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patternsqlModerate

Finding dependencies on a SPECIFIC COLUMN (modern way, without using sysdepends)

Submitted by: @import:stackexchange-dba··
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withoutcolumnwayfindingsysdependsusingspecificmoderndependencies

Problem

I need to find all views & stored procedures that consume not just a certain table, but a specific column in a table.

The following "seems" to work, but there are numerous warnings to be careful with this method (not reliable for a variety of reasons, soon to be deprecated, etc):

SELECT object_name(so.id) TableName, sc.name ColumnName, OBJECT_NAME(sd.id) DependentObjectName,
(SELECT xtype FROM sysobjects so WHERE so.id = sd.id) Object_Type
FROM sysobjects so INNER JOIN syscolumns sc
ON so.id = sc.id
INNER JOIN sysdepends sd
ON so.id = sd.depid and sc.colid = sd.depnumber
WHERE 
    object_name(so.id) = 'MyTableName'
AND sc.name = 'MyColumnName'
order by object_name(so.id), Object_Type


Some alternative approaches that are often referenced are sys.sql_dependencies and sys.sql_expression_dependencies, but neither of these have column level granularity.

Does anyone know a way of doing this? (Or even if you know definitively that it literally cannot be done, it would be helpful to know.)

Solution

Here is an AdventureWorks example on viewing column dependencies.

SELECT ReferencingObject = SCHEMA_NAME(o1.schema_id) + '.' + o1.name,
       ReferencedObject = SCHEMA_NAME(o2.schema_id) + '.'
                          + ed.referenced_entity_name,
       ColumnName = c.name,
       ReferencedObjectType = o2.type,
       ReferencingObjecType = o1.type
FROM   AdventureWorks2012.sys.sql_expression_dependencies ed
       INNER JOIN AdventureWorks2012.sys.objects o1
               ON ed.referencing_id = o1.object_id
       INNER JOIN AdventureWorks2012.sys.objects o2
               ON ed.referenced_id = o2.object_id
       INNER JOIN AdventureWorks2012.sys.sql_dependencies d
               ON ed.referencing_id = d.object_id
                  AND d.referenced_major_id = ed.referenced_id
       INNER JOIN sys.columns c
               ON c.object_id = ed.referenced_id
                  AND d.referenced_minor_id = c.column_id
WHERE  SCHEMA_NAME(o1.schema_id) + '.' + o1.name = 'HumanResources.vEmployee' AND c.name = 'JobTitle'
ORDER  BY ReferencedObject,
          c.column_id;

Code Snippets

SELECT ReferencingObject = SCHEMA_NAME(o1.schema_id) + '.' + o1.name,
       ReferencedObject = SCHEMA_NAME(o2.schema_id) + '.'
                          + ed.referenced_entity_name,
       ColumnName = c.name,
       ReferencedObjectType = o2.type,
       ReferencingObjecType = o1.type
FROM   AdventureWorks2012.sys.sql_expression_dependencies ed
       INNER JOIN AdventureWorks2012.sys.objects o1
               ON ed.referencing_id = o1.object_id
       INNER JOIN AdventureWorks2012.sys.objects o2
               ON ed.referenced_id = o2.object_id
       INNER JOIN AdventureWorks2012.sys.sql_dependencies d
               ON ed.referencing_id = d.object_id
                  AND d.referenced_major_id = ed.referenced_id
       INNER JOIN sys.columns c
               ON c.object_id = ed.referenced_id
                  AND d.referenced_minor_id = c.column_id
WHERE  SCHEMA_NAME(o1.schema_id) + '.' + o1.name = 'HumanResources.vEmployee' AND c.name = 'JobTitle'
ORDER  BY ReferencedObject,
          c.column_id;

Context

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#77813, answer score: 14

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