Creating stored procedure in another database

Question

Any idea if it's possible to create a procedure in another database using T-SQL alone, where the name of the database is not known up front and has to be read from a table? Kind of like this example:

Use [MasterDatabase]
Declare @FirstDatabase nvarchar(100)
Select Top 1 @FirstDatabase=[ChildDatabase] From [ChildDatabases]
Declare @SQL nvarchar(4000)
Declare @CRLF nvarchar(10) Set @CRLF=nchar(13)+nchar(10)
Set @SQL =
    'Use [+'@Firstdatabase+']'+@CRLF+
    'Go'+@CRLF+
    'Create Proc [Test] As Select 123'
Exec (@SQL)

See what I'm trying to do? This example fails because Go is actually not a T-SQL command but it something recognised by the query analyser/SQL management studio and produces an error. Remove the Go and it also fails because Create Proc must be the first line of the script. Arrgg!!

The syntax of T-SQL doesn't allow you do things like this:

Create [OtherDatabase].[dbo].[Test]

Which is a shame as it would work a treat! You can do that with Select statements, shame it's inconsistent:

Select * From [OtherDatabase]..[TheTable]

Cheers, Rob.

Solution 1

It's a pain, but this is what I do. I took this from an example I found on sqlteam, I think - you might have some quoting issues with the way I did the indiscriminate REPLACE:

DECLARE @sql AS varchar(MAX)
DECLARE @metasql as varchar(MAX)
DECLARE @PrintQuery AS bit
DECLARE @ExecQuery AS bit

SET @PrintQuery = 1
SET @ExecQuery = 0

SET @sql = 
'
CREATE PROCEDURE etc.
AS
BEGIN
END
'

SET @metasql = '
USE OtherDatabase
EXEC (''' + REPLACE(@sql, '''', '''''') + ''')
'

IF @PrintQuery = 1
    PRINT @metasql
IF @ExecQuery = 1
    EXEC (@metasql)

Solution 2

This is how i have done with Alter Procedure:

DECLARE @metasql as varchar(MAX)
DECLARE @sql AS varchar(MAX)

SET @sql = 
'ALTER PROCEDURE [dbo].[GetVersion]
    AS 
        BEGIN
            SET NOCOUNT ON;
            SELECT TOP(1)[Version] from VersionTable                
        END'

SET @metasql = '
USE MyProdDb
IF (OBJECT_ID(''GetVersion'') IS NOT NULL  OR OBJECT_ID(''GetVersion'', ''P'') IS NOT  NULL)
BEGIN
  EXEC (''' + REPLACE(@sql, '''', '''''') + ''')
END
'
--PRINT @metasql
EXEC (@metasql)

Comments

[John]

Hmm, yes I can see that working. An Exec within and Exec. Boy will the quoting get hairy!