
Isserveradmin True if the login for this object is a member of
the serveradmin role
Issetupadmin True if the login for this object is a member of
the setupadmin role
Issysadmin True if the login for this object is a member of
the sysadmin role
Language Language ID for this server
Login Username used for this connection
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TABLE 20.2: PROPERTIES OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT (CONTINUED)
Property Extended Description
LoginSecure True if using integrated security
LoginTimeout Milliseconds to wait for a connection
MaxNumericPrecision Maximum precision of floating-point numbers
on this server

Name Name of the SQL Server
NetName Network name of the server
NetPacketSize Packet size used on the network by this server
NextDeviceNumber Next device ID (this property is obsolete)
ODBCPrefix True if error sources are returned with error
messages
Password Password used for this connection
PID ✔ Process ID for this instance of SQL Server
ProcessID Process ID for this connection
ProcessInputBuffer Contents of the current input buffer
ProcessOutputBuffer Contents of the current output buffer
ProductLevel ✔ Product level (Beta or RTM)
QueryTimeout Milliseconds to wait for query results
QuotedIdentifier True if quoted identifiers are enabled on this
server
RegionalSetting True if SQL Server uses the client locale for dis-
playing data
SaLogin True if the login for this object is a member of
the sysadmin role
ServiceName ✔ Name of the computer where this server is
running
StartupAccount ✔ Name of the login account used by the
SQLServerAgent service
Status Status (running, paused, stopped) of the server
StatusInfoRefetchInterval Sets the interval used to automatically refetch
status information
TranslateChar True if high-order characters are translated to
the client locale
TrueLogin SQL Server login used for the current connec-
tion (even if integrated security was specified)

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TABLE 20.2: PROPERTIES OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT (CONTINUED)
Property Extended Description
TrueName The value of @@SERVERNAME from this server
UserProfile Returns a series of bitflags indicating user privi-
leges on the server
VersionMajor Major version number
VersionMinor Minor version number
VersionString Complete version information
Methods
Table 20.3 lists the methods of the SQLServer and SQLServer2 objects.
TABLE 20.3: METHODS OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT
Method Extended Description
AddStartParameter Appends a startup option for this server
AttachDB Attaches a database file to the current
server
AttachDBWithSingleFile Attaches a database stored in a single
file to the current server
AttachDBWithSingleFile2 ✔ Attaches a database stored in a single
file to the current server
BeginTransaction Starts a T-SQL transaction
Close Closes the connection with the server

CommandShellImmediate Executes an operating system command
Executes an operating system command
and returns the results
CommitTransaction Commits a T-SQL transaction
Connect Connects to a particular SQL Server
Continue Restarts a paused server
DetachDB Detaches a database from the server
DetachedDBInfo ✔ Returns a result set containing informa-
tion about a detached database
CommandShell-
ImmediateWithResults
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TABLE 20.3: METHODS OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT (CONTINUED)
Method Extended Description
DisConnect Breaks the connection with a server
EnumAccountInfo Enumerates the Windows NT accounts
with access to the server
EnumAvailableMedia Enumerates the drives visible to the
server
EnumCollations ✔ Enumerates the valid collations for this
server
EnumDirectories Enumerates the child directories of a
directory on the server
EnumErrorLogs Enumerates the error logs on the current
server
EnumLocks Enumerates the locks currently held on
the server
EnumLoginMappings Enumerates the security mappings on

the current server
EnumNTDomainGroups Enumerates the groups in the server’s
domain
EnumProcesses Enumerates the SQL Server processes on
the current server
EnumServerAttributes Returns a list of the properties of the
current server
EnumVersionInfo Returns the complete VERSIONINFO
resource from the current server
ExecuteImmediate Submits a T-SQL batch for immediate
execution
ExecuteWithResults Submits a T-SQL batch and returns the
results
IsDetachedPrimaryFile ✔ Returns True if a specified disk file is a
primary database file
IsLogin Returns True if a specified name is a
valid login
IsNTGroupMember Returns True if a specified user is in a
specified NT group
Submits a T-SQL batch and returns the
results along with any messages from
the server
ExecuteWithResultsAnd-
Messages
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TABLE 20.3: METHODS OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT (CONTINUED)
Method Extended Description
IsOS Returns True if this server is running on
a specific operating system
IsPackage Returns an integer indicating the version
of SQL Server that this object refers to
KillDatabase Drops a database
KillProcess Terminates a process
ListCollations ✔ Returns a list of all valid collation names
ListCompatibilityLevels ✔ Returns a list of all valid compatibility
levels
ListDetachedDBFiles ✔ Returns a list of all database files refer-
enced by a specified primary database file
ListDetachedLogFiles ✔ Returns a list of all log files referenced
by a specified primary database file
ListInstalledInstances ✔ Returns a list of all named instances of
SQL Server on a specified computer
ListMembers Returns a list of the database roles that
a particular login belongs to
ListStartupProcedures Returns a list of the stored procedures
that execute when the server is started
Pause Pauses the server
PingSQLServerVersion Returns an integer corresponding to the
version of a specified server
ReadBackupHeader Lists the contents of a backup device
or file
ReadErrorLog Returns the contents of an error log

ReConnect Reconnects a disconnected server
RollbackTransaction Rolls back a T-SQL batch
SaveTransaction Sets a checkpoint within a T-SQL batch
ServerLoginMode ✔ Returns the default login mode for the
specified server
Shutdown Stops the server
Start Starts the server
Stop Stops the server
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TABLE 20.3: METHODS OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT (CONTINUED)
Method Extended Description
UnloadODSDLL Unloads a DLL containing extended
stored procedures
VerifyConnection Checks whether the current server is still
connected
Note that although methods and properties can both return information to the
user, there are differences between them. SQL-DMO uses methods for three distinct
situations:
• When the SQLServer object is being told to perform an action (such as dropping
a database)
• When retrieving information requires supplying other information (such as
checking whether a user ID belongs to a particular Windows NT group)
• When the return value consists of multiple pieces of information (such as the
list of all available drives on a system)
These rules for distinguishing methods from properties are consistent across all the
SQL-DMO objects.
Events
Table 20.4 lists the events that the SQLServer object makes available. All of these

events are available on the original SQLServer object. There are no additional events
on the extended SQLServer2 object.
TABLE 20.4: EVENTS OF THE SQLSERVER OBJECT
Event Occurs when…
CommandSent SQL-DMO submits a T-SQL batch to be executed
ConnectionBroken SQL-DMO loses its connection to the server
QueryTimeout A T-SQL batch times out
RemoteLoginFailed An attempt to connect to a remote server fails
ServerMessage A success-with-information message is returned by the server
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The Configuration Object
The Configuration object and its child collection of ConfigValue objects are another
important part of the SQL-DMO object model. With these objects, you can retrieve or
set the same configuration options for a server that you can set with the sp_configure
stored procedure or the configuration options of SQL Server Enterprise Manager.
The Configuration object itself has only one property, the ShowAdvancedOptions
property. Setting this property to True includes the advanced configuration options in
the ConfigValues collection. The Configuration object has two methods: Reconfigure-
CurrentValues and ReconfigureWithOverride. Either method applies changes made to
ConfigValue objects back to the server. The difference is that the ReconfigureWith-
Override method bypasses SQL Server’s validity checking.
The Configuration object has a child collection of ConfigValue objects. Each of

these objects represents a single configuration option for SQL Server. The properties of
the ConfigValue object include:
Name: The name of the option
Description: A lengthier description of the option
CurrentValue: The current value of the option
MinimumValue: The minimum allowed value of the option
MaximumValue: The maximum allowed value of the option
RunningValue: The value currently used by the server (this can differ from
the CurrentValue property if the CurrentValue property has been changed and
the change has not yet been committed to the server)
You’ll see an example of using the Configuration and ConfigValue objects later in
this chapter in the section “Changing a Configuration Option.”
The Database Object
One of the principle objects in the SQL-DMO object model is the Database object.
This object represents an entire database, and it provides a way to both manipulate
databasewide properties and get to other objects stored in a database.
Like the SQLServer object, the Database object has been extended for SQL Server 2000,
so there are both Database and Database2 object types.
Table 20.5 shows some of the principle properties (P) and methods (M) of the Data-
base object. This is not an exhaustive listing. For the full details of these objects, refer
to the SQL-DMO reference in SQL Server Books Online.
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TABLE 20.5: SELECTED DETAILS OF THE DATABASE OBJECT
Name Type Extended Description
Checkpoint M Forces a write of dirty pages back to the disk
CheckTables M Checks the integrity of tables in this database
CheckTablesWithResult M ✔ Checks the integrity of tables in this database
and returns the results as a table

CurrentCompatibility P ✔ Specifies the compatibility level of this database
DboLogin P True if the current login has DBO privileges on
this database
ExecuteImmediate M Executes a T-SQL batch within this database
IsFullTextEnabled P True if full-text searching is available for this
database
Name P Name of the database
Permissions P A set of bitflags that indicate the privileges of
the current SQL-DMO session in this database
PrimaryFilePath P Path to the primary data file for this database
Script M Creates a T-SQL script that re-creates this
database
Shrink M Reduces the space of the files holding this
database
SpaceAvailable P Amount of free space in the database
Status P Current state of the database (suspect, recovery,
loading, and so on)
You’ll see one use for the Database object in the section “Creating a Database” later
in this chapter.
The DBOption Object
The DBOption object is SQL-DMO’s way of allowing you to set the overall options
that control a database. Each Database object has one DBOption object as a child. As
you change the properties of this object, SQL Server changes the options of the refer-
enced database to match. The properties of this object include:
AssignmentDiag: True to enable SQL-92 null behavior
AutoClose: True to close the database when the last user exits
AutoCreateStat: True to automatically create statistics as required
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AutoShrink: True to periodically attempt to shrink the database
AutoUpdateState: True to automatically update statistics as required
ColumnsNullByDefault: True to default newly created columns to
nullable
CompareNull: True to evaluate NULL=NULL as NULL
ContactNull: True to propagate nulls in string concatenation
CursorCloseOnCommit: True to close cursors when changes are committed
DBOUseOnly: True to limit access to the database to the database owner
DefaultCursor: True to give cursors created in a batch local scope
Offline: True to place the database offline
QuoteDelimiter: True to allow quoted delimiters
ReadOnly: True to make the database read-only
RecursiveTriggers: True to allow triggers to fire other triggers
SelectIntoBulkCopy: True to allow SELECT INTO and bulkcopy operations
SingleUser: True to limit the database to one user at a time
TornPageDetection: True to force SQL Server to automatically scan for
torn pages
TruncateLogOnCheckpoint: True to truncate the log on each checkpoint
You’ll see an example of using the DBOption object later in the chapter in the sec-
tion “Changing a Configuration Option.”
The StoredProcedure Object
The StoredProcedure object, as you can probably guess by now, represents a single
SQL Server stored procedure. This can be either a system stored procedure or a user-
defined stored procedure. You can use the methods and properties of this object to

create stored procedures, set their properties, execute them, and so on.
Table 20.6 shows the methods (M) and properties (P) of the StoredProcedure
object. This is a complete list, because this object does not have the overwhelming
complexity of some of the other objects that represent larger parts of SQL Server. Note
that SQL Server 2000 also exposes an extended StoredProcedure2 object.
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TABLE 20.6: DETAILS OF THE STOREDPROCEDURE OBJECT
Name Type Extended Description
Alter M Assigns new text to the stored procedure
AnsiNullsStatus M ✔ True when this stored procedure refers to a
table defined with ANSI null behavior
CreateDate P Date and time this stored procedure was
created
Deny M Denies permission to a specific user
EnumDependencies M Returns a list of objects that depend on this
stored procedure or objects that this stored
procedure depends on
EnumParameters M Returns a list of parameters for this stored
procedure
Grant M Grants permissions to a specific user
ID P Unique identifier that SQL Server uses to track
this stored procedure
IsDeleted P ✔ True if this stored procedure has been deleted
by another session
ListPermissions M Lists implicit and explicit permissions for a
specified user
ListUserPermissions M Lists explicit permissions for a specified user
Name P Name of the stored procedure

Owner P Owner of the stored procedure
QuotedIdentifierStatus P True if this stored procedure depends on a
table that uses quoted identifiers
Remove M Drops the stored procedure
Revoke M Reverses the effect of Grant or Deny
Script M Generates a T-SQL script for this stored
procedure
Startup P True if this stored procedure runs at server
startup
SystemObject P True if this is a system stored procedure
Text P Actual T-SQL text of the stored procedure
Type P Indicates whether this is a regular or extended
stored procedure
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You’ll learn more about the StoredProcedure object in the section “Creating and
Executing a Stored Procedure” later in this chapter.
The Table Object
The Table object (along with the extended Table2 object in SQL Server 2000) repre-
sents a single table within a database. Other child objects of the Table object let you
work with all the other things that go into a table: columns, indexes, keys, con-
straints, and so on. Figure 20.1 shows the other objects that are descendants of the
Table object. Later in this chapter, in the section “Creating a Table,” you’ll see how to

use some of these objects together in code.
FIGURE 20.1
The Table object and
its descendants
The Table object is quite complex, with many methods and properties. Table 20.7
lists some of the more important methods (M) and properties (P) of this object.
Table
Checks ClusteredIndex Columns
Indexes
Keys PrimaryKey Triggers
Key
Trigger
KeyColumns
ReferencedColumns
Check Column
Index
DRIDefault
IndexedColumns
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TABLE 20.7: SELECTED DETAILS OF THE TABLE OBJECT
Name Type Extended Description
AnsiNullsStatus P ✔ True if the table uses ANSI null handling
DataSpaceUsed P Actual storage space used (in KB) for the
table’s data
EnumDependencies M Lists all the objects that this table depends on
or all the objects that depend on this table
EnumReferencedTables M Lists all the tables that this table references
via DRI

EnumReferencingTables M Lists all the tables that reference this table
via DRI
FullTextIndexActive P True if this table is participating in full-text
indexing
FullTextPopulation M ✔ Builds the full-text index for the table
GenerateSQL M Creates a SQL statement that will create this
table
HasClusteredIndex P True if the table has a clustered index
HasIndex P True if the table has any index
ImportData M Imports data via bulkcopy
Name P Name of the table
Owner P Owner of the table
RebuildIndexes M Rebuilds the indexes for the table
Rows P Number of rows stored in the table
TruncateData M Deletes all rows from the table without logging
UpdateStatistics M Updates the information used for determining
optimum query plans
The Column Object
The Column object (together with the extended Column2 object) is a subsidiary of
the Table object. The Table object contains a Columns collection, which in turn con-
tains one Column object for each column in the table. Of course, you can use the
Columns collection to iterate through all of the columns in a table:
Dim objTable as SQLDMO.Table
Dim objColumn As SQLDMO.Column
…
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‘ Table must be instantiated before this looping code is called
For Each objColumn in objTable.Columns
‘ Do something with each column here
Next objColumn
The Column object has more properties than methods. You’ll find that this is com-
mon as you get to the more specific objects. In code, you can use properties to
describe these objects, but manipulating objects via methods is normally left to the
larger objects.
Table 20.8 shows some of the methods (M) and properties (P) of the Column
object.
TABLE 20.8: SELECTED DETAILS OF THE COLUMN OBJECT
Name Type Extended Description
AllowNulls P True if the column is nullable
AlterDataType M ✔ Changes the datatype of a column
BindDefault M Associates a default with this column
Collation P ✔ Collation for this column
ComputedText P T-SQL statement used to generate the value of
a computed column
DataType P Name of the datatype for this column
Identity P True if this is an identity column
IdentityIncrement P Increment for an identity column
IdentitySeed P Starting value for an identity column
InPrimaryKey P True if this column is part of the primary key
IsComputed P True if this is a computed column
Length P Maximum data length for the column
Name P Name of the column

NumericPrecision P Precision for a numeric column
NumericScale P Scale for a numeric column
Remove M Drops this column from the table
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The Alert Object
Not all of the objects within SQL-DMO are directly related to data. A good example of
one of these helper objects is the Alert object. The Alert object corresponds to a single
SQL Server alert. If you’re working in SQL Server Enterprise Manager, you’ll find alerts
in the Management folder under the SQLServerAgent node.
NOTE Alerts are covered in more detail in Chapter 17.
You can use the Alert object to create a new alert or modify the properties of an
existing alert. The AddNotification method is used to associate operators (who can be
represented by Operator objects) with an alert.
Table 20.9 shows some of the methods (M) and properties (P) of the Alert object.
TABLE 20.9: SELECTED DETAILS OF THE ALERT OBJECT
Name Type Description
AddNotification M Associates an operator with this alert
Category P Category that this alert belongs to
DatabaseName P Database that this alert monitors
Enabled P True if this alert is active
EnumNotifications M Lists all the notifications for this alert
JobName P Job to run when this alert is activated
MessageID P Error number that activates this alert
Name P Name of the alert
Severity P Error severity that activates this alert
Sample SQL-DMO Code
Now that you have some idea that SQL-DMO objects exist, and know the sort of prop-
erties and methods that they implement, it’s time to see some examples of their use.

SAMPLE SQL-DMO CODE
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In this section, we’ll show you seven techniques that are representative of the kinds
of things you can do with SQL-DMO:
• Creating and connecting a SQLServer object
• Creating a database
• Changing a configuration option
• Creating a table
• Dropping a table
• Creating and executing a stored procedure
• Creating an alert
However, before we dig into the code, we’d like to talk just a bit about why you would
write this sort of application. SQL-DMO is mainly useful for two sorts of programs:
general-purpose management utilities and limited-use utilities that are safe for users.
Some developers make their living enhancing and extending applications like SQL
Server. Suppose, for example, you have an idea for a better way to design tables. Per-
haps instead of the standard grid metaphor, you’re envisioning a drag-and-drop envi-
ronment, where you can grab predefined fields and stick them together to form
tables. Well, once your application has progressed to the point where the user inter-
face works, you’ll need to tell SQL Server what objects to create and which properties
to assign to those objects. SQL-DMO is the obvious choice for this interface to SQL
Server, because it encompasses all of the things one normally needs to do with objects.
On the other end of the spectrum, you might have users who occasionally need to

perform an administrative task on your SQL Server. Perhaps the personnel depart-
ment is responsible for adding new hires in a specific job position to the list of autho-
rized SQL Server operators. You wouldn’t necessarily want to train your personnel
people in the complete use of SQL Server Enterprise Manager. Instead, you could use
SQL-DMO in conjunction with Visual Basic to create a specialized front-end program
that could be used only for creating operators. This would be easier to train your per-
sonnel folks to use and safer for the server.
We hope that those two illustrations, combined with the code in the rest of the
chapter, will inspire you to use SQL-DMO in your own applications.
Creating and Connecting a SQLServer Object
Before you can do anything else with SQL-DMO, you need to establish a connection
to the SQL Server with which you want to work. This involves three basic steps:
1. Create the SQLServer object.
2. Set security properties.
3. Connect to the server.
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The simplest way to connect to a SQL Server is to use Windows NT integrated secu-
rity. You can do this by setting the LoginSecure property of the SQLServer object to
True, as in the following code fragment:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
Debug.Print objSQLServer.TrueLogin
This code first creates and instantiates (with the New keyword) a SQLServer object.
The code then sets the LoginSecure property and attempts to connect with a server
named HENHOUSE. If this works, the code will print out the name of the Windows
NT security account that was used for the connection.

TIP The code in this chapter uses a server named HENHOUSE for all the examples. Of
course, you’ll need to change this to the name of your own SQL Server if you want to try
the code on your own network.
You can also log in to a server by supplying a SQL Server username and password,
as in this example:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objSQLServer.LoginSecure = False
objSQLServer.Login = “sa”
objSQLServer.Password = “”
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
Debug.Print objSQLServer.TrueLogin
In this case, the code attempts to log in as the sa user with a blank password. If this
works, the TrueLogin property will return the name of the SQL Server security
account that was used (in this case, “sa”).
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Finally, you can simplify this code by supplying the login and password directly as
parameters to the Connect method. Also, the LoginSecure property defaults to False,
so you can omit setting this property if you’re using SQL Server security. Note that
this won’t work if you’re using integrated security:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer

objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”, “sa”, “”
Debug.Print objSQLServer.TrueLogin
Creating a Database
One task that SQL-DMO is well suited for is the creation of new objects. For example,
you can use SQL-DMO to create a database entirely through code, without using the
UI or explicitly executing a CREATE DATABASE statement.
The code for creating a new database starts out by defining variables and connect-
ing to a SQL Server, just like any other SQL-DMO procedure:
Dim objDatabase As SQLDMO.Database
Dim objDBFile As SQLDMO.DBFile
Dim objLogFile As SQLDMO.LogFile
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
‘ Connect to the server using integrated security
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
The next task is to instantiate the SQL-DMO database object using the New opera-
tor and give the database a name:
‘ Create the database object
Set objDatabase = New SQLDMO.Database
‘ Give it a name
objDatabase.Name = “NewDB”
At this point, the Database object exists, but SQL-DMO doesn’t yet have enough
information to create the database on disk. The essential missing piece of information
is where to store the database. You can fill this gap by creating a DBFile object (which
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represents a single physical storage file) and giving it an internal name and a physical
storage name:

‘ Now for the physical storage
Set objDBFile = New SQLDMO.DBFile
objDBFile.Name = “NewDBFile”
objDBFile.PhysicalName = “c:\Temp\NewDB.mdf”
‘ Size is in megabytes
objDBFile.Size = 4
WARNING In production code, you wouldn’t want to include the actual filename
in the code. You might use a common dialog to prompt the user for a file location, or
look at the DBFile object belonging to the master database to determine where other
SQL Server databases on this server are stored.
Once the DBFile object has been created, you can associate it with the database by
adding it to the PRIMARY filegroup of the Database object. There must be at least one
DBFile added to this filegroup before you can save the database. You can also add as
many additional files as you’d like with the same technique.
‘ Add this file to the primary filegroup
objDatabase.FileGroups(“PRIMARY”).DBFiles.Add objDBFile
Optionally, you can add a log file for the database with a similar technique. If you
skip this step, SQL Server will use the server defaults to create a log file.
‘ Now for a log file
Set objLogFile = New SQLDMO.LogFile
objLogFile.Name = “NewDBLog”
objLogFile.PhysicalName = “c:\Temp\NewDB.ldf”
objLogFile.Size = 2
‘ Add this log file to the database
objDatabase.TransactionLog.LogFiles.Add objLogFile
Once the database has a name and a storage location, you can cause SQL-DMO to
create the database by adding the Database object to the server’s Databases collection:
‘ And finally add the database to the server
objSQLServer.Databases.Add objDatabase
That’s all you need to do to create a new database with SQL-DMO. As with any

other method of creating a new database, the database will initially be a copy of the
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model database. You could use SQL-DMO to add tables, views, stored procedures, and
other objects to the new database.
Changing a Configuration Option
As you already know, there are several configuration options you can set for a data-
base, controlling such things as whether nulls are handled according to ANSI rules or
whether the database closes automatically when the last user logs out. You can set
these options in code using the SQL-DMO DBOption object.
For example, suppose you’re planning to execute a SELECT INTO query via code.
Before you can do this, of course, you need to make sure that the select into/bulkcopy
option for the database is turned on. Here’s the way to do that with SQL-DMO:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Dim objDatabase As SQLDMO.Database
Dim objDBOption As SQLDMO.DBOption
‘ Connect to the server using integrated security
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
‘ Fetch the database of interest
Set objDatabase = objSQLServer.Databases(“Northwind”)
‘ Get the DBOption object and set it

Set objDBOption = objDatabase.DBOption
objDBOption.SelectIntoBulkCopy = True
You can use the same technique to set any of the database options; they’re all
implemented as properties of the DBOption object. The section on the DBOption
object earlier in this chapter lists all of the applicable properties.
Creating a Table
Creating objects is simple with SQL-DMO. In fact, you’ve already seen the general
pattern with the creation of a database:
1. Create the new object.
2. Set the object’s properties.
3. Add the object to the appropriate collection.
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When creating a new table with SQL-DMO, this pattern repeats several times,
because to create the table, you must create the columns of the table. Here’s a code
sample illustrating table creation. It starts, of course, by defining objects and connect-
ing to a server. It also retrieves the particular database in which this table will be stored:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Dim objDatabase As SQLDMO.Database
Dim objTable As SQLDMO.Table
Dim objColumn As SQLDMO.Column
‘ Connect to the server using integrated security
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
‘ Fetch the database of interest
Set objDatabase = objSQLServer.Databases(“NewDb”)
Next the code instantiates the Table object and assigns a name to it:
‘ Create the table object

Set objTable = New SQLDMO.Table
objTable.Name = “Customers”
The table is created with an empty Columns collection. If you tried to add the
table to the database at this point, you’d receive an error, because a table must have at
least one column. To add a column to the table, you create a Column object, set its
properties, and add it to the Table object’s Columns collection:
‘ Add a column
Set objColumn = New SQLDMO.Column
objColumn.Name = “CustomerID”
objColumn.Identity = True
objColumn.IdentitySeed = 1
objColumn.IdentityIncrement = 1
objColumn.Datatype = “int”
objColumn.AllowNulls = False
objTable.Columns.Add objColumn
Once the Column object has been added to the collection, it’s a permanent part of
the table. You can reuse the object to add more columns to the table:
‘ Add some more columns
Set objColumn = New SQLDMO.Column
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objColumn.Name = “CustomerName”
objColumn.Datatype = “varchar”

objColumn.Length = 50
objColumn.AllowNulls = False
objTable.Columns.Add objColumn
Set objColumn = New SQLDMO.Column
objColumn.Name = “ContactName”
objColumn.Datatype = “varchar”
objColumn.Length = 50
objColumn.AllowNulls = True
objTable.Columns.Add objColumn
Finally, when you’re done creating the table and are ready to save it back to the
database, you add it to the Database object’s Tables collection:
‘ And add the table to the database
objDatabase.Tables.Add objTable
Dropping a Table
Dropping a table is even easier than creating it. You just need to call the Remove
method of the Tables collection of the appropriate database:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Dim objDatabase As SQLDMO.Database
Dim objTable As SQLDMO.Table
‘ Connect to the server using integrated security
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
‘ Fetch the database of interest
Set objDatabase = objSQLServer.Databases(“NewDb”)
‘ And drop the table
objDatabase.Tables.Remove “Customers”, “dbo”
Note that the Remove method takes two arguments. The first is the name of the
table; the second is the name of the owner of the table. Supplying both arguments
ensures that you delete the table you intend to delete.

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Creating and Executing a Stored Procedure
As you can probably guess by now, creating a stored procedure involves creating an
object, setting its properties, and adding it to the appropriate collection. Here’s an
example:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Dim objDatabase As SQLDMO.Database
Dim objStoredProc As SQLDMO.StoredProcedure
‘ Connect to the server using integrated security
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer
objSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
‘ Fetch the database of interest
Set objDatabase = objSQLServer.Databases(“NewDb”)
‘ Create and name the stored procedure
Set objStoredProc = New SQLDMO.StoredProcedure
objStoredProc.Name = “spInsertCust”
‘ Set the text of the stored procedure
objStoredProc.Text = “CREATE PROC spInsertCust “ & _
“(@CustName varchar(50), “ & _
“@ContactName varchar(50)) “ & _
“AS “ & _
“INSERT INTO Customers (CustomerName, ContactName) “ & _
“VALUES (@CustName, @ContactName)”
‘ And save it
objDatabase.StoredProcedures.Add objStoredProc
Note that the Name property assigned to the stored procedure must agree with the
name used in the CREATE PROC statement. Also, as you can see, there’s not a great

difference between creating a stored procedure with SQL-DMO and creating it
through a tool such as SQL Query Analyzer. Either way, you must provide the T-SQL
text of the stored procedure.
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You might expect executing a stored procedure to be a method of the StoredProcedure
object. However, you’d be wrong. If you need to execute a stored procedure via SQL-
DMO, you use the ExecuteImmediate method of the SQLServer object:
‘ Execute the stored procedure
objDatabase.ExecuteImmediate _
“spInsertCust “”Microsoft””, “”Bill Gates”””
TIP In Visual Basic, you can use two quote marks together within a string to insert a
single quote. We’ve used that technique here to pass the string parameters that the
stored procedure expects. Also note that you need to re-create the Customers table
before you can execute this stored procedure.
Creating an Alert
As a final example, let’s look at creating an object that’s not directly associated with
data. Even though an alert is substantially different from a table or a stored procedure,
creating an alert follows the same pattern as the other examples we’ve examined:
Dim objSQLServer As SQLDMO.SQLServer
Dim objAlert As SQLDMO.Alert
‘ Connect to the server using integrated security
Set objSQLServer = New SQLDMO.SQLServer

objSQLServer.LoginSecure = True
objSQLServer.Connect “HENHOUSE”
‘ Create the alert and give it a name
Set objAlert = New SQLDMO.Alert
objAlert.Name = “Full NewDB”
‘ Associate the alert with a particular error
objAlert.MessageID = 9002
objAlert.DatabaseName = “NewDb”
‘ And add it to the Job Server
objSQLServer.JobServer.Alerts.Add objAlert
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