Use a SELECT to ALTER properties of all databases of certain type...

Question

Use a SELECT to ALTER properties of all databases of certain type...

jasona.work

SSC Guru

Points: 50117
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October 22, 2013 at 6:27 am

#299486

So I was flipping the DBs on one of my QA servers from FULL to SIMPLE recovery (we don't need PiT recovery in QA) and got thinking...
Yes, that explains the fire trucks you heard go by a few minutes ago smart guy...
:hehe:
Anyways.
Is it possible to write and ALTER statement something like this:
ALTER DATABASE (SELECT NAME FROM sys.databases
WHERE recovery_model_desc = N'SIMPLE'
AND name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb'))
SET RECOVERY SIMPLE WITH NO_WAIT;
Yes, I know this could be a potentially dangerous trick (just replace 'set recovery' with 'set offline' for some *real* fun) but when you've got a bunch of DBs to switch, it's quicker than copy/paste, and easier to key up then using sp_msforeachdb (which as someone pointed out on SQLSkills I believe, doesn't always work right)
Regardless, I've already done the copy-paste method, but for future reference...
Thanks,
Jason

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

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Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398890 More actions · Answer 1

As far as I know you can only do something like through ad hoc mechanisms or programming (PowerShell to the rescue).

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Ed Wagner SSC Guru Points: 287026 More actions · Answer 2

Keeping in mind that you'll be running it from a script yourself and not exposing it to the internet, how about something like this?

SELECT 'ALTER DATABASE ' + name + ' SET RECOVERY SIMPLE WITH NO_WAIT;'

FROM sys.databases

WHERE recovery_model_desc = 'SIMPLE'

AND name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb')

ORDER BY name;

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whenriksen SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4752 More actions · Answer 3

Put the dynamic sql into a variable and Execute the variable.

DECLARE @sql varchar(max) = '';

SELECT @sql = @sql + '

ALTER DATABASE ' + name + ' SET RECOVERY SIMPLE WITH NO_WAIT;'

FROM sys.databases

WHERE recovery_model_desc = 'SIMPLE'

AND name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb')

ORDER BY name;

Execute (@SQL);

Also, your query shows you are setting your database to simple recovery if they are already in simple recovery mode. Is that what you want? Should that be where NOT recovery_model_desc = 'SIMPLE'

Wes
(A solid design is always preferable to a creative workaround)

jasona.work SSC Guru Points: 50117 More actions · Answer 4

D'OH!

The WHERE recovery_model_desc = 'SIMPLE' should've been = 'FULL'

Thanks.

I hadn't thought of the dynamic SQL idea, although I'm now messing with that to try to check what DBs SQL Logins might have access to before dropping them...