Category Archives: Data

How to pass arguments from command line to a console application written in C#

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This is a simple tutorial on passing arguments or parameter values from command line to a console application written in C#. Using the example below you should be able to edit and expand on the logic to fit your own needs.

First you’ll need to create a new Visual Studio C# console application, to do so follow these steps:

To create and run a console application

  1. Start Visual Studio.

  2. On the menu bar, choose File, New, Project.
  3. Expand Installed, expand Templates, expand Visual C#, and then choose Console Application.
  4. In the Name box, specify a name for your project, and then choose the OK button.
  5. If Program.cs isn’t open in the Code Editor, open the shortcut menu for Program.cs in Solution Explorer, and then choose View Code.

  6. Replace the contents of Program.cs with the following code.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace TestArgsInput
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            if (args.Length == 0)
            {
				// Display message to user to provide parameters.
                System.Console.WriteLine("Please enter parameter values.");
                Console.Read();
            }
            else
            {
                // Loop through array to list args parameters.
                for (int i = 0; i < args.Length; i++)
                {
                    Console.Write(args[i] + Environment.NewLine);
                    
                }
                // Keep the console window open after the program has run.
                Console.Read();
            }
        }
    }
}

 

The Main method is the entry point of a C# application. When the application is started, the Main method is the first method that is invoked.

The parameter of the Main method is a String array that represents the command-line arguments. Usually you determine whether arguments exist by testing the Length property as in the example above.

When run the example above will list out the parameters you have provided to the command window. The delimiter for command line separating arguments or parameter values is a single space. For example the following would be interpreted as two arguments or parameter values:

“This is parameter 1” “This is parameter 2”

If the arguments were not enclosed by double quotes each word would be considered an argument.

To pass arguments to the console application when testing the application logic the arguments can be written into the debug section of the project properties as shown below.

TestArgs

So if the app is run with the command line arguments provided as above in the image the command window will list:
Parameter 1
Parameter 2
If you would like to know how to create a console application in Visual Studio that won’t open a command window when it runs see this tutorial link.
If you would like to know how to create a csv file with C# see this tutorial link.

How to copy a large result set from SQL Server Management Studio to Excel

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So you’ve tried copying and pasting the results of a query into an excel file only to get the out of memory exception. Now the fun starts!

There are multiple options to achieve copying data from SQL Server Management Studio to excel however most of them are a pain.

You’ve tried the save as option but the csv and text files have jumbled up content. You could use the Management Studio export function, but this is intended for physical tables not results sets and you might not have the permissions to create tables in the environment. You could use the bcp Utility but you’ve probably read leaving this option turned on represents a security risk. You could create an SSIS package . . . yeah that’s an efficient and effective option when you just want the damn results of an ad hoc query!!!

I’d suggest splitting the result set into chunks. You can then copy and paste the chunks into the excel file without running out of memory. Sure it’s kinda manual but trust me it’ll take less time than the options above.

I’d wager you probably only need the result set split into two, so you’ve to copy and paste twice rather than once. Not that big a deal right? I’ve even provided some code below that will really move things along.

Start by writing your query results into a temporary tablet called #QueryResult, for example SELECT * INTO #QueryResult FROM TableName.

Then all you need to do is determine how many segments you need. NTILE(n) is a function that allocates your output into n segments, each of the same size (give or take rounding when the number of rows isn’t divisible by n).

So this produces an output like:

Id Name Ntile
1 Mickey 1
2 Leo 1
3 Raph 2
4 Donnie 2

Start by leaving n set to the default of 2. Once the data is written to the table #QueryResult run the code below in the same SSMS window the temp table was created in. Running the code should produce the same number of returned result sets as the n value you provided. Use a higher n number to create more segments if you still run out of memory when you try to copy and paste the first segment.

/*
Write your query results to a temp table here
i.e. SELECT * INTO #QueryResult FROM TableName
*/
DECLARE @n INT
DECLARE @i INT

/*
Set n to how many segments/results set returned you need
*/
SET @n = 2
SET @i = 1

SELECT *
	,NTILE(@n) OVER (
		ORDER BY RowNum
		) AS NtileGroup
INTO #Export
FROM (
	SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (
			ORDER BY (
					SELECT NULL
					)
			) AS RowNum
		,*
	FROM #QueryResult
	) AS a

WHILE @i <= @n
BEGIN
	SELECT *
	FROM #Export
	WHERE NtileGroup = @i
	ORDER BY RowNum ASC

	SET @i = @i + 1
END

DROP TABLE #QueryResult

DROP TABLE #Export

 

So that’s it, you should now be able to copy and paste your results. Maybe someday in the future Microsoft will add the option of saving results directly to excel . . .

How to assess T-SQL code quickly

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I’m sure you’re an excellent SQL coder writing beautiful efficient queries, but your predecessor . . . well they might have just been lucky to have a job.

Going through someone else’s bad code is usually tiresome, tedious and often very confusing.

I’ve created the T-SQL Assessor excel file to help in this task.

DOWNLOAD (Dropbox link)

The assessor will colour code the sql to highlight the lines of importance. With the Key Word column you can then simply filter to words like INSERT, UPDATE, MERGE and EXEC to see where the data is going or filter the column by the word FROM to see where the data has come from.

To use the T-SQL Assessor file you will first have to format your code using Poor Man’s T-SQL Formatter. This excellent tool can be installed in Visual Studio, SQL Server Management Studio or Notepad++.

http://architectshack.com/PoorMansTSqlFormatter.ashx

You can also use the online option:

http://poorsql.com/

Poor Man’s T-SQL Formatter makes text that contains a SQL command a new line, so you can’t have INSERT and FROM on one line. This is what allows Excel formula’s to highlight the lines with key words as each line can only contain one key word, excluding comments.

Once the code is formatted simply paste it into the first sheet of the file, “SQL”.

That’s it, all the work is then done for you on the second sheet of the file, “SQL Assessed”

T-SQL Assessor is also great at preparing a report from a schema compare script created by Visual Studio. It’s very annoying Microsoft didn’t provide a way of exporting the comparison directly into excel the way Redgate did but this will help. Simply filter the file to only include the keywords.

DOWNLOAD (Dropbox link)

How to archive tables that contain a keyword from one database to another using T-Sql

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In the previous article I wrote about how to identify and remove unwanted tables. Link

In that tutorial I suggested prefixing the tables you want to remove with _DELETE_.

I also suggested you may want to archive the tables in some manner before you delete them. This could be because there is a chance someone might come looking for the data that was in a deleted table or something might break by removing the table and you might want to put it back asap.

If you have only a few tables you could script the tables out but if you have a lot of tables that becomes a little unmanageable. Also if the tables total in size to 10 Gb the script to recreate the tables will be a lot lot larger.

An alternative method is to create an Archive database, copy the tables across to this target database and then delete the tables in the source database. You can then backup and drop the Archive database saving the .bak file somewhere cheaper.

The script below will allow you to do just that. It prints the T-Sql to do the job, it doesn’t carry out the job, so it’s completely safe to execute and review.

To use the script below create a target database.

Use the target database name for the variable value @TargetDb

Use the source database name for the variable value @SourceDb

The @KeyWord variable is used to gather all the tables that contain the string of choice, in the example below _DELETE_.

The @RemoveKeyWord variable is a flag that will remove the keyword string from the target database table name, e.g. _DELETE_Sales will become Sales.

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#Table') IS NOT NULL
	DROP TABLE #Table
GO

DECLARE @RemoveKeyWord BIT
DECLARE @Id AS INT
DECLARE @KeyWord AS VARCHAR(256)
DECLARE @SourceDb AS SYSNAME
DECLARE @TargetDb AS SYSNAME
DECLARE @TableName AS SYSNAME
DECLARE @SchemaName AS SYSNAME
DECLARE @Sql AS VARCHAR(MAX)

SET @RemoveKeyWord = 1
SET @KeyWord = '_DELETE_'
SET @TargetDb = 'Archive'
SET @SourceDb = 'Source'
SET NOCOUNT ON

CREATE TABLE #Table (
	Id_Table INT IDENTITY(1, 1)
	,SchemaName SYSNAME
	,TableName SYSNAME
	);

SET @Sql = '
INSERT INTO #Table (
	SchemaName
	,TableName
	)
SELECT s.NAME
	,so.NAME
FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@SourceDb) + '.sys.tables AS so
LEFT JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@SourceDb) + '.sys.schemas AS s ON so.schema_id = s.schema_id
WHERE so.NAME LIKE ' + '''' + '%' + @KeyWord + '%' + '''' + '
ORDER BY s.NAME ASC'

EXEC (@Sql)

SET @SchemaName = ''

WHILE @SchemaName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
	SET @SchemaName = (
			SELECT MIN(SchemaName)
			FROM #Table
			WHERE SchemaName > @SchemaName
				AND SchemaName <> 'dbo'
			)

	PRINT 'USE ' + QUOTENAME(@TargetDb) + ';
GO
	
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@TargetDb) + '.sys.schemas WHERE name = ' + '''' + @SchemaName + '''' + ')
  BEGIN
    EXEC (' + '''' + 'CREATE SCHEMA ' + QUOTENAME(@SchemaName) + ';' + '''' + ');
  END;
  
'
END

SET @Id = 1

WHILE @Id IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
	SELECT @TableName = TableName
		,@SchemaName = SchemaName
	FROM #Table
	WHERE Id_Table = @Id

	IF @RemoveKeyWord = 1
	BEGIN
		PRINT '
SELECT *
INTO ' + QUOTENAME(@TargetDb) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@SchemaName) + '.' + QUOTENAME(REPLACE(@TableName, @KeyWord, '')) + ' 
FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@SourceDb) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@SchemaName) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@TableName)
	END
	ELSE
	BEGIN
		PRINT '
SELECT *
INTO ' + QUOTENAME(@TargetDb) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@SchemaName) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@TableName) + ' 
FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@SourceDb) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@SchemaName) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@TableName)
	END

	SET @Id = (
			SELECT MIN(Id_Table)
			FROM #Table
			WHERE Id_Table > @Id
			)
END

How to identify and remove unused tables in SQL Server with T-Sql

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In a perfect world an organisation should never get itself into the situation where tables need to be identified as functionally obsolete and removed in bulk. Schema changes should be stepped through the cycle of development, test, staging and live with developers cleaning as they go, but we don’t live in a perfect world as you may have noticed.

What do I mean by functionally obsolete? This means the tables are no longer being interacted with by user generated objects like stored procedures, functions or views. There may also be tables that could be classified as business redundant. That is they are being referenced by user generated objects frequently but they no longer have a use to the business, i.e. one job may have been replaced by another without the former being disabled or dropped. Business redundant objects are more difficult to determine and finding them may require input from multiple stakeholders.

A good approach for removing objects is to rename the objects first. This makes it easier to put the environment back the way it was if there are any problems encountered. After a set period of time if there is no impact on the overall environment script out the object then drop it. (Obviously do this in a test environment first if possible)

The script below is mostly a light weight SELECT statement that can be run on any environment. It does not execute any of the code it generates. It uses the sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats dynamic management view to determine when the tables were last interacted with. Interaction being defined as the following actions being applied against the object, update, seek, scan, lookup.

Caveat: Entries in this view reset to NULL after a Server reboot. Also the DMV has been known to be a bit unreliable with earlier versions of SQL Server with cases of the view being reset when a full index rebuild is carried out against a table. So don’t execute any code without first reviewing it.

Tables with NULL values for the fields below should be tables that have not been referenced at all or at least since the last time the server was rebooted.

LastUserUpdate
LastUserSeek
LastUserScan
LastUserLookup

Removing these objects is the low hanging fruit of cleaning up an environment. The script also provides stats on how many times these interactions happened and the size of the object. All these stats together should help you determine if an object is functionally redundant or business redundant and can be removed.

To aid further in the cleanup the script also creates the fields Action, Comments, Renamed, RenamedDate, RenameForDeletion, RestoreOriginalName, DropTable, DroppedDate.

The script output can then be copied and pasted into an Excel spread sheet and used to coordinate and track the cleanup progress.

SET NOCOUNT ON

DECLARE @Database TABLE ([DbName] [sysname])
DECLARE @DbName AS [sysname]
DECLARE @Sql AS [varchar] (max)

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#TableStats', 'U') IS NOT NULL
	DROP TABLE #TableStats

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#IndexStats', 'U') IS NOT NULL
	DROP TABLE #IndexStats

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#TableUsageStats', 'U') IS NOT NULL
	DROP TABLE #TableUsageStats

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#TableSizeStats', 'U') IS NOT NULL
	DROP TABLE #TableSizeStats

CREATE TABLE #TableStats (
	[DbName] [sysname]
	,[SchemaName] [sysname]
	,[ObjectId] [bigint]
	,[TableName] [sysname]
	,[ModifiedDate] [datetime]
	);

CREATE TABLE #IndexStats (
	[DbName] [sysname]
	,[ObjectId] [bigint]
	,[HasIndex] [bit]
	);

CREATE TABLE #TableSizeStats (
	[DbName] [varchar](255) NULL
	,[SchemaName] [varchar](255) NULL
	,[ObjectId] [bigint]
	,[TableName] [varchar](255) NULL
	,[RowCount] [bigint] NULL
	,[AvailableSpacePercentage] [numeric](6, 2) NULL
	,[UnusedSpaceGb] [numeric](10, 3) NULL
	,[UsedSpaceGb] [numeric](10, 3) NULL
	,[TotalSpaceGb] [numeric](10, 3) NULL
	,[UnusedSpaceMb] [numeric](13, 3) NULL
	,[UsedSpaceMb] [numeric](13, 3) NULL
	,[TotalSpaceMb] [numeric](13, 3) NULL
	,[UnusedSpaceKb] [bigint] NULL
	,[UsedSpaceKb] [bigint] NULL
	,[TotalSpaceKb] [bigint] NULL
	)

CREATE TABLE #TableUsageStats (
	[DbName] [sysname]
	,[ObjectId] [bigint]
	,[TableName] [nvarchar](128) NULL
	,[LastUserUpdate] [datetime] NULL
	,[LastUserSeek] [datetime] NULL
	,[LastUserScan] [datetime] NULL
	,[LastUserLookup] [datetime] NULL
	,[UserUpdateCount] [bigint] NOT NULL
	,[UserSeekCount] [bigint] NOT NULL
	,[UserScanCount] [bigint] NOT NULL
	,[UserLookupCount] [bigint] NOT NULL
	);

SET @DbName = '';

INSERT INTO @Database (DbName)
SELECT NAME
FROM sys.databases 
WHERE NAME NOT IN (
		'tempdb'
		,'master'
		,'mode'
		,'model'
		)
AND state_desc = 'ONLINE'
ORDER BY NAME ASC;

WHILE @DbName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
	SET @DbName = (
			SELECT MIN(DbName)
			FROM @Database
			WHERE DbName > @DbName
			);
	SET @Sql = '
INSERT INTO #TableStats (
	DbName
	,schemaName
	,ObjectId
	,TableName
	,ModifiedDate
	)
SELECT DbName
	,SchemaName
	,ObjectId
	,TableName
	,ModifiedDate
FROM (
SELECT DISTINCT ' + '''' + @DbName + '''' + ' AS DbName
	,s.NAME AS SchemaName
	,t.object_id AS ObjectId
	,t.NAME AS TableName
	,t.modify_date AS ModifiedDate
FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.tables AS t
INNER JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.schemas AS s ON t.schema_id = s.schema_id
LEFT JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.extended_properties AS ep ON ep.major_id = t.[object_id] /*Exclude System Tables*/
WHERE t.NAME IS NOT NULL
	AND s.NAME IS NOT NULL
	AND (ep.[name] IS NULL OR ep.[name] <> ''microsoft_database_tools_support'')
	) AS rd
WHERE rd.SchemaName IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY DbName ASC
	,TableName ASC;
'

	EXEC (@Sql)

	SELECT @Sql = '
INSERT INTO #IndexStats (
	DbName
	,ObjectId
	,HasIndex
	)
SELECT ' + '''' + @DbName + '''' + ' AS DbName
	,OBJECT_ID AS ObjectId
	,IndexCheck AS HasIndex
FROM (
	SELECT DISTINCT OBJECT_ID
		,CASE 
			WHEN (
					[TYPE] > 0
					AND is_disabled = 0
					)
				THEN 1
			ELSE 0
			END AS IndexCheck
	FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.indexes
	) AS rd
WHERE rd.IndexCheck = 1
'

	EXEC (@Sql)

	SET @Sql = 
		'
INSERT INTO #TableSizeStats (
	[DbName]
	,[SchemaName]
	,[ObjectId]
	,[TableName]
	,[RowCount]
	,[AvailableSpacePercentage]
	,[UnusedSpaceGb]
	,[UsedSpaceGb]
	,[TotalSpaceGb]
	,[UnusedSpaceMb]
	,[UsedSpaceMb]
	,[TotalSpaceMb]
	,[UnusedSpaceKb]
	,[UsedSpaceKb]
	,[TotalSpaceKb]
	)
SELECT DISTINCT rd.[DbName]
	,rd.[SchemaName]
	,rd.[ObjectId]
	,rd.[TableName]
	,rd.[RowCount]
	,CASE 
		WHEN TotalSpaceKb > 0
			THEN ((UnusedSpaceKb / TotalSpaceKb) * 100)
		ELSE 0
		END AS AvailableSpacePercentage
	,CONVERT(NUMERIC(10, 3), (rd.[UnusedSpaceKb] / 1024.) / 1024.) AS UnusedSpaceGb
	,CONVERT(NUMERIC(10, 3), (rd.[UsedSpaceKb] / 1024.) / 1024.) AS UsedSpaceGb
	,CONVERT(NUMERIC(10, 3), (rd.[TotalSpaceKb] / 1024.) / 1024.) AS TotalSpaceGb
	,CONVERT(NUMERIC(13, 3), (rd.[UnusedSpaceKb] / 1024.)) AS UnusedSpaceMb
	,CONVERT(NUMERIC(13, 3), (rd.[UsedSpaceKb] / 1024.)) AS UsedSpaceMb
	,CONVERT(NUMERIC(13, 3), (rd.[TotalSpaceKb] / 1024.)) AS TotalSpaceMb
	,rd.[UnusedSpaceKb]
	,rd.[UsedSpaceKb]
	,rd.[TotalSpaceKb]
FROM (
	SELECT ' 
		+ '''' + @DbName + '''' + ' AS DbName
		,t.Object_id AS ObjectId
		,s.[name] AS [SchemaName]
		,t.[name] AS [TableName]
		,p.[rows] AS [RowCount]
		,SUM(a.[used_pages]) * 8 AS [UsedSpaceKb]
		,(SUM(a.[total_pages]) - SUM(a.[used_pages])) * 8 AS [UnusedSpaceKb]
		,SUM(a.[total_pages]) * 8 AS [TotalSpaceKb]
	FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.tables AS t
	INNER JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.schemas AS s ON t.schema_id = s.schema_id
	INNER JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.indexes AS i ON t.OBJECT_ID = i.object_id
	INNER JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.partitions AS p ON i.object_id = p.OBJECT_ID
		AND i.[index_id] = p.[index_id]
	INNER JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.allocation_units a ON p.[partition_id] = a.[container_id]
	WHERE t.[is_ms_shipped] = 0
		AND i.OBJECT_ID > 255
	GROUP BY s.[name]
		,t.[name]
		,t.[object_id]
		,p.[rows]
	) AS rd
ORDER BY DbName ASC
	,SchemaName ASC
	,TableName ASC;
'

	EXEC (@Sql)

	SET @Sql = '
INSERT INTO #TableUsageStats (
	[DbName]
	,[ObjectId]
	,[TableName]
	,[LastUserUpdate]
	,[LastUserSeek]
	,[LastUserScan]
	,[LastUserLookup]
	,[UserUpdateCount]
	,[UserSeekCount]
	,[UserScanCount]
	,[UserLookupCount]
	)
SELECT DbName
	,ObjectId
	,TableName
	,LastUserUpdate
	,LastUserSeek
	,LastUserScan
	,LastUserLookup
	,UserUpdateCount
	,UserSeekCount
	,UserScanCount
	,UserLookupCount
FROM (
	SELECT DISTINCT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (
			PARTITION BY ius.Object_Id ORDER BY last_user_update DESC
			) AS RN
		,' + '''' + @DbName + '''' + ' AS DbName
		,ius.OBJECT_ID AS ObjectId
		,o.NAME AS TableName
		,ius.last_user_update AS LastUserUpdate
		,ius.last_user_seek AS LastUserSeek
		,ius.last_user_scan AS LastUserScan
		,ius.last_user_lookup AS LastUserLookup
		,ius.user_updates AS UserUpdateCount
		,ius.user_seeks AS UserSeekCount
		,ius.user_scans AS UserScanCount
		,ius.user_lookups AS UserLookupCount
	FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + 
		'.sys.dm_db_index_usage_stats AS ius
	INNER JOIN ' + QUOTENAME(@DbName) + '.sys.objects AS o ON ius.OBJECT_ID = o.OBJECT_ID
		AND o.NAME IS NOT NULL
	) AS rd
WHERE rd.RN = 1
ORDER BY rd.DbName ASC
	,rd.TableName ASC
	,rd.LastUserUpdate DESC
	,rd.LastUserSeek DESC
	,rd.LastUserScan DESC
	,rd.LastUserLookup DESC;
'

	EXEC (@Sql)
END;
GO

SELECT DISTINCT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (
		ORDER BY ts.[DbName] ASC
			,ts.[SchemaName] ASC
			,ts.[TableName] ASC
		) AS Row
	,ts.[DbName]
	,ts.[SchemaName]
	,ts.[TableName]
	,'' AS Action --Rename, keep etc.
	,'' AS Comments
	,'' AS Renamed --boolean flag
	,'' AS RenamedDate 
	,i.[HasIndex] --Tables without an index are heaps
	,tss.[TotalSpaceMb] AS TableSizeInMb
	,ts.[ModifiedDate]
	,tus.[LastUserUpdate]
	,tus.[LastUserSeek]
	,tus.[LastUserScan]
	,tus.[LastUserLookup]
	,tus.[UserUpdateCount]
	,tus.[UserSeekCount]
	,tus.[UserScanCount]
	,tus.[UserLookupCount]
	,tss.[AvailableSpacePercentage]
	,tss.[UnusedSpaceGb]
	,tss.[UsedSpaceGb]
	,tss.[TotalSpaceGb]
	,tss.[UnusedSpaceMb]
	,tss.[UsedSpaceMb]
	,tss.[TotalSpaceMb]
	,tss.[UnusedSpaceKb]
	,tss.[UsedSpaceKb]
	,tss.[TotalSpaceKb]
	,'USE ' + QUOTENAME(ts.[DbName]) + '; EXEC sp_rename ' + '''' + ts.[SchemaName] + '.' + ts.[TableName] + '''' + ', ' + '''' + '_DELETE_' + ts.[TableName] + '''' + ';' AS RenameForDeletion
	,'USE ' + QUOTENAME(ts.[DbName]) + '; EXEC sp_rename ' + '''' + ts.[SchemaName] + '.' + '_DELETE_' + ts.[TableName] + '''' + ', ' + '''' + ts.[TableName] + '''' + ';' AS RestoreOriginalName
	,'USE ' + QUOTENAME(ts.[DbName]) + '; DROP TABLE ' + QUOTENAME(ts.[SchemaName]) + '.' + '[' + '_DELETE_' + ts.[TableName] + ']' + ';' AS 'DropTable'
	,'' AS DroppedDate
FROM #TableStats AS ts
LEFT JOIN #TableSizeStats AS tss ON ts.ObjectId = tss.ObjectId
	AND tss.DbName = ts.DbName
LEFT JOIN #IndexStats AS i ON ts.ObjectId = i.ObjectId
	AND i.DbName = ts.DbName
LEFT JOIN #TableUsageStats AS tus ON ts.ObjectId = tus.ObjectId
	AND tus.DbName = ts.DbName
ORDER BY ts.[DbName] ASC
	,ts.[SchemaName] ASC
	,ts.[TableName] ASC

	-- REF: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/system-dynamic-management-views/sys-dm-db-index-usage-stats-transact-sql

How to size transaction log files appropriately and reduce the number of virtual log files

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Sizing transaction log files and resolving the issue of having too many virtual log files may or may not be caused by the same problem but both have similar solutions revolving around the same steps. As such the script provide below can resolve both but the application of the script differs slightly.

Appropriately sizing the Transaction Log (TLog) File

Ideally, TLog files should be created at their desired size at installation rather than being allowed to grow slowly over time.

Typically though the DBA will not know how large or frequent the transactions will be prior to the database becoming active in the production environment.

Or the DBA might be new to the organisation and may not be able to tell if the TLog file size is appropriate for the typical transactions the database handles or is the result of some abnormally large transactions or failed TLog backups.

All this can of course be investigated somewhat but if the database transactions are in the kilobytes and transaction frequency is low then you could also take the pragmatic approach outlined below:

  1. Backup the log until it gets truncated
  2. Shrink the log as much as possible
  3. Allow the file to grow
  4. Record the maximum size of the log
  5. Backup the log until it gets truncated
  6. Shrink the log as much as possible
  7. Manually expand the log to the maximum size recorded in step 4

Carrying out the steps above will also resolve any issues with excessive Virtual Log Files. This is dealt with in more detail below.

The script provided at the end of this article can be utilized to achieve the steps above, see the instructions “How to use the script” below.

Before proceeding with this approach however ensure the following points have been considered as these will minimize the impact of growing the files on the databases:

  • That the autogrowth increment for the transaction log is suitably large, @DefaultFileGrowth is set at 128 Mb. This value or higher is recommended.
  • Appropriate restriction settings for growth, preferably unrestricted
  • Instant file initialization is on.

Review the following article to set up instant file initialization.

https://www.brentozar.com/blitz/instant-file-initialization/

You may already know that the TLog file has been appropriately sized but there are too many VLFs in which case the following section outlines how to resolve VLFs as an issue.

Dealing with Virtual Log Files (VLFs)

Each Transaction Log (TLog) file is divided logically into smaller segments called VLFs. VLFs are the unit of truncation for the TLog. When a VLF no longer contains log records for active transactions, it can be truncated and the space becomes available to log new transactions.

SQL Server should not have an excessive number of VLFs inside the TLog. Having a large number of small VLFs can cause the following problems:

  • Slow down the recovery process on startup or after restoring a backup
  • Slow down TLog backups
  • Affect insert/update/delete performance

What constitutes too many VLFs as a problem is subjective however Microsoft flags 1000+ VLFs as an issue.

The number of VLFs can grow based on the autogrowth settings for the TLog file and how often active transactions are written to disk. The problem of too many VLFs is often the result of accepting the default settings for initial log file size and autogrowth increment when the database is created.

To check how many VLFs a database has run the below command against the database:

DBCC LOGINFO;

Each row returned represents a VLF.

To resolving too many VLFs unfortunately requires some downtime. The fix is to shrink and regrow the log file. This is a blocking operation and I would suggest once complete you run a full backup on the database\s as the shrink will break the continuity of the Full and TLog backup schedule which will cause the TLog backups to fail.

Taking the following steps will reduce the number of VLFs in the TLog of a database:

  1. Record the maximum size of the log
  2. Backup the log until it gets truncated
  3. Shrink the log as much as possible
  4. Manually expand the log to the maximum size recorded in the first step

The script provided at the end of this article can be utilized to achieve the steps above, see the instructions “How to use the script” below.

How to use the script:

The script below will output the TSQL to run against all the databases in your instance. If you want to address every database on the instance run the entire script during scheduled downtime. To run against a specific database simply run the snippet that relates to that database.

The role of Backups

The TLog needs to be backed up and truncated prior to the running the shrink to get the file as small as possible.

Backup Option 1:

The script will backup the TLog\s if you provide a value for the @BackupLocation variable. This is defaulted to ‘C:\SQL_Server\Backup\’.

Backup Option 2: 

Alternatively you can set  @BackupLocation = NULL and run your own TLog backup maintenance plan or maintenance script prior to running the script.

Future Proofing by adding a margin for growth:

The script variable @Margin will allow you to set a percentage of how much larger you want the new TLog file size base on the current size. So for a database with a current TLog file size of 100 Mb, running the script with @Margin = 10 will output TSQL to change the TLog file size to 110 Mb. This has increased the TLog File size by 10%, providing 10% additional disk space before the TLog would need to grow again.

Appropriate TLog File Size Instructions:

Once you have backups arranged using one the options above set the variable @LogSizeMb = ‘128’. And run the script. This will start the TLog file size at 128 Mb.

Take the TSQL Generated and run the snippets needed for particular databases or run the entire script.

Let the file grow over a period that is representative of repeated database transcation activity.

When the TLog file is no longer growing you have found the natural size of the TLog for that database.

Run the script again this time setting @LogSizeMb = 0 and if appropriate provide a value for @Margin. The TSQL generated will then use the current TLog file size as is, plus the optional margin.

Run the snippets for the required database\s.

Dealing with Virtual Log Files (VLFs) Instructions:

Once you have backups arranged using one the options above, ensure that the variable @LogSizeMb is set to zero and if appropriate provide a value for @Margin. Then the script can be run to generate the TSQL needed to shrink and resize the TLog file size reducing the number of VLFs.

Run the snippets for the required database\s.

USE master;
GO

SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO

SET ARITHABORT ON
GO

DECLARE @DbName NVARCHAR(255)
	,@LogicalFileName NVARCHAR(255)
	,@DBRecoveryDesc VARCHAR(200)
	,@LogSizeMb INT
	,@DefaultFileGrowth VARCHAR(10)
	,@BackupLocation VARCHAR(255)
	,@GetDate VARCHAR(23)
	,@Margin AS DECIMAL(5, 2)

SELECT @Margin = 0
	,@LogSizeMb = 0
	,@BackupLocation = 'C:\SQL_Server\Backup\'
	,@DefaultFileGrowth = '128'
	,@GetDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(23), GETDATE(), 126)
	,@GetDate = REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(@GetDate, '-', ''), ':', ''), 'T', '_'), '.', '')

DECLARE DatabaseList CURSOR
FOR
SELECT d.NAME
	,d.recovery_model_desc AS DBRecoveryDesc
	,CASE 
		WHEN @LogSizeMb > 0
			THEN @LogSizeMb
		ELSE CEILING((mf.size * 8.0) / 1024) + (CEILING(((mf.size * 8.0) / 1024) * (@Margin / 100)))
		END AS LogSizeMb
	,@BackupLocation AS BackupLocation
	,@DefaultFileGrowth AS DefaultFileGrowth
FROM sys.databases AS d
LEFT JOIN sys.master_files AS mf ON d.database_Id = mf.database_Id
WHERE d.state_desc = 'ONLINE'
	AND d.is_read_only = 0
	AND d.database_id > 4
	AND type_desc = 'LOG'
ORDER BY NAME

OPEN DatabaseList

FETCH NEXT
FROM DatabaseList
INTO @DbName
	,@DBRecoveryDesc
	,@LogSizeMb
	,@BackupLocation
	,@DefaultFileGrowth

WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
	SET @LogicalFileName = (
			SELECT TOP 1 NAME
			FROM sys.master_files AS mf
			WHERE DB_NAME(database_id) = @DbName
				AND type_desc = 'LOG'
			)

	IF @DBRecoveryDesc = 'Full'
		AND @BackupLocation IS NOT NULL
	BEGIN
		PRINT (
				'Use [' + @DbName + '] 
            GO  
			
			BACKUP LOG [' + @DbName + '] TO DISK=''' + @BackupLocation + @DbName + '_' + @GetDate + '_Log.trn' + ''';
			GO
			
            ALTER DATABASE [' + @DbName + '] SET RECOVERY SIMPLE WITH NO_WAIT
            GO   

            DBCC SHRINKFILE (''' + @LogicalFileName + ''',10)  
            GO  
            
            ALTER DATABASE [' + @DbName + '] MODIFY FILE (NAME=''' + @LogicalFileName + ''', SIZE=' + CONVERT(VARCHAR(10), @LogSizeMb) + 'MB, MAXSIZE=UNLIMITED, FILEGROWTH=' + @DefaultFileGrowth + 'MB);
            GO

            ALTER DATABASE [' + @DbName + '] SET RECOVERY FULL WITH NO_WAIT
            GO '
				)
		PRINT '----------------------------------------------------------- '
	END
	ELSE IF @DBRecoveryDesc = 'Full'
	BEGIN
		PRINT (
				'Use [' + @DbName + '] 
            GO  
					
            ALTER DATABASE [' + @DbName + '] SET RECOVERY SIMPLE WITH NO_WAIT
            GO   

            DBCC SHRINKFILE (''' + @LogicalFileName + ''',10)  
            GO  
            
            ALTER DATABASE [' + @DbName + '] MODIFY FILE (NAME=''' + @LogicalFileName + ''', SIZE=' + CONVERT(VARCHAR(10), @LogSizeMb) + 'MB, MAXSIZE=UNLIMITED, FILEGROWTH=' + @DefaultFileGrowth + 'MB);
            GO

            ALTER DATABASE [' + @DbName + '] SET RECOVERY FULL WITH NO_WAIT
            GO '
				)
		PRINT '----------------------------------------------------------- '
	END
	ELSE IF @DBRecoveryDesc = 'Simple'
	BEGIN
		PRINT (
				'Use [' + @DbName + ']  
            GO  

            DBCC SHRINKFILE (''' + @LogicalFileName + ''',10)    
            GO
            
            ALTER DATABASE [' + @DbName + '] MODIFY FILE (NAME=''' + @LogicalFileName + ''', SIZE=' + CONVERT(VARCHAR(10), @LogSizeMb) + 'MB, MAXSIZE=UNLIMITED, FILEGROWTH=' + @DefaultFileGrowth + 'MB);
            GO
            '
				)
		PRINT '----------------------------------------------------------- '
	END

	FETCH NEXT
	FROM DatabaseList
	INTO @DbName
		,@DBRecoveryDesc
		,@LogSizeMb
		,@BackupLocation
		,@DefaultFileGrowth
END

CLOSE DatabaseList

DEALLOCATE DatabaseList

SQL table of common file types and extensions used in business

Coding, Data, sql, T-SQL, , , , , , , , , ,

Below is a list of the file types and their respective extensions commonly used in business. You can use the SQL script on this page to create a table for use in queries and stored procedures.

(The table below was created used No-Cruft Excel to HTML Table Converter)

FileType Extension
Microsoft Word 97 – 2003 Document doc
Microsoft Word 97 – 2003 Template dot
Word document docx
Word macro-enabled document docm
Word template dotx
Word macro-enabled template dotm
Word binary document introduced in Microsoft Office 2007 docb
Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Worksheet xls
Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Template xlt
Excel macro xlm
Excel workbook xlsx
Excel macro-enabled workbook xlsm
Excel template xltx
Excel macro-enabled template xltm
Excel binary worksheet xlsb
Excel add-in or macro xla
Excel add-in xlam
Excel XLL add-in xll
Excel workspace xlw
Legacy PowerPoint presentation ppt
Legacy PowerPoint template pot
Legacy PowerPoint slideshow pps
PowerPoint presentation pptx
PowerPoint macro-enabled presentation pptm
PowerPoint template potx
PowerPoint macro-enabled template potm
PowerPoint add-in ppam
PowerPoint slideshow ppsx
PowerPoint macro-enabled slideshow ppsm
PowerPoint slide sldx
PowerPoint macro-enabled slide sldm
The file extension for the Office Access 2007 file format ACCDB
The file extension for Office Access 2007 files that are in “execute only” mode ACCDE
The file extension for Access Database Templates. ACCDT
The file extension for the Office Access 2007 file format that enables you to open a database in runtime mode ACCDR
Microsoft Publisher file extension pub
Windows BitMap BMP
Data Interchange format DIF
Graphics Interchange Format GIF
Web page source text HTML
JPEG graphic JPG
JPEG graphic JPEG
Web page imagemap MAP
Acrobat -Portable document format PDF
Public Network graphic PNG
Adobe PhotoShop PSD
PaintShop Pro PSP
Rich Text Format RTF
Stuffit Compressed Archive SIT
UNIX TAR Compressed Archive TAR
TIFF graphic TIF
ASCII text (Mac text does not contain line feeds–use DOS Washer Utility to fix) TXT
Windows sound WAV
MS Works WKS
PC Zip Compressed Archive ZIP

 

USE [YourDatabase]
GO


SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
SET ANSI_PADDING ON
GO
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[IH_FileType](
	[IH_FileType_ID] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL,
	[FileType] [varchar](250) NULL,
	[Extension] [varchar](5) NULL,
	[OfficeFileType] [bit] NULL,
PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED 
(
	[IH_FileType_ID] ASC
)WITH (PAD_INDEX  = OFF, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE  = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS  = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS  = ON) ON [PRIMARY]
) ON [PRIMARY]
GO
SET ANSI_PADDING OFF
GO
SET IDENTITY_INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ON
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (1, N'Microsoft Word 97 - 2003 Document', N'doc', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (2, N'Microsoft Word 97 - 2003 Template', N'dot', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (3, N'Word document', N'docx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (4, N'Word macro-enabled document', N'docm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (5, N'Word template', N'dotx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (6, N'Word macro-enabled template', N'dotm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (7, N'Word binary document introduced in Microsoft Office 2007', N'docb', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (8, N'Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Worksheet', N'xls', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (9, N'Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Template', N'xlt', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (10, N'Excel macro', N'xlm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (11, N'Excel workbook', N'xlsx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (12, N'Excel macro-enabled workbook', N'xlsm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (13, N'Excel template', N'xltx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (14, N'Excel macro-enabled template', N'xltm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (15, N'Excel binary worksheet', N'xlsb', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (16, N'Excel add-in or macro', N'xla', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (17, N'Excel add-in', N'xlam', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (18, N'Excel XLL add-in', N'xll', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (19, N'Excel workspace', N'xlw', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (20, N'Legacy PowerPoint presentation', N'ppt', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (21, N'Legacy PowerPoint template', N'pot', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (22, N'Legacy PowerPoint slideshow', N'pps', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (23, N'PowerPoint presentation', N'pptx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (24, N'PowerPoint macro-enabled presentation', N'pptm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (25, N'PowerPoint template', N'potx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (26, N'PowerPoint macro-enabled template', N'potm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (27, N'PowerPoint add-in', N'ppam', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (28, N'PowerPoint slideshow', N'ppsx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (29, N'PowerPoint macro-enabled slideshow', N'ppsm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (30, N'PowerPoint slide', N'sldx', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (31, N'PowerPoint macro-enabled slide', N'sldm', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (32, N'The file extension for the Office Access 2007 file format', N'accdb', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (33, N'The file extension for Office Access 2007 files that are in "execute only" mode', N'accde', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (34, N'The file extension for Access Database Templates.', N'accdt', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (35, N'The file extension for the Office Access 2007 file format that enables you to open a database in runtime mode', N'accdr', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (36, N'Microsoft Publisher file extension', N'pub', 1)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (37, N'Windows BitMap', N'bmp', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (38, N'Data Interchange format', N'dif', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (39, N'Graphics Interchange Format', N'gif', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (40, N'Web page source text', N'html', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (41, N'JPEG graphic', N'jpg', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (42, N'JPEG graphic', N'jpeg', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (43, N'Web page imagemap', N'map', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (44, N'Acrobat -Portable document format', N'pdf', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (45, N'Public Network graphic', N'png', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (46, N'Adobe PhotoShop', N'psd', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (47, N'PaintShop Pro', N'psp', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (48, N'Rich Text Format', N'rtf', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (49, N'Stuffit Compressed Archive', N'sit', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (50, N'UNIX TAR Compressed Archive', N'tar', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (51, N'TIFF graphic', N'tif', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (52, N'ASCII text (Mac text does not contain line feeds--use DOS Washer Utility to fix)', N'txt', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (53, N'Windows sound', N'wav', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (54, N'MS Works', N'wks', 0)
INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] ([IH_FileType_ID], [FileType], [Extension], [OfficeFileType]) VALUES (55, N'PC Zip Compressed Archive', N'zip', 0)
SET IDENTITY_INSERT [dbo].[IH_FileType] OFF


SELECT *
FROM IH_FileType

How to create a running total in SQL

Data, sql, T-SQL, tsql, , , , , , , , , ,

Below is a simple example of how to create a running total in T-SQL using a self-join.

The total is created by summing the preceding values, the precedence of which is determined by, in this instance, the sale date field.

A date field, or another unique order field, is required for this technique to work otherwise all the values would be summed at once, based on grouping, and the summed value would be displayed for each relevant record.

CREATE TABLE #Product (
Product_ID INT
,Product VARCHAR(10)
)

CREATE TABLE #Sale (
    Product_ID INT
    ,SaleAmount MONEY
    ,SaleDate DATETIME
    )

INSERT INTO #Product
VALUES (
    1
    ,'Bike'
    )
    ,(
    2
    ,'Car'
    )
    ,(
    3
    ,'Truck'
    )


INSERT INTO #Sale
VALUES (
    1
    ,10
    ,'20150101 12:00:00.000'
    )
    ,(
    1
    ,10
    ,'20150102 13:00:00.000'
    )
    ,(
    2
    ,20
    ,'20150101 13:00:00.000'
    )
    ,(
    2
    ,30
    ,'20150101 14:00:00.000'
    )
    ,(
    3
    ,30
    ,'20150101 12:00:00.000'
    )

SELECT a.Product_ID
    ,p.Product
    ,a.SaleAmount
    ,SUM(b.SaleAmount) AS RunningTotal
    ,a.SaleDate
FROM #Sale AS a
INNER JOIN #Product AS p ON a.Product_ID = p.Product_ID   
LEFT JOIN #Sale AS b ON a.Product_ID = b.Product_ID
    AND b.SaleDate <= a.SaleDate
GROUP BY a.Product_ID
    ,p.Product
    ,a.SaleAmount
    ,a.SaleDate


DROP TABLE #Sale
DROP TABLE #Product