Reference Manual Procedures

Reference Manual: Procedures
Adaptive Server® Enterprise

12.5.1
DOCUMENT ID: DC36273-01-1251-03
LAST REVISED: November 2004
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Contents
About This Book ........................................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER 1 System Procedures......................................................................... 1

Introduction to system procedures ................................................... 1
Permissions on system procedures ................................................. 2
Executing system procedures .......................................................... 2
Entering parameter values ............................................................... 3
Messages ......................................................................................... 4
System procedure tables ................................................................. 5
List of system procedures ................................................................ 5
sp_activeroles ................................................................................ 15
sp_addalias .................................................................................... 16
sp_addauditrecord ......................................................................... 17
sp_addaudittable ............................................................................ 19
sp_addengine................................................................................. 21
sp_addexeclass ............................................................................. 22
sp_addextendedproc...................................................................... 23
sp_addexternlogin .......................................................................... 25
sp_addgroup .................................................................................. 28
sp_addlanguage............................................................................. 29
sp_addlogin .................................................................................... 32
sp_addmessage ............................................................................. 35
sp_addobjectdef ............................................................................. 37
sp_add_qpgroup ............................................................................ 40
sp_addremotelogin......................................................................... 41
sp_add_resource_limit ................................................................... 44
sp_addsegment.............................................................................. 49
sp_addserver ................................................................................. 51
sp_addthreshold............................................................................. 54
sp_add_time_range ....................................................................... 58
sp_addtype..................................................................................... 61
sp_addumpdevice .......................................................................... 65
sp_adduser .................................................................................... 67
sp_altermessage ............................................................................ 69
Reference Manual: Procedures iii

Contents
sp_audit.......................................................................................... 70
sp_autoconnect.............................................................................. 76
sp_bindcache ................................................................................. 78
sp_bindefault.................................................................................. 82
sp_bindexeclass............................................................................. 84
sp_bindmsg.................................................................................... 87
sp_bindrule..................................................................................... 88
sp_cacheconfig .............................................................................. 90
sp_cachestrategy ........................................................................... 98
sp_changedbowner...................................................................... 101
sp_changegroup .......................................................................... 102
sp_checknames ........................................................................... 103
sp_checkreswords ....................................................................... 104
sp_checksource ........................................................................... 117
sp_chgattribute............................................................................. 119
sp_clearpsexe .............................................................................. 123
sp_clearstats ................................................................................ 124
sp_client_addr.............................................................................. 126
sp_cmp_all_qplans ...................................................................... 128
sp_cmp_qplans ............................................................................ 130
sp_commonkey ............................................................................ 132
sp_companion.............................................................................. 134
sp_configure................................................................................. 137
sp_copy_all_qplans...................................................................... 143
sp_copy_qplan ............................................................................. 144
sp_countmetadata........................................................................ 145
sp_cursorinfo................................................................................ 147
sp_dbextend................................................................................. 150
sp_dboption.................................................................................. 157
sp_dbrecovery_order ................................................................... 165
sp_dbremap ................................................................................. 167
sp_defaultloc ................................................................................ 168
sp_depends.................................................................................. 171
sp_deviceattr................................................................................ 177
sp_diskdefault .............................................................................. 179
sp_displayaudit ............................................................................ 181
sp_displaylevel............................................................................. 185
sp_displaylogin............................................................................. 186
sp_displayroles ............................................................................ 189
sp_dropalias................................................................................. 191
sp_drop_all_qplans ...................................................................... 192
sp_dropdevice.............................................................................. 193
sp_dropengine ............................................................................. 194
sp_dropexeclass .......................................................................... 195
iv Adaptive Server Enterprise

Contents
sp_dropextendedproc .................................................................. 196

sp_dropexternlogin....................................................................... 197
sp_dropglockpromote................................................................... 198
sp_dropgroup ............................................................................... 199
sp_dropkey................................................................................... 200
sp_droplanguage ......................................................................... 202
sp_droplogin................................................................................. 203
sp_dropmessage.......................................................................... 204
sp_dropobjectdef.......................................................................... 205
sp_drop_qpgroup ......................................................................... 207
sp_drop_qplan ............................................................................. 208
sp_dropremotelogin ..................................................................... 209
sp_drop_resource_limit ................................................................ 210
sp_droprowlockpromote ............................................................... 213
sp_dropsegment .......................................................................... 214
sp_dropserver .............................................................................. 216
sp_dropthreshold ......................................................................... 217
sp_drop_time_range .................................................................... 218
sp_droptype ................................................................................. 219
sp_dropuser ................................................................................. 220
sp_dumpoptimize ......................................................................... 221
sp_engine..................................................................................... 226
sp_estspace ................................................................................. 229
sp_export_qpgroup ...................................................................... 234
sp_extendsegment....................................................................... 235
sp_extengine................................................................................ 236
sp_familylock................................................................................ 237
sp_find_qplan............................................................................... 240
sp_fixindex ................................................................................... 242
sp_flushstats ................................................................................ 244
sp_forceonline_db........................................................................ 245
sp_forceonline_object .................................................................. 246
sp_forceonline_page.................................................................... 248
sp_foreignkey............................................................................... 250
sp_freedll...................................................................................... 252
sp_getmessage............................................................................ 253
sp_grantlogin................................................................................ 254
sp_ha_admin................................................................................ 256
sp_help......................................................................................... 257
sp_helpartition.............................................................................. 264
sp_helpcache ............................................................................... 267
sp_helpconfig ............................................................................... 269
sp_helpconstraint ......................................................................... 274
sp_helpdb..................................................................................... 278
Reference Manual: Procedures v

Contents
sp_helpdevice .............................................................................. 281

sp_helpextendedproc................................................................... 283
sp_helpexternlogin ....................................................................... 284
sp_helpgroup ............................................................................... 285
sp_helpindex ................................................................................ 286
sp_helpjava .................................................................................. 288
sp_helpjoins ................................................................................. 290
sp_helpkey ................................................................................... 292
sp_helplanguage.......................................................................... 294
sp_helplog.................................................................................... 295
sp_helpobjectdef .......................................................................... 296
sp_help_qpgroup ......................................................................... 297
sp_help_qplan.............................................................................. 299
sp_helpremotelogin ...................................................................... 300
sp_help_resource_limit ................................................................ 301
sp_helprotect................................................................................ 304
sp_helpsegment ........................................................................... 308
sp_helpserver............................................................................... 311
sp_helpsort................................................................................... 312
sp_helptext................................................................................... 314
sp_helpthreshold .......................................................................... 316
sp_helpuser.................................................................................. 317
sp_hidetext................................................................................... 318
sp_import_qpgroup ...................................................................... 320
sp_indsuspect .............................................................................. 322
sp_ldapadmin............................................................................... 323
sp_listener.................................................................................... 326
sp_listsuspect_db......................................................................... 329
sp_listsuspect_object ................................................................... 330
sp_listsuspect_page..................................................................... 331
sp_lock ......................................................................................... 332
sp_locklogin ................................................................................. 336
sp_logdevice ................................................................................ 338
sp_loginconfig .............................................................................. 340
sp_logininfo .................................................................................. 342
sp_logiosize ................................................................................. 343
sp_modifylogin ............................................................................. 346
sp_modify_resource_limit ............................................................ 349
sp_modify_time_range ................................................................. 352
sp_modifystats ............................................................................. 354
sp_modifythreshold ...................................................................... 357
sp_monitor ................................................................................... 361
sp_monitorconfig .......................................................................... 364
sp_object_stats ............................................................................ 371
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Contents
sp_passthru.................................................................................. 374
sp_password ................................................................................ 376
sp_placeobject ............................................................................. 378
sp_plan_dbccdb ........................................................................... 380
sp_poolconfig ............................................................................... 382
sp_primarykey.............................................................................. 387
sp_processmail ............................................................................ 388
sp_procxmode.............................................................................. 390
sp_recompile................................................................................ 392
sp_remap ..................................................................................... 393
sp_remoteoption .......................................................................... 394
sp_remotesql................................................................................ 396
sp_rename ................................................................................... 398
sp_renamedb ............................................................................... 400
sp_rename_qpgroup .................................................................... 402
sp_reportstats .............................................................................. 403
sp_revokelogin ............................................................................. 405
sp_role ......................................................................................... 406
sp_sendmsg................................................................................. 407
sp_serveroption............................................................................ 409
sp_setlangalias ............................................................................ 413
sp_setpglockpromote ................................................................... 414
sp_setpsexe ................................................................................. 416
sp_set_qplan................................................................................ 417
sp_setrowlockpromote ................................................................. 418
sp_setsuspect_granularity ........................................................... 420
sp_setsuspect_threshold ............................................................. 423
sp_showcontrolinfo ...................................................................... 424
sp_showexeclass ......................................................................... 426
sp_showplan ................................................................................ 427
sp_showpsexe ............................................................................. 429
sp_spaceused .............................................................................. 430
sp_ssladmin ................................................................................. 433
sp_syntax ..................................................................................... 435
sp_sysmon ................................................................................... 437
sp_tempdb ................................................................................... 440
sp_thresholdaction ....................................................................... 448
sp_transactions ............................................................................ 450
sp_unbindcache ........................................................................... 457
sp_unbindcache_all ..................................................................... 459
sp_unbindefault............................................................................ 460
sp_unbindexeclass....................................................................... 461
sp_unbindmsg.............................................................................. 463
sp_unbindrule............................................................................... 464
Reference Manual: Procedures vii

Contents
sp_volchanged ............................................................................. 466

sp_who......................................................................................... 469
CHAPTER 2 Catalog Stored Procedures ........................................................ 473

Overview ...................................................................................... 473
Specifying optional parameters .................................................... 474
Pattern matching .......................................................................... 475
System procedure tables ............................................................. 475
ODBC datatypes .......................................................................... 476
sp_column_privileges................................................................... 477
sp_columns .................................................................................. 479
sp_databases............................................................................... 481
sp_datatype_info.......................................................................... 482
sp_fkeys ....................................................................................... 483
sp_pkeys ...................................................................................... 485
sp_server_info.............................................................................. 486
sp_special_columns..................................................................... 489
sp_sproc_columns ....................................................................... 491
sp_statistics.................................................................................. 493
sp_stored_procedures ................................................................. 495
sp_table_privileges ...................................................................... 496
sp_tables...................................................................................... 497
CHAPTER 3 System Extended Stored Procedures........................................ 499

Overview ...................................................................................... 499
Permissions on system ESPs ...................................................... 500
DLLs associated with system ESPs ............................................. 500
Using system ESPs...................................................................... 500
xp_cmdshell ................................................................................. 501
xp_deletemail ............................................................................... 504
xp_enumgroups ........................................................................... 505
xp_findnextmsg ............................................................................ 506
xp_logevent.................................................................................. 507
xp_readmail.................................................................................. 508
xp_sendmail ................................................................................. 511
xp_startmail.................................................................................. 515
xp_stopmail .................................................................................. 516
CHAPTER 4 dbcc Stored Procedures ............................................................. 517

Overview ...................................................................................... 517
Specifying the object name and date ........................................... 518
Specifying the object name ................................................... 518
viii Adaptive Server Enterprise

Contents
Specifying the date ................................................................ 518

sp_dbcc_alterws .......................................................................... 520
sp_dbcc_configreport................................................................... 521
sp_dbcc_createws ....................................................................... 522
sp_dbcc_deletedb ........................................................................ 524
sp_dbcc_deletehistory ................................................................. 525
sp_dbcc_differentialreport ............................................................ 527
sp_dbcc_evaluatedb .................................................................... 529
sp_dbcc_faultreport...................................................................... 531
sp_dbcc_fullreport........................................................................ 534
sp_dbcc_recommendations ......................................................... 535
sp_dbcc_runcheck ....................................................................... 536
sp_dbcc_statisticsreport............................................................... 537
sp_dbcc_summaryreport.............................................................. 540
sp_dbcc_updateconfig ................................................................. 543
Index ........................................................................................................................................... 547
Reference Manual: Procedures ix

Contents
x Adaptive Server Enterprise

About This Book
The Adaptive Server Reference Manual includes four guides to Sybase®

Adaptive Server® Enterprise and the Transact-SQL® language:
• Building Blocks describes the “parts” of Transact-SQL: datatypes,
built-in functions, global variables, expressions and identifiers,
reserved words, and SQLSTATE errors. Before you can use
Transact-SQL sucessfully, you need to understand what these
building blocks do and how they affect the results of Transact-SQL
statements.
• Commands provides reference information about the Transact-SQL
commands, which you use to create statements.
• Procedures provides reference information about system procedures,
catalog stored procedures, extended stored procedures, and dbcc
stored procedures. All procedures are created using Transact-SQL
statements.
• Tables provides reference information about the system tables, which
store information about your server, databases, users, and other
details of your server. It also provides information about the tables in
the dbccdb and dbccalt databases.
Audience The Adaptive Server Reference Manual is intended as a reference tool for
Transact-SQL users of all levels.
How to use this book • Chapter 1, “System Procedures” lists the Adaptive Server system
procedures in a table that provides the name and a brief description.
Click on a procedure name in the table to go directly to the procedure.
• Chapter 2, “Catalog Stored Procedures” contains reference pages for
Adaptive Server catalog stored procedures.
• Chapter 3, “System Extended Stored Procedures” contains reference
pages for Adaptive Server system extended stored procedures.
• Chapter 4, “dbcc Stored Procedures” contains reference pages for
Adaptive Server dbcc stored procedures.
Related documents The Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise documentation set consists of the
following:
Reference Manual: Procedures xi

• The release bulletin for your platform – contains last-minute information
that was too late to be included in the books.
A more recent version of the release bulletin may be available on the
World Wide Web. To check for critical product or document information
that was added after the release of the product CD, use the Sybase
Technical Library.
• The Installation Guide for your platform – describes installation, upgrade,
and configuration procedures for all Adaptive Server and related Sybase
products.
• What’s New in Adaptive Server Enterprise? – describes the new features
in Adaptive Server version 12.5.1, the system changes added to support
those features, and the changes that may affect your existing applications.
• ASE Replicator User’s Guide – describes how to use the ASE Replicator
feature of Adaptive Server to implement basic replication from a primary
server to one or more remote Adaptive Servers.
• Component Integration Services User’s Guide – explains how to use the
Adaptive Server Component Integration Services feature to connect
remote Sybase and non-Sybase databases.
• Configuring Adaptive Server Enterprise for your platform – provides
instructions for performing specific configuration tasks for Adaptive
Server.
• EJB Server User’s Guide – explains how to use EJB Server to deploy and
execute Enterprise JavaBeans in Adaptive Server.
• Error Messages and Troubleshooting Guide – explains how to resolve
frequently occurring error messages and describes solutions to system
problems frequently encountered by users.
• Full-Text Search Specialty Data Store User’s Guide – describes how to use
the Full-Text Search feature with Verity to search Adaptive Server
Enterprise data.
• Glossary – defines technical terms used in the Adaptive Server
documentation.
• Historical Server User’s Guide – describes how to use Historical Server to
obtain performance information for SQL Server® and Adaptive Server.
• Java in Adaptive Server Enterprise – describes how to install and use Java
classes as data types, functions, and stored procedures in the Adaptive
Server database.
xii Adaptive Server Enterprise

About This Book
• Job Scheduler User's Guide – provides instructions on how to install and

configure, and create and schedule jobs on a local or remote Adaptive
Server using the command line or a graphical user interface (GUI).
• Monitor Client Library Programmer’s Guide – describes how to write
Monitor Client Library applications that access Adaptive Server
performance data.
• Monitor Server User’s Guide – describes how to use Monitor Server to
obtain performance statistics from SQL Server and Adaptive Server.
• Performance and Tuning Guide – is a series of four books that explains
how to tune Adaptive Server for maximum performance:
• Basics – the basics for understanding and investigating performance
questions in Adaptive Server.
• Locking – describes how the various locking schemas can be used for
improving performance in Adaptive Server.
• Optimizer and Abstract Plans – describes how the optimizer
processes queries and how abstract plans can be used to change some
of the optimizer plans.
• Monitoring and Analyzing – explains how statistics are obtained and
used for monitoring and optimizing performance.
• Quick Reference Guide – provides a comprehensive listing of the names
and syntax for commands, functions, system procedures, extended system
procedures, datatypes, and utilities in a pocket-sized book.
• Reference Manual – is a series of four books that contains the following
detailed Transact-SQL® information:
• Building Blocks – Transact-SQL datatypes, functions, global
variables, expressions, identifiers and wildcards, and reserved words.
• Commands – Transact-SQL commands.
• Procedures – Transact-SQL system procedures, catalog stored
procedures, system extended stored procedures, and dbcc stored
procedures.
• Tables – Transact-SQL system tables and dbcc tables.
Reference Manual: Procedures xiii

• System Administration Guide – provides in-depth information about
administering servers and databases. This manual includes instructions
and guidelines for managing physical resources, security, user and system
databases, and specifying character conversion, international language,
and sort order settings.
• System Tables Diagram – illustrates system tables and their entity
relationships in a poster format. Available only in print version.
• Transact-SQL User’s Guide – documents Transact-SQL, Sybase’s
enhanced version of the relational database language. This manual serves
as a textbook for beginning users of the database management system.
This manual also contains descriptions of the pubs2 and pubs3 sample
databases.
• Using Adaptive Server Distributed Transaction Management Features –
explains how to configure, use, and troubleshoot Adaptive Server DTM
features in distributed transaction processing environments.
• Using Sybase Failover in a High Availability System – provides
instructions for using Sybase’s Failover to configure an Adaptive Server
as a companion server in a high availability system.
• Utility Guide – documents the Adaptive Server utility programs, such as
isql and bcp, which are executed at the operating system level.
• Web Services User’s Guide – explains how to configure, use, and

troubleshoot Web Services for Adaptive Server.
• XA Interface Integration Guide for CICS, Encina, and TUXEDO –
provides instructions for using the Sybase DTM XA interface with
X/Open XA transaction managers.
• XML Services in Adaptive Server Enterprise – describes the Sybase native
XML processor and the Sybase Java-based XML support, introduces
XML in the database, and documents the query and mapping functions
that comprise XML Services.
Other sources of Use the Sybase Getting Started CD, the Sybase Technical Library CD and the
information Technical Library Product Manuals Web site to learn more about your product:
• The Getting Started CD contains release bulletins and installation guides
in PDF format, and may also contain other documents or updated
information not included on the Technical Library CD. It is included with
your software. To read or print documents on the Getting Started CD you
need Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable at no charge from the Adobe
Web site, using a link provided on the CD).
xiv Adaptive Server Enterprise

About This Book
• The Technical Library CD contains product manuals and is included with

your software. The DynaText reader (included on the Technical Library
CD) allows you to access technical information about your product in an
easy-to-use format.
Refer to the Technical Library Installation Guide in your documentation
package for instructions on installing and starting the Technical Library.
• The Technical Library Product Manuals Web site is an HTML version of
the Technical Library CD that you can access using a standard Web
browser. In addition to product manuals, you will find links to
EBFs/Updates, Technical Documents, Case Management, Solved Cases,
newsgroups, and the Sybase Developer Network.
To access the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site, go to Product
Manuals at http://www.sybase.com/support/manuals/.
Sybase certifications Technical documentation at the Sybase Web site is updated frequently.
on the Web
❖ Finding the latest information on product certifications

1 Point your Web browser to Technical Documents at
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2 Select Products from the navigation bar on the left.

3 Select a product name from the product list and click Go.
4 Select the Certification Report filter, specify a time frame, and click Go.
5 Click a Certification Report title to display the report.
❖ Creating a personalized view of the Sybase Web site (including support

pages)
Set up a MySybase profile. MySybase is a free service that allows you to create
a personalized view of Sybase Web pages.
1 Point your Web browser to Technical Documents at
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2 Click MySybase and create a MySybase profile.

Sybase EBFs and
software
maintenance
❖ Finding the latest information on EBFs and software maintenance

1 Point your Web browser to the Sybase Support Page at
http://www.sybase.com/support.
Reference Manual: Procedures xv

2 Select EBFs/Maintenance. Enter user name and password information, if
prompted (for existing Web accounts) or create a new account (a free
service).
3 Select a product.
4 Specify a time frame and click Go.
5 Click the Info icon to display the EBF/Maintenance report, or click the
product description to download the software.
Conventions The following sections describe conventions used in this manual.
SQL is a free-form language. There are no rules about the number of words you
can put on a line or where you must break a line. However, for readability, all
examples and most syntax statements in this manual are formatted so that each
clause of a statement begins on a new line. Clauses that have more than one part
extend to additional lines, which are indented. Complex commands are
formatted using modified Backus Naur Form (BNF) notation.
Table 1 shows the conventions for syntax statements that appear in this manual:
Table 1: Font and syntax conventions for this manual
Element Example
Command names, command options, utility select
names, utility options, and other keywords are sp_configure
in “command” font (Arial, 8 point).
Database names, datatypes, file names and master database
path names are in “database object” font
(Arial, 8 point).
Book names, file names, variables, and path System Administration Guide
names are in italics. sql.ini file
column_name
$SYBASE/ASE directory
Variables, or words that stand for values that select column_name
you fill in, are in “variable” font (Italics). from table_name
where search_conditions
Type parentheses as part of the command. compute row_aggregate (column_name)
Double colon, equals sign indicates that the ::=
syntax is written in BNF notation. Do not type
this symbol. Indicates “is defined as”.
Curly braces mean that you must choose at {cash, check, credit}
least one of the enclosed options. Do not type
the braces.
xvi Adaptive Server Enterprise

About This Book
Element Example
Brackets mean that to choose one or more of [cash | check | credit]
the enclosed options is optional. Do not type
the brackets.
The comma means you may choose as many cash, check, credit
of the options shown as you want. Separate
your choices with commas as part of the
command.
The pipe or vertical bar (|) means you may cash | check | credit
select only one of the options shown.
An ellipsis (...) means that you can repeat the buy thing = price [cash | check | credit]
last unit as many times as you like. [, thing = price [cash | check | credit]]...
You must buy at least one thing and give its price. You may choose
a method of payment: one of the items enclosed in square brackets.
You may also choose to buy additional things: as many of them as
you like. For each thing you buy, give its name, its price, and
(optionally) a method of payment.
• Syntax statements (displaying the syntax and all options for a command)
appear as follows:
sp_dropdevice [device_name]
or, for a command with more options:
select column_name
from table_name
where search_conditions
In syntax statements, keywords (commands) are in normal font and
identifiers are in lowercase. Italic font shows user-supplied words.
• Examples showing the use of Transact-SQL commands are printed like
this:
select * from publishers
• Examples of output from the computer appear as follows:
pub_id pub_name city state
------- --------------------- ----------- -----
0736 New Age Books Boston MA
0877 Binnet & Hardley Washington DC
1389 Algodata Infosystems Berkeley CA
(3 rows affected)
Reference Manual: Procedures xvii

In this manual, most of the examples are in lowercase. However, you can
disregard case when typing Transact-SQL keywords. For example, SELECT,
Select, and select are the same.
Adaptive Server’s sensitivity to the case of database objects, such as table

names, depends on the sort order installed on Adaptive Server. You can change
case sensitivity for single-byte character sets by reconfiguring the Adaptive
Server sort order. For more information, see the System Administration Guide.
If you need help Each Sybase installation that has purchased a support contract has one or more
designated people who are authorized to contact Sybase Technical Support. If
you cannot resolve a problem using the manuals or online help, please have the
designated person contact Sybase Technical Support or the Sybase subsidiary
in your area.
xviii Adaptive Server Enterprise

CH A PTE R 1 System Procedures
This chapter describes the system procedures, which are Sybase-supplied

stored procedures used for updating and getting reports from system
tables. “List of system procedures” on page 5 lists the system procedures
described in this volume.
Topics covered are:
Topics Page
Introduction to system procedures 1
Permissions on system procedures 2
Executing system procedures 2
Entering parameter values 3
Messages 4
System procedure tables 5
List of system procedures 5
Introduction to system procedures

System procedures are created by installmaster at installation. They are
located in the sybsystemprocs database, and owned by the System
Administrator.
Some system procedures can be run only in a specific database, but many
of them can be run in any database. You can create your own system
procedures that can be executed from any database. For more information,
see the System Administration Guide.
All system procedures execute at isolation level 1.
All system procedures report a return status. The following example
means that the procedure executed successfully:
return status = 0
The examples in this book do not include the return status.
Reference Manual: Procedures 1

Permissions on system procedures
Beginning with Adaptive Server version 12.5.1, you can declare up to

10,000 variables in a stored procedure. In earlier versions of Adaptive
Server, the limit was 2,000.
Permissions on system procedures

Permissions for system procedures are set in the sybsystemprocs database.
Some system procedures can be run only by Database Owners. These
procedures make sure that the user executing the procedure is the owner
of the database from which they are being executed.
Other system procedures (for example, all the sp_help procedures) can be
executed by any user who has been granted permission, provided that the
permission was granted in sybsystemprocs. A user must have permission
to execute a system procedure either in all databases or in none of them.
A user who is not listed in sybsystemprocs..sysusers is treated as a “guest”
user in sybsystemprocs and is automatically granted permission on many
of the system procedures.
To deny a user permission on a system procedure, the System
Administrator must add the user to sybsystemprocs..sysusers and write a
revoke statement that applies to that procedure. The owner of a user
database cannot directly control permissions on the system procedures
within his or her own database.
Executing system procedures

If a system procedure is executed in a database other than sybsystemprocs,
it operates on the system tables in the database in which it was executed.
For example, if the Database Owner of pubs2 runs sp_adduser in pubs2,
the new user is added to pubs2..sysusers.
To run a system procedure in a specific database, either:
• Open that database with the use command and execute the procedure,
or
• Qualify the procedure name with the database name.
2 Adaptive Server Enterprise

CHAPTER 1 System Procedures
For example, the user-defined system procedure sp_foo, which executes

the db_name system function, returns the name of the database in which it
is executed. When executed in the pubs2 database, it returns the value
“pubs2”:
exec pubs2..sp_foo
------------------------------
pubs2
(1 row affected, return status = 0)
When executed in sybsystemprocs, it returns the value “sybsystemprocs”:
exec sybsystemprocs..sp_foo
------------------------------
sybsystemprocs
(1 row affected, return status = 0)
Entering parameter values

If a parameter value for a system procedure contains punctuation or
embedded blanks, or is a reserved word, you must enclose it in single or
double quotes. If the parameter is an object name qualified by a database
name or owner name, enclose the entire name in single or double quotes.
Note Do not use delimited identifiers as system procedure parameters;

they may produce unexpected results.
If a procedure has multiple optional parameters, you can supply

parameters in the following form instead of supplying all the parameters:
@parametername = value
The parameter names in the syntax statements match the parameter names
defined by the procedures.
For example, the syntax for sp_addlogin is:
sp_addlogin login_name, password [, defdb
[, deflanguage [, fullname]]]
To use sp_addlogin to create a login for “susan” with a password of
“wonderful”, a full name of Susan B. Anthony, and the server’s default
database and language, you can use:
sp_addlogin susan, wonderful,

Messages
@fullname="Susan B. Anthony"
This provides the same information as the command with all the
parameters specified:
sp_addlogin susan, wonderful, public_db,
us_english, "Susan B. Anthony"
You can also use “null” as a placeholder:
sp_addlogin susan, wonderful, null, null,
"Susan B. Anthony"
Do not enclose “null” in quotes.
SQL has no rules about the number of words you can put on a line or where
you must break a line. If you issue a system procedure followed by a
command, Adaptive Server attempts to execute the system procedure, then
the command. For example, if you execute the following command,
Adaptive Server returns the output from sp_help, then runs the checkpoint
command:
sp_help checkpoint
If you specify more parameters than the number of parameters expected
by the system procedure, the extra parameters are ignored by Adaptive
Server.
Messages
System procedures return informational and error messages, which are
listed with each procedure in this book. System procedure error messages
start at error number 17000.
Error messages from the functions and commands included in a procedure
are documented in Troubleshooting and Error Messages Guide.

System procedure tables

Several system procedure tables in the master database, such as
spt_values, spt_committab, spt_monitor, and spt_limit_types, are used by
system procedures to convert internal system values (for example, status
bits) into human-readable format.
spt_values is never updated. To see how it is used, execute sp_helptext to
look at the text for one of the system procedures that references it.
In addition, some system procedures create and then drop temporary
tables.
List of system procedures

Table 1-1 provides a brief description of each system procedure.
Table 1-1: System procedures
Procedure Description
sp_activeroles on page 15 Displays all active roles granted to a user’s login.
sp_addalias on page 16 Allows an Adaptive Server user to be known in a database as another user.
sp_addauditrecord on page 17 Allows users to enter user-defined audit records (comments) into the audit
trail.
sp_addaudittable on page 19 Adds another system audit table after auditing is installed.
sp_addengine on page 21 Adds an engine to an existing engine group or, if the group does not exist,
creates an engine group and adds the engine.
sp_addexeclass on page 22 Creates or updates a user-defined execution class that you can bind to client
applications, logins, and stored procedures.
sp_addextendedproc on page 23 Creates an extended stored procedure (ESP) in the master database.
sp_addexternlogin on page 25 Creates an alternate login account and password to use when communicating
with a remote server through Component Integration Services.
sp_addgroup on page 28 Adds a group to a database. Groups are used as collective names in granting
and revoking privileges.
sp_addlanguage on page 29 Defines the names of the months and days, and the date format, for an
alternate language.
sp_addlogin on page 32 Adds a new user account to Adaptive Server.
sp_addmessage on page 35 Adds user-defined messages to sysusermessages for use by stored
procedure print and raiserror calls and by sp_bindmsg.
sp_addobjectdef on page 37 Specifies the mapping between a local table and an external storage location.
sp_add_qpgroup on page 40 Adds an abstract plan group.

sp_addremotelogin on page 41 Authorizes a new remote server user by adding an entry to
master.dbo.sysremotelogins.
sp_add_resource_limit on page 44 Creates a limit on the amount of server resources that a login or application
can use to execute a query, query batch, or transaction.
sp_addsegment on page 49 Defines a segment on a database device in the current database.
sp_addserver on page 51 Defines a remote server or defines the name of the local server.
sp_addthreshold on page 54 Creates a threshold to monitor space on a database segment. When free
space on the segment falls below the specified level, Adaptive Server
executes the associated stored procedure.
sp_add_time_range on page 58 Adds a named time range to Adaptive Server.
sp_addtype on page 61 Creates a user-defined datatype.
sp_addumpdevice on page 65 Adds a dump device to Adaptive Server.
sp_adduser on page 67 Adds a new user to the current database.
sp_altermessage on page 69 Enables and disables the logging of a specific system-defined or
user-defined message in the Adaptive Server error log.
sp_audit on page 70 Allows a System Security Officer to configure auditing options.
sp_autoconnect on page 76 Defines a passthrough connection to a remote server for a specific user,
which allows the named user to enter passthrough mode automatically at
login.
sp_bindcache on page 78 Binds a database, table, index, text object, or image object to a data cache.
sp_bindefault on page 82 Binds a user-defined default to a column or user-defined datatype.
sp_bindexeclass on page 84 Associates an execution class with a client application, login, or stored
procedure.
sp_bindmsg on page 87 Binds a user message to a referential integrity constraint or check constraint.
sp_bindrule on page 88 Binds a rule to a column or user-defined datatype.
sp_cacheconfig on page 90 Creates, configures, reconfigures, drops, and provides information about
data caches.
sp_cachestrategy on page 98 Enables or disables prefetching (large I/O) and MRU cache replacement
strategy for a table, index, text object, or image object.
sp_changedbowner on page 101 Changes the owner of a database.
sp_changegroup on page 102 Changes a user’s group.
sp_checknames on page 103 Checks the current database for names that contain characters not in the 7-bit
ASCII set.
sp_checkreswords on page 104 Detects and displays identifiers that are Transact-SQL reserved words.
Checks server names, device names, database names, segment names,
user-defined datatypes, object names, column names, user names, login
names, and remote login names.
sp_checksource on page 117 Checks for the existence of the source text of the compiled object.

sp_chgattribute on page 119 Changes the max_rows_per_page value for future space allocations of a
table or index.
sp_clearpsexe on page 123 Clears the execution attributes of the client application, login, or stored
procedure that was set by sp_setpsexe.
sp_clearstats on page 124 Initiates a new accounting period for all server users or for a specified user.
Prints statistics for the previous period by executing sp_reportstats.
sp_client_addr on page 126 Displays the IP address of every Adaptive Server task with an
attached client application, including the spid and the client host
name.
sp_cmp_all_qplans on page 128 Compares all abstract plans in two abstract plan groups.
sp_cmp_qplans on page 130 Compares two abstract plans.
sp_commonkey on page 132 Defines a common key—columns that are frequently joined—between two
tables or views.
sp_companion on page 134 Performs cluster operations such as configuring Adaptive Server as a
secondary companion in a high availability system and moving a companion
server from one failover mode to another
sp_configure on page 137 Displays or changes configuration parameters.
sp_copy_all_qplans on page 143 Copies all plans for one abstract plan group to another group.
sp_copy_qplan on page 144 Copies one abstract plan to an abstract plan group.
sp_countmetadata on page 145 Displays the number of indexes, objects, or databases in Adaptive Server.
sp_cursorinfo on page 147 Reports information about a specific cursor or all cursors that are active for
your session.
sp_dbextend on page 150 Allows you to:
• Install automatic database expansion procedures on database/segment
pairs and devices.
• Define site-specific policies for individual segments and devices.
• Simulate execution of the database expansion machinery, to study the
operation before engaging large volume loads.
sp_dboption on page 157 Displays or changes database options.
sp_dbrecovery_order on page 165 Specifies the order in which user databases are recovered and lists the
user-defined recovery order of a database or all databases.
sp_dbremap on page 167 Forces Adaptive Server to recognize changes made by alter database. Run
this procedure only when instructed to do so by an Adaptive Server message.
sp_defaultloc on page 168 Component Integration Services only Defines a default storage location
for objects in a local database.
sp_depends on page 171 Displays information about database object dependencies—the view(s),
trigger(s), and procedure(s) that depend on a specified table or view, and the
table(s) and view(s) that the specified view, trigger, or procedure depends
on.
sp_deviceattr on page 177 Changes the dsync setting of an existing database device file.

sp_diskdefault on page 179 Specifies whether or not a database device can be used for database storage
if the user does not specify a database device or specifies default with the
create database or alter database commands.
sp_displayaudit on page 181 Displays the status of audit options.
sp_displaylevel on page 185 Sets or shows which Adaptive Server configuration parameters appear in
sp_configure output.
sp_displaylogin on page 186 Displays information about a login account.
sp_displayroles on page 189 Displays all roles granted to another role, or displays the entire hierarchy
tree of roles in table format.
sp_dropalias on page 191 Removes the alias user name identity established with sp_addalias.
sp_drop_all_qplans on page 192 Deletes all abstract plans in an abstract plan group.
sp_dropdevice on page 193 Drops an Adaptive Server database device or dump device.
sp_dropengine on page 194 Drops an engine from a specified engine group or, if the engine is the last
one in the group, drops the engine group.
sp_dropexeclass on page 195 Drops a user-defined execution class.
sp_dropextendedproc on page 196 Removes an ESP from the master database.
sp_dropexternlogin on page 197 Component Integration Services only Drops the definition of a remote
login previously defined by sp_addexternlogin.
sp_dropglockpromote on page 198 Removes lock promotion values from a table or database.
sp_dropgroup on page 199 Drops a group from a database.
sp_dropkey on page 200 Removes a key defined with sp_primarykey, sp_foreignkey, or
sp_commonkey from the syskeys table.
sp_droplanguage on page 202 Drops an alternate language from the server and removes its row from
master.dbo.syslanguages.
sp_droplogin on page 203 Drops an Adaptive Server user login by deleting the user’s entry in
master.dbo.syslogins.
sp_dropmessage on page 204 Drops user-defined messages from sysusermessages.
sp_dropobjectdef on page 205 Component Integration Services only Deletes the external storage
mapping provided for a local object
sp_drop_qpgroup on page 207 Drops an abstract plan group.
sp_drop_qplan on page 208 Drops an abstract plan.
sp_dropremotelogin on page 209 Drops a remote user login.
sp_drop_resource_limit on page Removes one or more resource limits from Adaptive Server.
210
sp_droprowlockpromote on page Removes row lock promotion threshold values from a database or table.
213
sp_dropsegment on page 214 Drops a segment from a database or unmaps a segment from a particular
database device.
sp_dropserver on page 216 Drops a server from the list of known servers.

sp_dropthreshold on page 217 Removes a free-space threshold from a segment.
sp_drop_time_range on page 218 Removes a user-defined time range from Adaptive Server.
sp_droptype on page 219 Drops a user-defined datatype.
sp_dropuser on page 220 Drops a user from the current database.
sp_dumpoptimize on page 221 Specifies the amount of data dumped by Backup Server during the dump
database operation.
sp_engine on page 226 Enables you to bring an engine online or offline.
sp_estspace on page 229 Estimates the amount of space required for a table and its indexes, and the
time needed to create the index.
sp_export_qpgroup on page 234 Exports all plans for a specified user and abstract plan group to a user table.
sp_extendsegment on page 235 Extends the range of a segment to another database device.
sp_extengine on page 236 Starts and stops EJB Server. Displays status information about EJB
Server.
sp_familylock on page 237 Reports information about all the locks held by a family (coordinating
process and its worker processes) executing a statement in parallel.
sp_find_qplan on page 240 Finds an abstract plan, given a pattern from the query text or plan text.
sp_fixindex on page 242 Repairs the index on one of your system tables when it has been
corrupted.
sp_flushstats on page 244 Flushes statistics from in-memory storage to the systabstats system table.
sp_forceonline_db on page 245 Provides access to all the pages in a database that were previously taken
offline by recovery.
sp_forceonline_object Provides access to an index previously marked suspect by recovery.
sp_forceonline_page on page 248 Provides access to pages previously taken offline by recovery.
sp_foreignkey on page 250 Defines a foreign key on a table or view in the current database.
sp_freedll on page 252 Unloads a dynamic link library (DLL) that was previously loaded into XP
Server memory to support the execution of an ESP.
sp_getmessage on page 253 Retrieves stored message strings from sysmessages and sysusermessages
for print and raiserror statements.
sp_grantlogin on page 254 Windows NT only When Integrated Security mode or Mixed mode (with
Named Pipes) is active, assigns Adaptive Server roles or default permissions
to Windows NT users and groups.
sp_ha_admin on page 256 Performs administrative tasks on Adaptive Servers configured with Sybase
Failover in a high availability system. sp_ha_admin is installed with the
installhavss script (insthasv on Windows NT).
sp_help on page 257 Reports information about a database object (any object listed in sysobjects)
and about Adaptive Server-supplied or user-defined datatypes.
sp_helpartition on page 264 Lists the first page and the control page for each partition in a partitioned
table.

sp_helpcache on page 267 Displays information about the objects that are bound to a data cache or the
amount of overhead required for a specified cache size.
sp_helpconfig on page 269 Reports help information on configuration parameters.
sp_helpconstraint on page 274 Reports information about integrity constraints used in the specified
tables.
sp_helpdb on page 278 Reports information about a particular database or about all databases.
sp_helpdevice on page 281 Reports information about a particular device or about all Adaptive Server
database devices and dump devices.
sp_helpextendedproc on page 283 Displays ESPs registered in the current database, along with their associated
DLL files.
sp_helpexternlogin on page 284 Component Integration Services only Reports information about
external login names.
sp_helpgroup on page 285 Reports information about a particular group or about all groups in the
current database.
sp_helpindex on page 286 Reports information about the indexes created on a table.
sp_helpjava on page 288 Displays information about Java classes and associated JARs that are
installed in the database.
sp_helpjoins on page 290 Lists the columns in two tables or views that are likely join candidates.
sp_helpkey on page 292 Reports information about a primary, foreign, or common key of a particular
table or view, or about all keys in the current database.
sp_helplanguage on page 294 Reports information about a particular alternate language or about all
languages.
sp_helplog on page 295 Reports the name of the device that contains the first page of the transaction
log.
sp_helpobjectdef on page 296 Component Integration Services only Reports information about remote
object definitions. Shows owners, objects, type, and definition.
sp_help_qpgroup on page 297 Reports information on an abstract plan group.
sp_help_qplan on page 299 Reports information about an abstract plan.
sp_helpremotelogin on page 300 Reports information about a particular remote server’s logins or about all
remote servers’ logins.
sp_help_resource_limit on page Reports information about all resource limits, limits for a given login or
301 application, limits in effect at a given time or day of the week, or limits with
a given scope or action.
sp_helprotect on page 304 Reports information about permissions for database objects, users, groups,
or roles.
sp_helpsegment on page 308 Reports information about a particular segment or about all segments in the
current database.
sp_helpserver on page 311 Reports information about a particular remote server or about all remote
servers.
sp_helpsort on page 312 Displays Adaptive Server’s default sort order and character set.

sp_helptext on page 314 Prints the text of a system procedure, trigger, view, default, rule, or integrity
check constraint, and adds the number parameter, which is an integer
identifying an individual procedure, when objname represents a group of
procedures. This parameter tells sp_helptext to display the source text for a
specified procedure in the group.
sp_helpthreshold on page 316 Reports the segment, free-space value, status, and stored procedure
associated with all thresholds in the current database or all thresholds for a
particular segment.
sp_helpuser on page 317 Reports information about a particular user or about all users in the current
database.
sp_hidetext on page 318 Hides the source text for the specified compiled object.
sp_import_qpgroup on page 320 Imports abstract plans from a user table into an abstract plan group.
sp_indsuspect on page 322 Checks user tables for indexes marked as suspect during recovery following
a sort order change.
sp_bindcache on page 78 Creates or lists an LDAP URL search string; verifies an LDAP URL search
string or login.
sp_listsuspect_db on page 329 Lists all databases that have offline pages because of corruption detected on
recovery.
sp_listsuspect_object on page 330 Lists all indexes in a database that are currently offline because of corruption
detected on recovery.
sp_listsuspect_page on page 331 Lists all pages that are currently offline because of corruption detected on
recovery.
sp_lock on page 332 Reports information about processes that currently hold locks.
sp_locklogin on page 336 Locks an Adaptive Server account so that the user cannot log in, or displays
a list of all locked accounts.
sp_logdevice on page 338 Moves the transaction log of a database with log and data on the same device
to a separate database device.
sp_loginconfig on page 340 Windows NT only Displays the value of one or all integrated security
parameters.
sp_logininfo on page 342 Windows NT only Displays all roles granted to Windows NT users and
groups with sp_grantlogin.
sp_logiosize on page 343 Changes the log I/O size used by Adaptive Server to a different memory pool
when it is doing I/O for the transaction log of the current database.
sp_modifylogin on page 346 Modifies the default database, default language, default role activation, or
full name for an Adaptive Server login account.
sp_modify_resource_limit on page Changes a resource limit by specifying a new limit value or the action to take
349 when the limit is exceeded, or both.
sp_modify_time_range on page Changes the start day, start time, end day, and/or end time associated with a
352 named time range.
sp_modifystats on page 354 Allows the System Administrator to modify the density values of a
column—or columns—in sysstatistics.

sp_modifythreshold on page 357 Modifies a threshold by associating it with a different threshold procedure,
free-space level, or segment name. You cannot use sp_modifythreshold to
change the amount of free space or the segment name for the last-chance
threshold.
sp_monitor on page 361 Displays statistics about Adaptive Server.
sp_monitorconfig on page 364 Monitors more than 30 resources compared to the 6 resources it monitored
in earlier versions.
sp_object_stats on page 371 Shows lock contention, lock wait-time, and deadlock statistics for tables and
indexes.
sp_passthru on page 374 Component Integration Services only Allows the user to pass a SQL
command buffer to a remote server.
sp_password on page 376 Adds or changes a password for an Adaptive Server login account.
sp_placeobject on page 378 Puts future space allocations for a table or an index on a particular segment.
sp_plan_dbccdb on page 380 Recommends suitable sizes for new dbccdb and dbccalt databases, lists
suitable devices for dbccdb and dbccalt, and suggests a cache size and a
suitable number of worker processes for the target database.
sp_poolconfig on page 382 Creates, drops, resizes, and provides information about memory pools
within data caches.
sp_primarykey on page 387 Defines a primary key on a table or view.
sp_processmail on page 388 Windows NT only Reads, processes, sends, and deletes messages in the
Adaptive Server message inbox.
sp_procxmode on page 390 Displays or changes the transaction modes associated with stored
procedures.
sp_recompile on page 392 Causes each stored procedure and trigger that uses the named table to be
recompiled the next time it runs.
sp_remap on page 393 Remaps a stored procedure, trigger, rule, default, or view from releases later
than 4.8 and earlier than 10.0 to be compatible with releases 10.0 and later.
Use sp_remap on pre-release 11.0 objects that the release 11.0 upgrade
procedure failed to remap.
sp_remoteoption on page 394 Displays or changes remote login options.
sp_remotesql on page 396 Component Integration Services only Establishes a connection to a
remote server, passes a query buffer to the remote server from the client, and
relays the results back to the client.
sp_rename on page 398 Changes the name of a user-created object or user-defined datatype in the
current database.
sp_renamedb on page 400 Changes the name of a database. You cannot rename system databases or
databases with external referential integrity constraints.
sp_rename_qpgroup on page 402 Renames an abstract plan group.
sp_reportstats on page 403 Reports statistics on system usage.

sp_revokelogin on page 405 Windows NT only When Integrated Security mode or Mixed mode (with
Named Pipes) is active, revokes Adaptive Server roles and default
permissions from Windows NT users and groups.
sp_role on page 406 Grants or revokes system roles to an Adaptive Server login account.
sp_sendmsg on page 407 Sends a message to a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port.
sp_serveroption on page 409 Displays or changes remote server options.
sp_setlangalias on page 413 Assigns or changes the alias for an alternate language.
sp_setpglockpromote on page 414 Sets or changes the lock promotion thresholds for a database, for a table, or
for Adaptive Server.
sp_setpsexe on page 416 Sets custom execution attributes “on the fly” for an active client application,
login, or stored procedure.
sp_set_qplan on page 417 Changes the text of the abstract plan of an existing plan without changing
the associated query.
sp_setrowlockpromote on page Sets or changes row-lock promotion thresholds for a
418 datarows-locked table, for all datarows-locked tables in a database,
or for all datarows-locked tables on a server.
sp_setsuspect_granularity on Displays and sets the recovery fault isolation mode.
page 420
sp_setsuspect_threshold on page On recovery, sets the maximum number of suspect pages that Adaptive
423 Server will allow in the specified database before taking the entire database
offline.
sp_showcontrolinfo on page 424 Displays information about engine group assignments, bound client
sp_showexeclass on page 426 Displays the execution class attributes and the engines in any engine group
associated with the specified execution class.
sp_showplan on page 427 Displays the query plan for any user connection for the current SQL
statement (or a previous statement in the same batch). The query plan is
displayed in showplan format.
sp_showpsexe on page 429 Displays execution class, current priority, and affinity for all processes
running on Adaptive Server.
sp_spaceused on page 430 Displays estimates of the number of rows, the number of data pages, and the
space used by one table or by all tables in the current database.
sp_ssladmin on page 433 Adds, deletes, or displays a list of server certificates for Adaptive Server.
sp_syntax on page 435 Displays the syntax of Transact-SQL statements, system procedures,
utilities, and other routines, depending on which products and corresponding
sp_syntax scripts exist on Adaptive Server.
sp_sysmon on page 437 Displays performance information.

sp_tempdb Creates the default temporary database group, binds temporary databases to
the default temporary database group, binds users and applications to the
default temporary database group or to specific temporary databases, and
provides the binding interface for maintaining bindings in sysattributes that
are related to the multiple temporary database.
sp_thresholdaction on page 448 Executes automatically when the number of free pages on the log segment
falls below the last-chance threshold, unless the threshold is associated with
a different procedure. Sybase does not provide this procedure.
sp_transactions on page 450 Reports information about active transactions.
sp_unbindcache on page 457 Unbinds a database, table, index, text object, or image object from a data
cache.
sp_unbindcache_all on page 459 Unbinds all objects that are bound to a cache.
sp_unbindefault on page 460 Unbinds a created default value from a column or from a user-defined
datatype.
sp_unbindexeclass on page 461 Removes the execution class attribute previously associated with an
client application, login, or stored procedure for the specified scope.
sp_unbindmsg on page 463 Unbinds a user-defined message from a constraint.
sp_unbindrule on page 464 Unbinds a rule from a column or from a user-defined datatype.
sp_volchanged on page 466 Notifies the Backup Server™ that the operator performed the requested
volume handling during a dump or load.
sp_who on page 469 Reports information about all current Adaptive Server users and processes
or about a particular user or process.

sp_activeroles
Description Displays all active roles.
Syntax sp_activeroles [expand_down]
Parameters expand_down
shows the hierarchy tree of all active roles contained by your roles.
Examples Example 1
sp_activeroles
Role Name
------------------------------
sa_role
sso_role
oper_role
replication_role
Example 2
sp_activeroles expand_down
Role Name Parent Role Name Level
-------------------------------- -------------------
sa_role NULL 1
doctor_role NULL 1
oper_role NULL 1
Usage • sp_activeroles displays all your active roles and all roles contained by
those roles.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_activeroles.
See also Documents For information about creating, managing, and using roles, see
the System Administration Guide.
Commands alter role, create role, drop role, grant, revoke, set
Functions mut_excl_roles, proc_role, role_contain, role_name

System procedures sp_displayroles

sp_addalias
sp_addalias
Description Allows an Adaptive Server user to be known in a database as another user.
Syntax sp_addalias loginame, name_in_db
Parameters loginame
is the master.dbo.syslogins name of the user who wants an alternate identity
in the current database.
name_in_db
is the database user name to alias loginame to. The name must exist in both
master.dbo.syslogins and in the sysusers table of the current database.
Examples There is a user named “albert” in the database’s sysusers table and a login for
a user named “victoria” in master.dbo.syslogins. This command allows
“victoria” to use the current database by assuming the name “albert”:
sp_addalias victoria, albert
Usage • Executing sp_addalias maps one user to another in the current database.
The mapping is shown in sysalternates, where the two users’ suids (system
user IDs) are connected.
• A user can be aliased to only one database user at a time.
• A report on any users mapped to a specified user can be generated with
sp_helpuser, giving the specified user’s name as an argument.
• When a user tries to use a database, Adaptive Server checks sysusers to

confirm that the user is listed there. If the user is not listed there, Adaptive
Server then checks sysalternates. If the user’s suid is listed in sysalternates,
mapped to a database user’s suid, Adaptive Server treats the first user as
the second user while using the database.
If the user named in loginame is in the database’s sysusers table, Adaptive
Server does not use the user’s alias identity, because it checks sysusers and
finds the loginame before checking sysalternates, where the alias is listed.
Permissions Only the Database Owner or a System Administrator can execute sp_addalias.
See also Command use
System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_adduser, sp_dropalias, sp_helpuser

sp_addauditrecord
Description Allows users to enter user-defined audit records (comments) into the audit trail.
Syntax sp_addauditrecord [text [, db_name [, obj_name
[, owner_name [, dbid [, objid]]]]]]
Parameters text
is the text of the message to add to the current audit table. The text is inserted
into the extrainfo field of the table.
db_name
is the name of the database referred to in the record. The name is inserted
into the dbname field of the current audit table.
obj_name
is the name of the object referred to in the record. The name is inserted into
the objname field of the current audit table.
owner_name
is the owner of the object referred to in the record. The name is inserted into
the objowner field of the current audit table.
dbid
is the database ID number of db_name. Do not enclose this integer value in
quotes. dbid is inserted into the dbid field of the current audit table.
objid
is the object ID number of obj_name. Do not enclose this integer value in
quotes. objid is inserted into the objid field of the current audit table.
Examples Example 1 Adds “I gave A. Smith permission to view the payroll table in the
corporate database. This permission was in effect from 3:10 to 3:30 pm on
9/22/92.” to the extrainfo field; “corporate” to the dbname field; “payroll” to the
objname field; “dbo” to the objowner field; “10” to the dbid field, and
“1004738270” to the objid field of the current audit table:
sp_addauditrecord "I gave A. Smith permission to view
the payroll table in the corporate database. This
permission was in effect from 3:10 to 3:30 pm on
9/22/92.", "corporate", "payroll", "dbo", 10,
1004738270
Example 2 Adds this record to the audit trail. This example uses parameter
names with the @ prefix, which allows you to leave some fields empty:
sp_addauditrecord @text="I am disabling auditing
briefly while we reconfigure the system",
@db_name="corporate"

sp_addauditrecord
Usage • Adaptive Server writes all audit records to the current audit table. The
current audit table is determined by the value of the current audit table
configuration parameter, set with sp_configure. An installation can have
up to eight system audit tables, named sysaudits_01, sysaudits_02, and so
forth, through sysaudits_08.
Note The records actually are first stored in the in-memory audit queue,
and the audit process later writes the records from the audit queue to the
current audit table. Therefore, you cannot count on an audit record being
stored immediately in the audit table.
• You can use sp_addauditrecord if:

• You have been granted execute permission on sp_addauditrecord – no
special role is required
• Auditing is enabled – a System Security Officer used sp_configure to
turn on the auditing configuration parameter
• The adhoc option of sp_audit is set to on
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_addauditrecord. The Database
Owner of sybsecurity (who must also be a System Security Officer) can grant
execute permission to other users.
See also System procedure sp_audit

sp_addaudittable
Description Adds another system audit table after auditing is installed.
Syntax sp_addaudittable devname
Parameters devname
is the name of the device for the audit table. Specify a device name or
specify “default”. If you specify “default”, Adaptive Server creates the audit
table on the same device as the sybsecurity database. Otherwise, Adaptive
Server creates the table on the device you specify.
Examples Example 1 Creates a system audit table on auditdev2. If only one system audit
table (sysaudits_01) exists when you execute the procedure, Adaptive Server
names the new audit table sysaudits_02 and places it on its own segment, called
aud_seg_02, on auditdev2:
sp_addaudittable auditdev2
Example 2 Creates a system audit table on the same device as the sybsecurity
database. If two system audit tables (sysaudits_01 and sysaudits_02) exist when
you execute the procedure, Adaptive Server names the new audit table
sysaudits_03 and places it on its own segment, called aud_seg_03, on the same
device as the sybsecurity database:
sp_addaudittable "default"
Usage • Auditing must already be installed when you run sp_addaudittable. Follow
this procedure to add a system audit table:
a Create the device for the audit table, using disk init. For example, run
a command like this for UNIX:
disk init name = "auditdev2",
physname = "/dev/rxyla",
size = “5K”
b Add the device to the sybsecurity database with the alter database
command. For example, to add auditdev2 to the sybsecurity database,
use:
alter database sybsecurity on auditdev2
c Execute sp_addaudittable to create the table.

sp_addaudittable
• Adaptive Server names the new system audit table and the new segment
according to how many audit tables are already defined. For example, if
five audit tables are defined before you execute the procedure, Adaptive
Server names the new audit table sysaudits_06 and the new segment
aud_seg_06. If you specify “default”, Adaptive Server places the segment
on the same device as the sybsecurity database. Otherwise, Adaptive
Server places the segment on the device you name.
• A maximum of eight audit tables is allowed. If you already have eight
audit tables, and you attempt to execute sp_addaudittable to add another
one, Adaptive Server displays an error message.
• For information about how to install auditing, see the installation
documentation for your platform. See the System Administration Guide
for information on how to use auditing.
Permissions Only a uses who is both a System Administrator and a System Security Officer
to execute sp_addaudittable.
See also System procedure sp_audit

sp_addengine
Description Adds an engine to an existing engine group or, if the group does not exist,
creates an engine group and adds the engine.
Syntax sp_addengine engine_number, engine_group
Parameters engine_number
is the number of the engine you are adding to the group. Legal values are
between 0 and a maximum equal to the number of configured online engines
minus one.
engine_group
is the name of the engine group to which you are adding the engine. If
engine_group does not exist, Adaptive Server creates it and adds the engine
to it. Engine group names must conform to the rules for identifiers. For
details, see Chapter 4, “Expressions, Identifiers, and Wildcard Characters”
in Reference Manual: Building Blocks.
Examples If no engine group is called DS_GROUP, this statement establishes the group.
If DS_GROUP already exists, this statement adds engine number 2 to that
group:
sp_addengine 2, DS_GROUP
Usage • sp_addengine creates a new engine group if the value of engine_group
does not already exist.
• The engine groups ANYENGINE and LASTONLINE are predefined.
ANYENGINE includes all existing engines. LASTONLINE specifies the
engine with highest engine number. A System Administrator can create
additional engine groups. You cannot modify predefined engine groups.
• As soon as you use sp_bindexeclass to bind applications or logins to an
execution class associated with engine_group, the associated process may
start running on engine_number.
• Prior to making engine affinity assignments, study the environment and
consider the number of non-preferred applications and the number of
Adaptive Server engines available. See the Performance and Tuning
Guide for more information about non-preferred applications.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_addengine.
See also System procedures sp_addexeclass, sp_bindexeclass, sp_clearpsexe,
sp_dropengine, sp_setpsexe, sp_showcontrolinfo, sp_showexeclass,
sp_showpsexe, sp_unbindexeclass

sp_addexeclass
sp_addexeclass
Description Creates or updates a user-defined execution class that you can bind to client
Syntax sp_addexeclass classname, priority, timeslice, engine_group
Parameters classname
is the name of the new execution class.
priority
is the priority value with which to run the client application, login, or stored
procedure after it is associated with this execution class. Legal values are
HIGH, LOW, and MEDIUM.
timeslice
is the time unit assigned to processes associated with this class. Adaptive
Server currently ignores this parameter.
engine_group
identifies an existing group of engines on which processes associated with
this class can run.
Examples Defines a new execution class called DS with a priority value of LOW and
associates it with the engine group DS_GROUP:
sp_addexeclass "DS", "LOW", 0, "DS_GROUP"
Usage • sp_addexeclass creates or updates a user-defined execution class that you
can bind to client applications, logins, and stored procedures. If the class
already exists, the class attribute values are updated with the values
supplied by the user.
• Use the predefined engine group parameter ANYENGINE if you do not
want to restrict the execution object to an engine group.
• Use sp_addengine to define engine groups. Use sp_showexeclass to
display execution class attributes and the engines in any engine group
associated with the specified execution class. sp_showcontrolinfo lists the
existing engine groups.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_addexeclass.
See also System procedures sp_addengine, sp_bindexeclass, sp_clearpsexe,
sp_dropengine, sp_dropexeclass, sp_setpsexe, sp_showcontrolinfo,
sp_showexeclass, sp_showpsexe, sp_unbindexeclass

sp_addextendedproc
Description Creates an extended stored procedure (ESP) in the master database.
Syntax sp_addextendedproc esp_name, dll_name
Parameters esp_name
is the name of the extended stored procedure. This name must be identical
to the name of the procedural language function that implements the ESP.
esp_name must be a valid Adaptive Server identifier.
dll_name
is the name of the dynamic link library (DLL) file containing the function
specified by esp_name. The dll_name can be specified with no extension or
with its platform-specific extension, such as .dll on Windows NT or .so on
Sun Solaris. If an extension is specified, the dll_name must be enclosed in
quotation marks.
Examples Registers an ESP for the function named my_esp, which is in the sqlsrvdll.dll
file. The name of the resulting ESP database object is also xp_echo:
sp_addextendedproc my_esp, "sqlsrvdll.dll"
Usage • Execute sp_addextendedproc from the master database.
• You can only use sp_addextendedproc to add extended stored procedures
that take no parameters. If your extended stored procedure requires a
formal parameter list, you must use the create procedure command with
the as external name option, together with the complete parameter list.
• The esp_name is case sensitive. It must match the name of the function in
the DLL.
• The DLL represented by dll_name must reside on the server machine on
which the ESP is being created and the DLL directory must be in:
• Windows NT – $PATH
• Compaq Tru64 – $LD_LIBRARY_PATH
• HP – $SH_LIBRARY_PATH
If the file is not found, the search mechanism also searches $SYBASE/dll
on Windows NT and $SYBASE/lib on other platforms.
• On Windows NT – an ESP function should not call a C run-time signal
routine. This can cause XP Server to fail, because Open Server™ does not
support signal handling on Windows NT.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_addextendedproc.

sp_addextendedproc
See also Commands create procedure

System procedures sp_dropextendedproc, sp_helpextendedproc

sp_addexternlogin
Description Component Integration Services only Creates an alternate login account
and password to use when communicating with a remote server through
Component Integration Services.
Syntax sp_addexternlogin remote_server, login_name, remote_name
[, remote_password] [role_name]
Parameters remote_server
is the name of the remote server. The remote_server must be known to the
local server by an entry in the master.dbo.sysservers table.
login_name
is an account known to the local server. login_name must be represented by
an entry in the master.dbo.syslogins table. The “sa” account, the “sso”
account, and the login_name account are the only users authorized to modify
remote access for a given local user.
remote_name
is an account known to the remote_server and must be a valid account on the
node where the remote_server runs. This is the account used for logging into
the remote_server.
remote_password
is the password for remote_name.
role_name
is the Adaptive Server user’s assigned role. If role_name is specified,
login_name is ignored.
Examples Example 1 Tells the local server that when the login name “bobj” logs in,
access to the remote server OMNI1012 is by the remote name “jordan” and the
remote password “hitchpost”. Only the “bobj” account, the “sa” account, and
the “sso” account have the authority to add or modify a remote login for the
login name “bobj”:
sp_addexternlogin OMNI1012, bobj, jordan, hitchpost
Example 2 Shows a many-to-one mapping so that all Adaptive Server
Enterprise users that need a connection to DB2 can be assigned the same name
and password:
sp_addexternlogin DB2, NULL, login2, password2
Example 3 Adaptive Server Enterprise roles can also be assigned remote
logins. With this capability, anyone with a particular role can be assigned a
corresponding login name and password for a given remote server:

sp_addexternlogin
sp_addexternlogin DB2, NULL, login3, password3, role

Usage • sp_addexternlogin assigns an alternate login name and password to be used
when communicating with a remote server. It stores the password
internally in encrypted form.
Note You can use sp_addexternlogin only when Component Integration

Services is installed and configured.
• Mappings can be one-to-one (for specific users), role-to-one (role-based)

, many-to-one (server-based), or based on the client login and password
from the TDS loginrec.
• The login and password have a many to one mapping. That is, you can
assign all the users who need to log into a remote server the same name
and password.
• When several external logins are set for a user, the following precedence
will be followed for user connections to a remote server. 1) one-to-one
mapping, 2) if there is no one-to-one mapping, active role is used, 3) if
neither one-to-one mapping nor active role is present, then many-to-one
mapping, 4) if none of the above is used then Adaptive Server Enterprise
login and password.
• You can assign external logins to Adaptive Server roles. You can assign
anyone with a particular role a corresponding login name and password for
any given remote server.
• When you establish a connection to a remote server for a user that has
more than one role active, each role is searched for an external login
mapping and uses the first mapping it finds to establish the login. This is
the same order as displayed by the stored procedure sp_activeroles.
• If you perform role mapping, and a user's role is changed (using set role),
any connections made to remote servers that used role mapping must be
disconnected. You cannot do this if a transaction is pending. You cannot
use set role if a transaction is active and remote connections are present
that used role mapping.
• Before running sp_addexternlogin, add the remote server to Adaptive
Server with sp_addserver.
• remote_name and remote_password must be a valid user and password
combination on the node where the server runs.
• Sites with automatic password expiration need to plan for periodic updates
of passwords for external logins.

• Use sp_dropexternlogin to remove the definition of the external login.

• sp_addexternlogin cannot be used from within a transaction.
• The “sa” account and the login_name account are the only users who can
modify remote access for a given local user.
Permissions Only the login_name, a System Administrator, and a System Security Officer
can execute sp_addexternlogin.
See also System procedures sp_addserver, sp_addserver, sp_helpexternlogin,
sp_helpserver

sp_addgroup
sp_addgroup
Description Adds a group to a database. Groups are used as collective names in granting
and revoking privileges.
Syntax sp_addgroup grpname
Parameters grpname
is the name of the group. Group names must conform to the rules for
identifiers.
Examples Creates a group named accounting in the current database:
sp_addgroup accounting
Usage • sp_addgroup adds the new group to a database’s sysusers table. Each
group’s user ID (uid) is 16384 or larger (except “public,” which is always
0).
• A group and a user cannot have the same name.
• Once a group has been created, add new users with sp_adduser. To add an
existing user to a group, use sp_changegroup.
• Every database is created with a group named “public”. Every user is
automatically a member of “public”. Each user can be a member of one
additional group.
Permissions Only the Database Owner, a System Administrator, or a System Security
Officer can execute sp_addgroup.
See also Commands grant, revoke
System procedures sp_adduser, sp_changegroup, sp_dropgroup,
sp_helpgroup

sp_addlanguage
Description Defines the names of the months and days for an alternate language and its date
format.
Syntax sp_addlanguage language, alias, months, shortmons,
days, datefmt, datefirst
Parameters language
is the official language name for the language, entered in 7-bit ASCII
characters only.
alias
substitutes for the alternate language’s official name. Enter either “null”, to
make the alias the same as the official language name, or a name you prefer.
You can use 8-bit ASCII characters in an alias—”français”, for example—
if your terminal supports them.
months
is a list of the full names of the 12 months, ordered from January through
December, separated only by commas (no spaces allowed). Month names
can be up to 20 characters long and can contain 8-bit ASCII characters.
shortmons
is a list of the abbreviated names of the 12 months, ordered from January
through December, separated only by commas (no spaces allowed). Month
abbreviations can be up to 9 characters long and can contain 8-bit ASCII
characters.
days
is a list of the full names of the seven days, ordered from Monday through
Sunday, separated only by commas (no spaces allowed). Day names can be
up to 30 characters long and can contain 8-bit ASCII characters.
datefmt
is the date order of the date parts month/day/year for entering datetime,
smalldatetime, date or time data. Valid arguments are mdy, dmy, ymd, ydm,
myd, or dym. “dmy” indicates that dates are in day/month/year order.
datefirst
sets the number of the first weekday for date calculations. For example,
Monday is 1, Tuesday is 2, and so on.

sp_addlanguage
Examples This stored procedure adds French to the languages available on the server.
“null” makes the alias the same as the official name, “french”. Date order is
“dmy” – day/month/year. “1” specifies that lundi, the first item in the days list,
is the first weekday. Because the French do not capitalize the names of the days
and months except when they appear at the beginning of a sentence, this
example shows them being added in lowercase:
sp_addlanguage french, null,
"janvier,fevrier,mars,avril,mai,juin,juillet,
aout,septembre,octobre,novembre,decembre",
"jan,fev,mars,avr,mai,juin,jui,aout,sept,oct,
nov,dec",
"lundi,mardi,mercredi,jeudi,vendredi,samedi,
dimanche",
dmy, 1
Usage • Usually, you add alternate languages from one of Adaptive Server’s
Language Modules using the langinstall utility or the Adaptive Server
installation program. A Language Module supplies the names of the dates
and translated error messages for that language. However, if a Language
Module is not provided with your server, use sp_addlanguage to define the
date names and format.
• Use sp_modifylogin to change a user’s default language. If you set a user’s
default language to a language added with sp_addlanguage, and there are
no localization files for the language, the users receive an informational
message when they log in, indicating that their client software could not
open the localization files.
System Table Changes
• sp_addlanguage creates an entry in master.dbo.syslanguages, inserting a
unique numeric value in the langid column for each alternate language.
langid 0 is reserved for U.S. English.
• The language parameter becomes the official language name, stored in the
name column of master.dbo.syslanguages. Language names must be
unique. Use sp_helplanguage to display a list of the alternate languages
available on Adaptive Server.
• sp_addlanguage sets the alias column in master.dbo.syslanguages to the
official language name if NULL is entered for alias, but System
Administrators can change the value of syslanguage.alias with
sp_setlangalias.
• sp_addlanguage sets the upgrade column in master.dbo.syslanguages to 0.

Dates for Languages added with sp_addlanguage

• For alternate languages added with Language Modules, Adaptive Server
sends date values to clients as datetime datatype, and the clients use
localization files to display the dates in the user’s current language. For
date strings added with sp_addlanguage, use the convert function to
convert the dates to character data in the server, where pubdate is datetime
data and table is any table:
select convert(char, pubdate) from table
• When users perform data entry on date values and need to use date names
created with sp_addlanguage, the client must have these values input as
character data, and sent to the server as character data.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_addlanguage.
See also Commands set
System procedures sp_droplanguage, sp_helplanguage, sp_modifylogin,

sp_setlangalias
Utilities langinstall

sp_addlogin
sp_addlogin
Description Adds a new user account to Adaptive Server; specifies the password expiration
interval, the minimum password length, and the maximum number of failed
logins allowed for a specified login at creation.
Syntax sp_addlogin loginame, passwd [, defdb]
[, deflanguage] [, fullname] [, passwdexp]
[, minpwdlen] [, maxfailedlogins]
Parameters loginame
is the user’s login name. Login names must conform to the rules for
identifiers.
passwd
is the user’s password. Passwords must be at least 6 characters long. If you
specify a shorter password, sp_addlogin returns an error message and exits.
Enclose passwords that include characters besides A-Z, a-z, or 0-9 in
quotation marks. Also enclose passwords that begin with 0-9 in quotation
marks.
defdb
is the name of the default database assigned when a user logs into Adaptive
Server. If you do not specify defdb, the default, master, is used.
deflanguage
is the official name of the default language assigned when a user logs into
Adaptive Server. The Adaptive Server default language, defined by the
default language id configuration parameter, is used if you do not specify
deflanguage.
fullname
is the full name of the user who owns the login account. This can be used for
documentation and identification purposes.
passwdexp
specifies the password expiration interval in days. It can be any value
between 0 and 32767, inclusive.
minpwdlen
specifies the minimum password length required for that login. The values
range between 0 and 30 characters.
maxfailedlogins
is the number of allowable failed login attempts. It can be any whole number
between 0 and 32767.

Examples Example 1 Creates an Adaptive Server login for “albert” with the password
“longer1” and the default database corporate:
sp_addlogin albert, longer1, corporate
Example 2 Creates an Adaptive Server login for “claire”. Her password is
“bleurouge”, her default database is public_db, and her default language is
French:
sp_addlogin claire, bleurouge, public_db, french
Example 3 Creates an Adaptive Server login for “robertw”. His password is
“terrible2”, his default database is public_db, and his full name is “Robert
Willis”. Do not enclose null in quotes:
sp_addlogin robertw, terrible2, public_db, null,
"Robert Willis"
Example 4 Creates a login for “susan” with a password of “wonderful”, a full
name of “Susan B. Anthony”, and the server’s default database and language.
Do not enclose null in quotes:
sp_addlogin susan, wonderful, null, null, "Susan B.
Anthony"
Example 5 An alternative way of creating the login shown in example 4:
sp_addlogin susan, wonderful,
@fullname="Susan B. Anthony"
Usage • For ease of management, it is strongly recommended that all users’
Adaptive Server login names be the same as their operating system login
names. This makes it easier to correlate audit data between the operating
system and Adaptive Server. Otherwise, keep a record of the
correspondence between operating system and server login names.
• After assigning a default database to a user with sp_addlogin, the Database
Owner or System Administrator must provide access to the database by
executing sp_adduser or sp_addalias.
• Although a user can use sp_modifylogin to change his or her own default
database at any time, a database cannot be used without permission from
the Database Owner.
• A user can use sp_password at any time to change his or her own
password. A System Security Officer can use sp_password to change any
user’s password.

sp_addlogin
• A user can use sp_modifylogin to change his or her own default language.
A System Administrator can use sp_modifylogin to change any user’s
default language.
• A user can use sp_modifylogin to change his or her own fullname. A
System Administrator can use sp_modifylogin to change any user’s
fullname.
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_addlogin.
See also System procedures sp_addalias, sp_adduser, sp_droplogin, sp_locklogin,
sp_modifylogin, sp_password, sp_role

sp_addmessage
Description Adds user-defined messages to sysusermessages for use by stored procedure
print and raiserror calls and by sp_bindmsg.
Syntax sp_addmessage message_num, message_text
[, language [, with_log [, replace]]]
Parameters message_num
is the message number of the message to add. The message number for a
user-defined message must be 20000 or greater.
message_text
is the text of the message to add. The maximum length is 1024 bytes.
language
is the language of the message to add. This must be a valid language name
in the syslanguages table. If this parameter is missing, Adaptive Server
assumes that messages are in the default session language indicated by
@@langid.
with_log
specifies whether the message is logged in the Adaptive Server error log as
well as in the Windows NT Event Log on Windows NT servers, if logging
is enabled. If with_log is TRUE, the message is logged, regardless of the
severity of the error. If with_log is FALSE, the message may or may not be
logged, depending on the severity of the error. If you do not specify a value
for with_log, the default is FALSE.
replace
specifies whether to overwrite an existing message of the same number and
languid. If replace is specified, the existing message is overwritten; if
replace is omitted, it is not. If you do not specify a value for replace, the
parameter’s default behavior specifies that the existing message will not be
overwritten.
Examples Example 1 Adds a message with the number 20001 to sysusermessages:
sp_addmessage 20001, "The table '%1!' is not owned by
the user '%2!'."
Example 2 Adds a message with the number 20002 to sysusermessages. This
message is logged in the Adaptive Server error log, as well as in the Windows
NT Event Log on Windows NT servers, if event logging is enabled. If a
message numbered 20002 exists in the default session language, this message
overwrites the old message:
sp_addmessage 20002, "The procedure'%1!' is not owned

sp_addmessage
by the user '%2!'.", NULL, TRUE, "replace"

Usage • sp_addmessage does not overwrite an existing message of the same
number and langid unless you specify @replace = “replace".
• print and raiserror recognize placeholders in the message text to print out.
A single message can contain up to 20 unique placeholders in any order.
These placeholders are replaced with the formatted contents of any
arguments that follow the message when the text of the message is sent to
the client.
The placeholders are numbered to allow reordering of the arguments when
Adaptive Server is translating a message to a language with a different
grammatical structure. A placeholder for an argument appears as “%nn!”,
a percent sign (%), followed by an integer from 1 to 20, followed by an
exclamation point (!). The integer represents the argument number in the
string in the argument list. “%1!” is the first argument in the original
version, “%2!” is the second argument, and so on.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_addmessage.
See also Commands print, raiserror
System procedures sp_altermessage, sp_bindmsg, sp_dropmessage,
sp_getmessage

sp_addobjectdef
Description Component Integration Services only Specifies the mapping between a
local table and an external storage location.
Syntax sp_addobjectdef tablename, "objectdef" [,"objecttype"]
Parameters tablename
is the name of the object as it is defined in a local table. The tablename can
be in any of the following forms:
dbname.owner.object
dbname..object
owner.object
object
dbname and owner are optional. object is required. If you do not specify an
owner, the default (current user name) is used. If you specify a dbname, it
must be the current database name, and you must specify owner or mark the
owner with a placeholder in the format dbname..object. Enclose any
multipart tablename values in quotes.
objectdef
is a string naming the external storage location of the object. The objecttype
at objectdef can be a table, view, or read-only remote procedure call (RPC)
result set accessible to a remote server. A table, view, or RPC uses the
following format for objectdef:
server_name.dbname.owner.object
server_name and object are required. dbname and owner are optional, but if
they are not supplied, a placeholder in the format dbname..object, is
required.
See “Server Classes” in the Component Integration Services User’s Guide
for more information.
objecttype
is one of the values that specify the format of the object named by objectdef.
Table 1-2 describes the valid values. Enclose the objecttype value in quotes.
Table 1-2: Allowable values for objecttype
Value Description
table Indicates that the object named by objectdef is a table accessible to a remote
server. This value is the default for objecttype.
view Indicates that the object named by objectdef is a view managed by a remote server
and processed as a table.

sp_addobjectdef
Value Description
rpc Indicates that the object named by objectdef is an RPC managed by a remote
server. Adaptive Server processes the result set from the RPC as a read-only table.
Table 1-3 summarizes how each objecttype is used.

Table 1-3: Summary of objecttype uses
create create Write to Read from
objecttype table existing table table table
table Yes Yes Yes Yes
view No Yes Yes Yes
rpc No Yes No Yes
Examples Example 1 Maps the local table accounts in the database finance to the remote
object pubs.dbo.accounts in the remote server named SYBASE. The current
database must be finance. A subsequent create table creates a table in the pubs
database. If pubs.dbo.accounts is an existing table, a create existing table
statement populates the table finance.dbo.accounts with information about the
remote table:
sp_addobjectdef "finance.dbo.accounts",
"SYBASE.pubs.dbo.accounts", "table"
Example 2 Maps the local table stockcheck to an RPC named stockcheck on
remote server NEWYORK in the database wallstreet with owner “kelly”. The
result set from RPC stockcheck is seen as a read-only table. Typically, the next
operation would be a create existing table statement for the object stockcheck:
sp_addobjectdef stockcheck,
"NEWYORK.wallstreet.kelly.stockcheck", "rpc"
Usage • sp_addobjectdef specifies the mapping between a local table and an
external storage location. It identifies the format of the object at that
location.You can use sp_addobjectdef only when Component Integration
Services is installed and configured.
• sp_addobjectdef replaces the sp_addtabledef command. sp_addobjectdef
allows existing scripts to run without modification. Internally,
sp_addtabledef invokes sp_addobjectdef.
• Only the System Administrator can provide the name of another user as a
table owner.
• When objecttype is table, view, or rpc, the objectdef parameter takes the
following form:
"server_name.database.owner.tablename"

• server_name – represents a server that has already been added to

sysservers by sp_addserver.
• database – may not be required. Some server classes do not support it.
• owner – should always be provided, to avoid ambiguity. If you do not
specify owner, the remote object referenced may vary, depending on
whether or not the external login corresponds to the remote object
owner.
• tablename – is the name of a remote server table.
• Use sp_addobjectdef before issuing any create table or create existing table
commands. create table is valid only for the objecttype values table and file.
When either create table or create existing table is used, Adaptive Server
checks sysattributes to determine whether any table mapping has been
specified for the object. Follow the objecttype values view and rpc with
create existing table statements.
• After the table has been created, all future references to the local table
name (by select, insert, delete and update) are mapped to the correct
location.
• For information about RMS, see the Component Integration Services
User’s Guide.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_addobjectdef.
See also Commands create existing table, create table, drop table
System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_addserver, sp_defaultloc,

sp_dropobjectdef, sp_helpserver

sp_add_qpgroup
sp_add_qpgroup
Description Adds an abstract plan group.
Syntax sp_add_qpgroup new_name
Parameters new_name
is the name of the new abstract plan group. Group names must be valid
identifiers.
Examples Creates a new abstract plan group named dev_plans:
sp_add_qpgroup dev_plans
Usage • Use sp_add_qpgroup to add abstract plan groups for use in capturing or
creating abstract plans. The abstract plan group must exist before you can
create, save, or copy plans into a group.
• sp_add_qpgroup cannot be run in a transaction.
Permissions Only a System Administrator or Database Owner can execute sp_add_qpgroup.

System procedures sp_help_qpgroup

sp_addremotelogin
Description Authorizes a new remote server user by adding an entry to
master.dbo.sysremotelogins.
Syntax sp_addremotelogin remoteserver [, loginame [, remotename] ]
Parameters remoteserver
is the name of the remote server to which the remote login applies. This
server must be known to the local server by an entry in the
master.dbo.sysservers table, which was created with sp_addserver.
Note This manual page uses the term “local server” to refer to the server that
is executing the remote procedures run from a “remote server.”
loginame
is the login name of the user on the local server. loginame must already exist
in the master.dbo.syslogins table.
remotename
is the name used by the remote server when logging into the local server. All
remotenames that are not explicitly matched to a local loginame are
automatically matched to a local name. In Example 1 , the local name is the
remote name that is used to log in. In Example 2 , the local name is “albert.”
Examples Example 1 Creates an entry in the sysremotelogins table for the remote server
GATEWAY, for purposes of login validation. This is a simple way to map
remote names to local names when the local and remote servers have the same
users:
sp_addremotelogin GATEWAY
This example results in a value of -1 for the suid column and a value of NULL
for the remoteusername in a row of sysremotelogins.
Example 2 Creates an entry that maps all logins from the remote server
GATEWAY to the local user name “albert”. Adaptive Server adds a row to
sysremotelogins with Albert’s server user ID in the suid column and a null value
for the remoteusername:
sp_addremotelogin GATEWAY, albert
For these logins to be able to run RPCs on the local server, they must specify a
password for the RPC connection when they log into the local server, or they
must be “trusted” on the local server. To define these logins as “trusted”, use
sp_remoteoption.

sp_addremotelogin
Example 3 Maps a remote login from the remote user “pogo” on the remote
server GATEWAY to the local user “ralph”. Adaptive Server adds a row to
sysremotelogins with Ralph’s server user ID in the suid column and “pogo” in
the remoteusername column:
sp_addremotelogin GATEWAY, ralph, pogo
Usage • When a remote login is received, the local server tries to map the remote
user to a local user in three different ways:
• First, the local server looks for a row in sysremotelogins that matches
the remote server name and the remote user name. If the local server
finds a matching row, the local server user ID for that row is used to
log in the remote user. This applies to mappings from a specified
remote user.
• If no matching row is found, the local server searches for a row that
has a null remote name and a local server user ID other than -1. If such
a row is found, the remote user is mapped to the local server user ID
in that row. This applies to mappings from any remote user from the
remote server to a specific local name.
• Finally, if the previous attempts failed, the local server checks the
sysremotelogins table for an entry that has a null remote name and a
local server user ID of -1. If such a row is found, the local server uses
the remote name supplied by the remote server to look for a local
server user ID in the syslogins table. This applies when login names
from the remote server and the local server are the same.
• The name of the local user may be different on the remote server.
• If you use sp_addremotelogin to map all users from a remote server to the
same local name, use sp_remoteoption to specify the “trusted” option for
those users. For example, if all users from the server GOODSRV that are
mapped to “albert” are to be “trusted”, use sp_remoteoption as follows:
sp_remoteoption GOODSRV, albert, NULL, trusted, true
Logins that are not specified as “trusted” cannot execute RPCs on the local
server unless they specify passwords for the local server when they log
into the remote server. In Open Client™ Client-Library™, the user can use
the ct_remote_pwd routine to specify a password for server-to-server
connections. isql and bcp do not permit users to specify a password for
RPC connections.

If users are logged into the remote server using “unified login”, these
logins are already authenticated by a security mechanism. These logins
must also be trusted on the local server, or the users must specify
passwords for the server when they log into the remote server.
• Every remote login entry has a status. The default status for the trusted
option is false (not trusted). This means that when a remote login comes in
using that entry, the password is checked. If you do not want the password
to be checked, change the status of the trusted option to true with
sp_remoteoption.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_addremotelogin.
See also Documents See the System Administration Guide for more information
about setting up servers for remote procedure calls and for using “unified
login.”
System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_addserver, sp_dropremotelogin,
sp_helpremotelogin, sp_helprotect, sp_helpserver, sp_remoteoption
Utility isql

sp_add_resource_limit
Description Creates a limit on the number of server resources that can be used by an
Adaptive Server login and/or an application to execute a query, query batch, or
transaction.
Syntax sp_add_resource_limit name, appname, rangename, limittype, limitvalue
[, enforced [, action [, scope ]]]
Parameters name
is the Adaptive Server login to which the limit applies. You must specify
either a name or an appname or both. To create a limit that applies to all
users of a particular application, specify a name of NULL.
appname
is the name of the application to which the limit applies. You must specify
either a name or an appname or both. To create a limit that applies to all
applications used by an Adaptive Server login, specify an appname of null.
To create a limit that applies to a particular application, specify the
application name that the client program passes to the Adaptive Server in the
login packet.
rangename
is the time range during which the limit is enforced. The time range must
exist in the systimeranges system table of the master database at the time you
create the limit.
limittype
is the type of resource to limit. This must be one of the following:
Limit type Description
row_count Limits the number of rows a query can return
elapsed_time Limits the number of seconds, in wall-clock time, that a query batch or transaction can run
io_cost Limits either the actual cost or the optimizer’s cost estimate for processing a query
tempdb_space Limits the number of pages a tempdb database can have during a single session
limitvalue
is the maximum amount of the server resource (I/O cost, elapsed time in
seconds, row count, or tempdb space) that can be used by the login or
application before Adaptive Server enforces the limit. This must be a
positive, nonzero integer that is less than or equal to 231. The following table
indicates what value to specify for each limit type:
Limit type Limit value
row_count The maximum number of rows that can be returned by a query before the limit is enforced.


elapsed_time The number of seconds, in wall-clock time, that a query batch or transaction can run before
the limit is enforced.
io_cost A unitless measure derived from the optimizer’s costing formula.
tempdb_space The number of pages used in tempdb per session.
enforced
determines whether the limit is enforced prior to or during query execution.
The following table lists the valid values for each limit type:
enforced
code Description Limit type
1 Action is taken when the estimated I/O cost of io_cost
execution exceeds the specified limit.
2 Action is taken when the actual row count, row_count
elapsed time, or I/O cost of execution exceeds elapsed_time
the specified limit.
io_cost
3 Action is taken when either the estimated cost io_cost
or the actual cost exceeds the specified limit.
If you specify an enforced value of 3, Adaptive Server performs a logical

“or” of 1 and 2. For example, assume enforced is set to 3. If you run a query
whose io_cost exceeds the estimated cost, the specified action is executed.
If the query is within the limits specified for estimated cost but exceeds the
actual cost, the specified action is also executed.
If you do not specify an enforced value, Adaptive Server enforces limit 2 for
row_count and elapsed_time and limit 3 for io_cost. In other words, if the
limit type is io_cost, the specified action is executed if the query exceeds
either the estimated or actual cost.
action
is the action to take when the limit is exceeded. The following action codes
are valid for all limit types:
action code Description
1 Issues a warning
2 Aborts the query batch
3 Aborts the transaction
4 Kills the session
If you do not specify an action value, Adaptive Server uses a default value
of 2 (abort the query batch).

scope
is the scope of the limit. Specify one of the following codes appropriate to
the type of limit:
scope code Description Limit type
1 Query io_cost
row_count
2 Query batch (one or more SQL statements sent by the client to the server) elapsed_time
4 Transaction elapsed_time
6 Query batch and transaction elapsed_time
If you do not specify a scope value, the limit applies to all possible scopes
for the limit type.
Examples Example 1 Creates a resource limit that applies to all users of the payroll
application during the early_morning time range. If the query batch takes more
than 120 seconds to execute, Adaptive Server issues a warning:
sp_add_resource_limit NULL, payroll, early_morning, elapsed_time, 120, 2,
1, 2
Example 2 Creates a resource limit that applies to all ad hoc queries and
applications run by “joe_user” during the midday time range. When a query
returns more than 5000 rows, Adaptive Server aborts the transaction:
sp_add_resource_limit joe_user, NULL, midday, row_count, 5000, 2, 3, 1
Example 3 Creates a resource limit that applies to all ad hoc queries and
applications run by “joe_user” during the midday time range. When the
optimizer estimates that the I/O cost would exceed 650, Adaptive Server aborts
the transaction:
sp_add_resource_limit joe_user, NULL, midday, io_cost, 650, 1, 3, 1
Usage • You must enable sp_configure "allow resource limits" for resource limits to
take effect.
• Multiple resource limits can exist for a given user, application, limit type,
scope, and enforcement time, as long as their time ranges do not overlap.
• All limits for the currently active named time ranges and the “at all times”
range for a login and/or application name are bound to the user’s session
at login time. Therefore, if a user logs into Adaptive Server independently
of a given application, resource limits that restrict the user in combination
with that application do not apply. To guarantee restrictions on that user,
create a resource limit that is specific to the user and independent of any
application.

• Since either the user login name or application name, or both, are used to
identify a resource limit, Adaptive Server observes a predefined search
precedence while scanning the sysresourcelimits table for applicable limits
for a login session. The following table describes the precedence of
matching ordered pairs of login name and application name:
Level Login name Application name
1 “joe_user” payroll
2 NULL payroll
3 “joe_user” NULL
If one or more matches are found for a given precedence level, no further
levels are searched. This prevents conflicts regarding similar limits for
different login/application combinations.
If no match is found at any level, no limit is imposed on the session.
• When you add, delete, or modify resource limits, Adaptive Server rebinds
the limits for each session for that login and/or application at the beginning
of the next query batch for that session.
• When you change the currently active time ranges, Adaptive Server
rebinds limits for the session. This rebinding occurs at the beginning of the
next query batch.
• You cannot associate the limits for a particular login, application, or
login/application combination with named time ranges that overlap
(except for limits that share the same time range).
For example, if a user is limited to retrieving 50 rows between 9:00 a.m.
and 1:00 p.m., you cannot create a second resource limit for the same user
that limits him to retrieving 100 rows between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon.
However, you can create a resource hierarchy by assigning the 100-row
limit to the user between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon and assigning the
50-row limit to an application, like isql, between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Note Although Adaptive Server terminates the current transaction when it

reaches its time limit, you receive no 1105 error message until you issue
another SQL command or batch; in other words, the message appears only
when you attempt to use the connection again.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_add_resource_limit.

See also Documents For more information on resource limits, see the System
Administration Guide.

System procedures sp_configure, sp_drop_resource_limit,

sp_help_resource_limit, sp_modify_resource_limit
Utility isql

sp_addsegment
Description Defines a segment on a database device in a database.
Syntax sp_addsegment segname, dbname, devname
Parameters segname
is the name of the new segment to add to the syssegments table of the
database. Segment names are unique in each database.
dbname
specifies the name of the database in which to define the segment. dbname
must be the name of the current database or match the database name
qualifying sp_addsegment.
devname
is the name of the database device in which to locate segname. A database
device can have more than one segment associated with it.
Examples Example 1 Creates a segment named indexes for the database pubs2 on the
database device named dev1:
sp_addsegment indexes, pubs2, dev1
Example 2 Creates a segment named indexes for the database pubs2 on the
database device named dev1:
disk init
name = "pubs2_dev",
physname = "/dev/pubs_2_dev",
vdevno = 9, size = 5120
go
alter database pubs2 on pubs2_dev = 2
go
pubs2..sp_addsegment indexes, pubs2, dev1
Usage • sp_addsegment defines segment names for database devices created with
disk init and assigned to a specific database with an alter database or create
database command.
• After defining a segment, use it in create table and create index commands
and in the sp_placeobject procedure to place a table or index on the
segment.
When a table or index is created on a particular segment, all subsequent
data for the table or index is located on the segment.
• Use the system procedure sp_extendsegment to extend the range of a
segment to another database device used by the same database.

sp_addsegment
• If a database is extended with alter database on a device used by that

database, the segments mapped to that device are also extended.
• The system and default segments are mapped to each database device
included in a create database or alter database command. The logsegment
is also mapped to each device, unless you place it on a separate device with
the log on extension to create database or with sp_logdevice. See the
System Administration Guide for more information.
• Although you can use sp_addsegment in a database that has both data and
the log on the same device, such as when the database is created without
the log on option, Adaptive Server returns an error message if you create a
database using:
create database dbname on devicename log on
devicename with override
Permissions Only the Database Owner or a System Administrator can execute
sp_addsegment.
See also Commands alter database, create index, create table, disk init
System procedures sp_dropsegment, sp_extendsegment, sp_helpdb,
sp_helpdevice, sp_placeobject

sp_addserver
Description Defines a remote server, or defines the name of the local server.
Syntax sp_addserver “lname” [, class [,” pname”]]
Parameters “lname”
is the name used to address the server on your system. sp_addserver adds a
row to the sysservers table if there is no entry already present for lname.
Server names must be unique and must conform to the rules for identifiers.
class
identifies the category of server being added. A server class of “null”
defaults to “ASEnterprise”. Table 1-4 lists allowable values for the class
parameter:
Table 1-4: Allowable values for server_class parameter
class parameter
value Description
local Local server (there can be only one) used only once after start-up, or after restarting Adaptive
Server, to identify the local server name so that it can appear in messages printed by Adaptive
Server
null Remote server with no category defined
ASEnterprise All versions of Adaptive Server Enterprise; support for SQL Server 4.9 is not provided.
ASAnywhere Adaptive Server Anywhere version 6.0 or later.
ASIQ A server with server class ASIQ is any version of Adaptive Server IQ of 12.0 or later.
db2 Component Integration Services only An IBM DB2 database accessed through:
• DirectConnect for MVS / TRS (can also be configured as server class direct_connect)
• Direct (gateway less) access to Mainframe Connect
direct_connect Component Integration Services only An Open Server-based application that conforms
to the direct_connect interface specification.
sds Conforms to the interface requirements of a Specialty Data Store™ as described in the
Adaptive Server Specialty Data Store Developer’s Kit manual.
See “Remote Servers” in Chapter 2, “Understanding Component Integration

Services” of the Component Integration Services User’s Guide for details on
these parameter values.

sp_addserver
pname
is the name in the interfaces file for the server named lname. This enables
you to establish local aliases for other Adaptive Servers or Backup Servers
that you may need to communicate with. If you do not specify a pname,
lname is used.
Component Integration Services only – You can use pname to specify the
hostname or IP address and the port of the server you wish to connect to.
This enables you to bypass the need for directory services (such as LDAP or
an interfaces file) for the server when using the CT-Library. Use the
following format:
"hostname:port"
"ipaddr:port"
Note You must enclose the hostname and port with single or double quotes to
use this option.
Examples Example 1 Adds an entry for a remote server named GATEWAY in

master.dbo.sysservers. The pname is also GATEWAY:
sp_addserver GATEWAY
Example 2 Adds an entry for a remote server named GATEWAY in
master.dbo.sysservers. The pname is VIOLET. If there is already a sysservers
entry for GATEWAY with a different pname, the pname of server GATEWAY
changes to VIOLET:
sp_addserver GATEWAY, null, VIOLET
Example 3 Adds an entry for the local server named PRODUCTION:
sp_addserver PRODUCTION, local
Example 4 Component Integration Services only – Adds an entry for a remote
Adaptive Server with the host name “myhost” with port number 10224:
sp_addserver S1, ASEnterprise, "myhost:10224"
Note If you use this syntax for pname, the Adaptive Server site handler cannot
successfully connect to this server; only CIS connections recognize this syntax
for pname.
Example 5 Component Integration Services only – Adds an entry for a remote

Adaptive Server with the host IP 192.123.456.010 with port number 11222:

sp_addserver S3, direct_connect, "192.123.456.010:11222"

Usage • The sysservers table identifies the name of the local server and its options,
and any remote servers that the local server can communicate with.
To execute a remote procedure call on a remote server, the remote server
must exist in the sysservers table.
• If lname already exists as a server name in the sysservers table,
sp_addserver changes the remote server’s srvnetname to the name
specified by pname. When it does this, sp_addserver reports which server
it changed, what the old network name was, and what the new network
name is.
• The installation or upgrade process for your server adds an entry in
sysservers for a Backup Server. If you remove this entry, you cannot back
up your databases.
• Adaptive Server requires that the Backup Server have an lname of
SYB_BACKUP. If you do not want to use that as the name of your Backup
Server, or if you have more than one Backup Server running on your
system, modify the pname for server SYB_BACKUP with sp_addserver
so that Adaptive Server can communicate with Backup Server for database
dumps and loads.
• If you specify an lname, pname and class that already exist in sysservers,
sp_addserver prints an error message and does not update sysservers.
• Use sp_serveroption to set or clear server options.

Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_addserver.
See also Documents For information on using Component Integration Services, see
the Component Integration Services User’s Guide.
System procedures sp_addremotelogin, sp_dropremotelogin,
sp_dropserver, sp_helpremotelogin, sp_helpserver, sp_serveroption

sp_addthreshold
sp_addthreshold
Description Creates a threshold to monitor space on a database segment. When free space
on the segment falls below the specified level, Adaptive Server executes the
associated stored procedure.
Syntax sp_addthreshold dbname, segname, free_space, proc_name
Parameters dbname
is the database for which to add the threshold. This must be the name of the
current database.
segname
is the segment for which to monitor free space. Use quotes when specifying
the “default” segment.
free_space
is the number of free pages at which the threshold is crossed. When free
space in the segment falls below this level, Adaptive Server executes the
proc_name
is the stored procedure to be executed when the amount of free space on
segname drops below free_space. The procedure can be located in any
database on the current Adaptive Server or on an Open Server. Thresholds
cannot execute procedures on remote Adaptive Servers.
Examples Example 1 Creates a threshold for segment1. When the free space on segment1
drops below 200 pages, Adaptive Server executes the procedure pr_warning:
sp_addthreshold mydb, segment1, 200, pr_warning
Example 2 Creates a threshold for the user_data segment. When the free space
on user_data falls below 100 pages, Adaptive Server executes a remote
procedure call to the Open Server mail_me procedure:
sp_addthreshold userdb, user_data, 100, "o_server...mail_me"
Example 3 Creates a threshold on the indexes segment of the pubs2 database.
You can issue this command from any database:
pubs2..sp_addthreshold pubs2, indexes, 100, pr_warning
Usage Crossing a threshold
• When a threshold is crossed, Adaptive Server executes the associated
stored procedure. Adaptive Server uses the following search path for the
threshold procedure:

• If the procedure name does not specify a database, Adaptive Server

looks in the database in which the threshold was crossed.
• If the procedure is not found in this database, and the procedure name
begins with “sp_”, Adaptive Server looks in the sybsystemprocs
database.
If the procedure is not found in either database, Adaptive Server sends an
error message to the error log.
• Adaptive Server uses a hysteresis value, the global variable
@@thresh_hysteresis, to determine how sensitive thresholds are to
variations in free space. Once a threshold executes its procedure, it is
deactivated. The threshold remains inactive until the amount of free space
in the segment rises to @@thresh_hysteresis pages above the threshold.
This prevents thresholds from executing their procedures repeatedly in
response to minor fluctuations in free space.
The last-chance threshold
• By default, Adaptive Server monitors the free space on the segment where
the log resides and executes sp_thresholdaction when the amount of free
space is less than that required to permit a successful dump of the
transaction log. This amount of free space, called the last-chance
threshold, is calculated by Adaptive Server and cannot be changed by
users.
• If the last-chance threshold is crossed before a transaction is logged,
Adaptive Server suspends the transaction until log space is freed. Use
sp_dboption to change this behavior for a particular database. sp_dboption
"abort tran on log full", true causes Adaptive Server to roll back all
transactions that have not yet been logged when the last-chance threshold
is crossed.
• Only databases that store their logs on a separate segment can have a
last-chance threshold. Use sp_logdevice to move the transaction log to a
separate device.
Creating additional thresholds
• Each database can have up to 256 thresholds, including the last-chance
threshold.
• When you add a threshold, it must be at least 2 times @@thresh_hysteresis
pages from the closest threshold.

sp_addthreshold
Creating threshold procedures

• Any user with create procedure permission can create a threshold
procedure in a database. Usually, a System Administrator creates
sp_thresholdaction in the sybsystemprocs database, and the Database
Owners create threshold procedures in user databases.
• sp_addthreshold does not verify that the specified procedure exists. It is
possible to add a threshold before creating the procedure it executes.
• sp_addthreshold checks to ensure that the user adding the threshold
procedure has been directly granted the “sa_role”. All system roles active
when the threshold procedure is created are entered in systhresholds as
valid roles for the user writing the procedure. However, only directly
granted system roles are activated when the threshold fires. Indirectly
granted system roles and user-defined roles are not activated.
• Adaptive Server passes four parameters to a threshold procedure:
• @dbname, varchar(30), which identifies the database
• @segmentname, varchar(30), which identifies the segment
• @space_left, int, which indicates the number of free pages associated
with the threshold
• @status, int, which has a value of 1 for last-chance thresholds and 0
for other thresholds
These parameters are passed by position rather than by name; your
threshold procedure can use other names for them, but it must declare
them in the order shown and with the correct datatypes.
• It is not necessary to create a different procedure for each threshold. To
minimize maintenance, you can create a single threshold procedure in the
sybsystemprocs database that is executed for all thresholds in Adaptive
Server.
• Include print and raiserror statements in the threshold procedure to send
output to the error log.
Executing threshold procedures
• Tasks initiated when a threshold is crossed execute as background tasks.
These tasks do not have an associated terminal or user session. If you
execute sp_who while these tasks are running, the status column shows
“background”.

• Adaptive Server executes the threshold procedure with the permissions the
user had at the time he or she added the threshold, minus any permissions
that have since been revoked.
• Each threshold procedure uses one user connection, for as long as it takes
for the procedure to execute.
Changing or deleting thresholds
• Use sp_helpthreshold for information about existing thresholds.
• Use sp_modifythreshold to associate a threshold with a new threshold
procedure, free-space value, or segment. (You cannot change the
free-space value or segment name associated with the last-chance
threshold.)
Each time a user modifies a threshold, that user becomes the threshold
owner. When the threshold is crossed, Adaptive Server executes the
threshold with the permissions the owner had at the time he or she
modified the threshold, minus any permissions that have since been
revoked.
• Use sp_dropthreshold to drop a threshold from a segment.
Disabling free-space accounting
Warning! System procedures cannot provide accurate information about space

allocation when free-space accounting is disabled.
• Use the no free space acctg option of sp_dboption to disable free-space

accounting on non-log segments.
• You cannot disable free-space accounting on log segments.
sp_addthreshold.
See also Documents See the System Administration Guide for more information
about using thresholds.
Commands create procedure, dump transaction
Functions lct_admin
System procedures sp_dboption, sp_dropthreshold, sp_helpthreshold,

sp_modifythreshold, sp_thresholdaction

sp_add_time_range
sp_add_time_range
Description Adds a named time range to an Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_add_time_range name, startday, endday,
starttime, endtime
Parameters name
is the name of the time range. Time range names must be 30 characters or
fewer. The name cannot already exist in the systimeranges system table of
the master database.
startday
is the day of the week on which the time range begins. This must be the full
weekday name for the default server language, as stored in the syslanguages
system table of the master database.
endday
is the day of the week on which the time range ends. This must be the full
system table of the master database. The endday can fall either earlier or
later in the week than the startday or can be the same day as the startday.
starttime
is the time of day when the time range begins. Specify the starttime in terms
of a 24-hour clock, with a value between “00:00” (midnight) and “23:59”
(11:59 p.m.). Use the following form:
"HH:MM"
endtime
is the time of day when the time range ends. Specify the endtime in terms of
a 24-hour clock, with a value between “00:00” (midnight) and “23:59”
(11:59 p.m.). Use the following form:
"HH:MM"
Note To create a time range that spans the entire day, specify both a start time
and an end time of “00:00”.
The endtime must occur later in the day than the starttime, unless endtime is
“00:00”.
Examples Example 1 Creates the business_hours time range, which is active Monday
through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.:
sp_add_time_range business_hours, monday, Friday, "09:00", "17:00"

Example 2 Creates two time ranges, before_hours and after_hours, that,

together, span all non-business hours Monday through Friday. The
before_hours time range covers the period from 12:00 midnight to 9:00 a.m.,
Monday through Friday. The after_hours time range covers the period from
6:00 p.m. through 12:00 midnight, Monday through Friday:
sp_add_time_range before_hours, Monday, Friday, "00:00", "09:00"
sp_add_time_range after_hours, Monday, Friday, "18:00", "00:00"
Example 3 Creates the weekends time range, which is 12:00 midnight
Saturday to 12:00 midnight Sunday:
sp_add_time_range weekends, Saturday, Sunday, "00:00", "00:00"
Example 4 Creates the Fri_thru_Mon time range, which is 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m., Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday:
sp_add_time_range Fri_thru_Mon, Friday, Monday, "09:00", "17:00"
Example 5 Creates the Wednesday_night time range, which is Wednesday
from 5:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight:
sp_add_time_range Wednesday_night, Wednesday, Wednesday, "17:00", "00:00"
Usage • Adaptive Server includes one named time range, the “at all times” time
range. This time range covers all times, from the first day through the last
of the week, from 00:00 through 23:59. It cannot be modified or deleted.
• Adaptive Server generates a unique ID number for each named time range
and inserts it into the systimeranges system table,
• When storing a time range in the systimeranges system table, Adaptive
Server converts its startday and endday values into integers. For servers
with a default language of us_english, the week begins on Monday (day 1)
and ends on Sunday (day 7).
• It is possible to create a time range that overlaps with one or more other
time ranges.
• Range days are contiguous, so the days of the week can wrap around the
end to the beginning of the week. In other words, Sunday and Monday are
contiguous days, as are Tuesday and Wednesday.

sp_add_time_range
• The active time ranges are bound to a session at the beginning of each
query batch. A change in the server’s active time ranges due to a change
in actual time has no effect on a session during the processing of a query
batch. In other words, if a resource limit restricts a query batch during a
given time range but a query batch begins before that time range becomes
active, the query batch that is already running is not affected by the
resource limit.
• The addition, modification, and deletion of time ranges using the system
procedures does not affect the active time ranges for sessions currently in
progress.
• If a resource limit has a transaction as its scope, and a change occurs in the
server’s active time ranges while a transaction is running, the newly active
time range does not affect the transaction currently in progress.
• Changes to a resource limit that has a transaction as its scope does not
affect any transactions currently in progress.
• For more information on time ranges, see the System Administration
Guide.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_add_time_range.
See also System procedures sp_add_resource_limit, sp_drop_time_range,
sp_modify_time_range

sp_addtype
Description Creates a user-defined datatype.
Syntax sp_addtype typename,
phystype [(length) | (precision [, scale])]
[, "identity" | nulltype]
Parameters typename
is the name of the user-defined datatype. Type names must conform to the
rules for identifiers and must be unique in each database.
phystype
is the physical or Adaptive Server-supplied datatype on which to base the
user-defined datatype. You can specify any Adaptive Server datatype except
timestamp.
The char, varchar, unichar, univarchar, nchar, nvarchar, binary, and varbinary
datatypes expect a length in parentheses. If you do not supply one, Adaptive
Server uses the default length of 1 character.
The float datatype expects a binary precision in parentheses. If you do not
supply one, Adaptive Server uses the default precision for your platform.
The numeric and decimal datatypes expect a decimal precision and scale, in
parentheses and separated by a comma. If you do not supply them, Adaptive
Server uses a default precision of 18 and a scale of 0.
Enclose physical types that include punctuation, such as parentheses or
commas, within single or double quotes.
identity
indicates that the user-defined datatype has the IDENTITY property.
Enclose the identity keyword within single or double quotes. You can specify
the IDENTITY property only for numeric datatypes with a scale of 0.
IDENTITY columns store sequential numbers, such as invoice numbers or
employee numbers, that are generated by Adaptive Server. The value of the
IDENTITY column uniquely identifies each row in a table. IDENTITY
columns are not updatable and do not allow null values.

sp_addtype
nulltype
indicates how the user-defined datatype handles null value entries.
Acceptable values for this parameter are null, NULL, nonull, NONULL, "not
null", and "NOT NULL". Any nulltype that includes a blank space must be
enclosed in single or double quotes.
If you omit both the IDENTITY property and the nulltype, Adaptive Server
creates the datatype using the null mode defined for the database. By default,
datatypes for which no nulltype is specified are created NOT NULL (that is,
null values are not allowed and explicit entries are required). For compliance
to the SQL standards, use the sp_dboption system procedure to set the allow
nulls by default option to true. This changes the database’s null mode to
NULL.
Examples Example 1 Creates a user-defined datatype called ssn to be used for columns
that hold social security numbers. Since the nulltype parameter is not specified,
Adaptive Server creates the datatype using the database’s default null mode.
Notice that varchar(11) is enclosed in quotation marks, because it contains
punctuation (parentheses):
sp_addtype ssn, "varchar(11)"
Example 2 Creates a user-defined datatype called birthday that allows null
values:
sp_addtype birthday, "datetime", null
Example 3 Creates a user-defined datatype called temp52 used to store
temperatures of up to 5 significant digits with 2 places to the right of the
decimal point:
sp_addtype temp52, "numeric(5,2)"
Example 4 Creates a user-defined datatype called row_id with the IDENTITY
property, to be used as a unique row identifier. Columns created with this
datatype store system-generated values of up to 10 digits in length:
sp_addtype "row_id", "numeric(10,0)", "identity"
Example 5 Creates a user-defined datatype with an underlying type of
sysname. Although you cannot use the sysname datatype in a create table, alter
table, or create procedure statement, you can use a user-defined datatype that is
based on sysname:
sp_addtype systype, sysname
Usage • sp_addtype creates a user-defined datatype and adds it to the systypes
system table. Once a user-defined datatype is created, you can use it in
create table and alter table statements and bind defaults and rules to it.

• Build each user-defined datatype in terms of one of the Adaptive

Server-supplied datatypes, specifying the length or the precision and scale,
as appropriate. You cannot override the length, precision, or scale in a
create table or alter table statement.
• A user-defined datatype name must be unique in the database, but

user-defined datatypes with different names can have the same definitions.
• If nchar or nvarchar is specified as the phystype, the maximum length of
columns created with the new type is the length specified in sp_addtype
multiplied by the value of @@ncharsize at the time the type was added.
• If unichar or univarchar is specified as the phystype, the maximum length
of columns created with the new type is the length specified in sp_addtype
multiplied by the value of 2 at the time the type was added.
• Each system type has a hierarchy, stored in the systypes system table.
User-defined datatypes have the same datatype hierarchy as the physical
types on which they are based. In a mixed-mode expression, all types are
converted to a common type, the type with the lowest hierarchy.
Use the following query to list the hierarchy for each system-supplied and
user-defined type in your database:
select name, hierarchy
from systypes
order by hierarchy
Datatypes with the IDENTITY property
• If a user-defined datatype is defined with the IDENTITY property, all
columns created from it are IDENTITY columns. You can specify
IDENTITY, NOT NULL, or neither in the create or alter table statement.
Following are three different ways to create an IDENTITY column from a
user-defined datatype with the IDENTITY property:
create table new_table (id_col IdentType)
create table new_table (id_col IdentType identity)
create table new_table (id_col IdentType not null)
• When you create a column with the create table or alter table statement,
you can override the null type specified with the sp_addtype system
procedure:
• Types specified as NOT NULL can be used to create NULL or
IDENTITY columns.

sp_addtype
• Types specified as NULL can be used to create NOT NULL columns,

but not to create IDENTITY columns.
Note If you try to create a null column from an IDENTITY type, the
create or alter table statement fails.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_addtype.

See also Commands create default, create rule, create table
Datatypes User-defined datatypes
System procedures sp_bindefault, sp_bindrule, sp_dboption, sp_droptype,
sp_rename, sp_unbindefault, sp_unbindrule

sp_addumpdevice
Description Adds a dump device to Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_addumpdevice {"tape" | "disk"}, logicalname,
physicalname [, tapesize]
Parameters "tape"
for tape drives. Enclose tape in quotes.
"disk"
is for a disk or a file device. Enclose disk in quotes.
logicalname
is the “logical” dump device name. It must be a valid identifier. Once you
add a dump device to sysdevices, you can specify its logical name in the load
and dump commands.
physicalname
is the physical name of the device. You can specify either an absolute path
name or a relative path name. During dumps and loads, the Backup Server
resolves relative path names by looking in Adaptive Server’s current
working directory. Enclose names containing non-alphanumeric characters
in quotation marks. For UNIX platforms, specify a non-rewinding tape
device name.
tapesize
is the capacity of the tape dump device, specified in megabytes. OpenVMS
systems ignore the tapesize parameter if specified. Other platforms require
this parameter for tape devices but ignore it for disk devices. The tapesize
should be at least five database pages (each page requires 2048 bytes).
Sybase recommends that you specify a capacity that is slightly below the
rated capacity for your device.
Examples Example 1 Adds a 40MB tape device. Dump and load commands can
reference the device by its physical name, /dev/nrmt8, or its logical name,
mytapedump:
sp_addumpdevice "tape", mytapedump, "/dev/nrmt8", 40

Example 2 Adds a disk device named mydiskdump. Specify an absolute or
relative path name and a file name:
sp_addumpdevice "disk", mydiskdump, "/dev/rxy1d/dump.dat"
Usage • sp_addumpdevice adds a dump device to the master.dbo.sysdevices table.
Tape devices are assigned a cntrltype of 3; disk devices are assigned a
cntrltype of 2.

sp_addumpdevice
• To use an operating system file as a dump device, specify a device of type

disk and an absolute or relative path name for the physicalname. Omit the
tapesize parameter. If you specify a relative path name, dumps are made
to—or loaded from—the current Adaptive Server working directory at the
time the dump or load command executes.
• Ownership and permission problems can interfere with the use of disk or
file dump devices. sp_addumpdevice adds the device to the sysdevices
table, but does not guarantee that you can create a file as a dump device or
that users can dump to a particular device.
• The with capacity = megabytes clause of the dump database and dump
transaction commands can override the tapesize specified with
sp_addumpdevice. On platforms that do not reliably detect the end-of-tape
marker, the Backup Server issues a volume change request after the
specified number of megabytes have been dumped.
• When a dump device fails, use sp_dropdevice to drop it from sysdevices.
After replacing the device, use sp_addumpdevice to associate the logical
device name with the new physical device. This avoids updating backup
scripts and threshold procedures each time a dump device fails.
• To add database devices to sysdevices, use the disk init command.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_addumpdevice.
See also Commands disk init, dump database, dump transaction, load database, load
transaction
System procedures sp_dropdevice, sp_helpdevice

sp_adduser
Description Adds a new user to the current database.
Syntax sp_adduser loginame [, name_in_db [, grpname]]
Parameters loginame
is the user’s name in master.dbo.syslogins.
name_in_db
is a new name for the user in the current database.
grpname
adds the user to an existing group in the database.
Examples Example 1 Adds “margaret” to the database. Her database user name is the
same as her Adaptive Server login name, and she belongs to the default group,
“public”:
sp_adduser margaret
Example 2 Adds “haroldq” to the database. When “haroldq” uses the current
database, his name is “harold.” He belongs to the fort_mudge group, as well as
to the default group “public”:
sp_adduser haroldq, harold, fort_mudge
Usage • The Database Owner executes sp_adduser to add a user name to the
sysusers table of the current database, enabling the user to access the
current database under his or her own name.
• Specifying a name_in_db parameter gives the new user a name in the
database that is different from his or her login name in Adaptive Server.
The ability to assign a user a different name is provided as a convenience.
It is not an alias, as provided by sp_addalias, since it is not mapped to the
identity and privileges of another user.
• A user and a group cannot have the same name.
• A user can be a member of only one group other than the default group,
“public”. Every user is a member of the default group, “public”. Use
sp_changegroup to change a user’s group.
• In order to access a database, a user must either be listed in sysusers (with

sp_adduser) or mapped to another user in sysalternates (with sp_addalias),
or there must be a “guest” entry in sysusers.
Officer can execute sp_adduser.
See also Commands grant, revoke, use

sp_adduser
System procedures sp_addalias, sp_addgroup, sp_changegroup,

sp_dropalias, sp_dropgroup, sp_helpuser

sp_altermessage
Description Enables and disables the logging of a system-defined or user-defined message
in the Adaptive Server error log.
Syntax sp_altermessage message_id, parameter, parameter_value
Parameters message_id
is the message number of the message to be altered. This is the number of
the message as it is recorded in the error column in the sysmessages or
sysusermessages system table.
parameter
is the message parameter to be altered. The maximum length is 30 bytes.
The only valid parameter is with_log.
parameter_value
is the new value for the parameter specified in parameter. The maximum
length is 5 bytes. Values are true and false.
Examples Specifies that message number 2000 in sysmessages should be logged in the
Adaptive Server error log and also in the Windows NT Event Log (if logging
is enabled):
sp_altermessage 2000, 'with_log', 'TRUE'
Usage • If the parameter_value is true, the specified message is always logged. If
it is false, the default logging behavior is used; the message may or may
not be logged, depending on the severity of the error and other factors.
Setting the parameter_value to false produces the same behavior that
would occur if sp_altermessage had not been called.
• On Windows NT servers, sp_altermessage also enables and disables
logging in the Windows NT Event Log.
sp_altermessage.
See also System procedures sp_addmessage, sp_dropmessage

sp_audit
sp_audit
Description Allows a System Security Officer to configure auditing options.
Syntax sp_audit option, login_name, object_name [,setting]
Parameters option
is the name of the auditing option to set. Table 1-5 lists the valid auditing
options.
Table 1-5: Auditing options
Option Description
adhoc Allows users to use sp_addauditrecord to add their own user-defined audit records to the audit
trail.
all Audits all actions performed by a particular user or by users with a particular role. You can only
use this option to specify system roles.
Note Auditing all actions does not affect whether users can add ad hoc audit records.
alter Audits the execution of the alter table or alter database commands.
bcp Audits the execution of the bcp in utility.
bind Audits the execution of sp_bindefault, sp_bindmsg, and sp_bindrule system procedures.
cmdtext Audits all actions of a particular user.
create Audits the creation of database objects.
dbaccess Audits access to the current database from another database.
dbcc Audits the execution of any dbcc command.
delete Audits the deletion of rows from a table or view.
disk Audits the execution of disk init, disk refit, disk reinit, disk mirror, disk unmirror, and disk
remirror.
drop Audits the dropping of database objects.
dump Audits the execution of dump database or dump transaction.
errors Audits errors, whether fatal or not.
exec_procedure Audits the execution of a stored procedure.
exec_trigger Audits the execution of a trigger.
func_dbaccess Audits access to a database via a Transact-SQL function.
func_obj_access Audits access to a database object via a Transact-SQL function.
grant Audits the execution of the grant.
insert Audits the insertion of rows into a table or view.
install Audits the installation of Java classes.
load Audits the execution of the load database or load transaction
login Audits all login attempts into Adaptive Server.
logout Audits all logout attempts from Adaptive Server.

Option Description
mount Audits mount database commands.
quiesce Audits quiesce database commands.
reference Audits references between tables.
remove Audits the removal of Java classes.
revoke Audits the execution of the revoke.
rpc Audits the execution of remote procedure calls.

sp_audit
Option Description
security Audits the following security-relevant events:
• Starting up or shutting down the server
• Activating or deactivating a role
• Issuing any of the following commands:
• addcert
• connect
• create and drop login
• dropcert
• create, drop, alter, grant, and revoke role
• kill
• online database
• set proxy
• set session authorization
• sp_configure
• The following functions:
• config_admin
• set_password
• valid_user
• attr_notify
• ha_add_companion
• ha_remove_companion
• ha_check_alive
• ha_getversion
• ha_failback
• ha_retrestrictionclass
• ha_getrcs
• ha_setrcs
• ha_hacluster_verify
• js_wakeup
• unlock_admin_account
• ssl_admin
• Using any of the following functions:
• valid_user
• proc_role (from within a system procedure)
• Regenerating the SSO passwords

Option Description
select Audits the execution of the select.
setuser Audits the execution of the setuser.
table_access Audits access to any table by a specific user.
truncate Audits the execution of the truncate table.
unbind Audits the execution of the sp_unbindrule, sp_unbindmsg, and sp_unbindefault.
unmount Audits the execution of the umount database command.
update Audits updates to rows in a table or view.
view_access Audits access to any view by a specific user.
login_name
is the parameter that lets you specify all, a system role, or the name of a
specific login to be audited. However, system roles can only be specified if
you use the all option. You cannot audit individual options for a system role.
object_name
is the name of the object to be audited. Valid values, depending on the value
you specified for option, are:
• The object name, including the owner’s name if you do not own the
object. For example, to audit a table named inventory that is owned by
Joe, you would specify joe.inventory for object_name.
• all for all objects.
• default table, default view, default procedure, or default trigger to audit

access to any new table, view, procedure, or trigger.
default table and default view are valid values for object_name when you
specify delete, insert, select, or update for the option parameter. default
procedure is valid when you specify the exec_procedure option. default
trigger is valid when you specify the exec_trigger option.
See the System Administration Guide for more information about the
object_name values that are valid with each option value.
setting
is the level of auditing. If you do not specify a value for setting, Adaptive
Server displays the current auditing setting for the option. Valid values for
the setting parameter are described in the following table:
setting value Description
on Activates auditing for the specified option. Adaptive Server generates audit records for
events controlled by this option, whether the event passes or fails permission checks.
off Deactivates auditing for the specified option.

sp_audit
setting value Description

pass Activates auditing for events that pass permission checks.
fail Deactivates auditing for events that fail permission checks.
If you specify pass for an option and later specify fail for the same option, or
vice versa, the result is equivalent to specifying on. Adaptive Server
generates audit records regardless of whether events pass or fail permission
checks. Settings of on or off apply to all auditing options. Settings of pass
and fail apply to all options except errors and adhoc. For these options, only
on or off applies. The initial, default value of all options is off.
Examples Example 1 Initiates auditing for SSL security-relevant events. Both successful
and failed events are audited:
sp_audit "security", "all", "all", "on"
sample records added:
To view the events from sybsecurity:
select * from sybsecurity..sysaudits_01 where event=99
Example 2 Displays the setting of the security auditing option:
sp_audit "security", "all", "all"
Example 3 Initiates auditing for the creation of objects in the master database,
including create database.
sp_audit "create", "all", master, "on"
Example 4 Initiates auditing for the creation of all objects in the db1database:
sp_audit "create", "all", db1, "on"
Example 5 Initiates auditing for all failed executions by a System
Administrator.
sp_audit "all", "sa_role", "all", "fail"
Example 6 Initiates auditing for all updates to future tables in the current
database. For example, if the current database is utility, all new tables created in
utility will be audited for updates. The auditing for existing tables is not
affected.
sp_audit "update", "all", "default table", "on"
Usage • sp_audit determines what will be audited when auditing is enabled. No
actual auditing takes place until you use sp_configure to set the auditing
parameter to on. Then, all auditing options that have been configured with
sp_audit take effect. For more information, see sp_configure.

• If you are not the owner of the object being specified, qualify the
object_name parameter value with the owner’s name, in the following
format:
"ownername.objname"
• You cannot activate default auditing for the following options in the
tempdb database:
• delete
• insert
• select
• update
• exec_procedure
• exec_trigger
• Table 1-6 lists the configuration parameters that control auditing.

Table 1-6: Configuration parameters that control auditing
Configuration parameter Effect
auditing Enables or disables auditing for the server.
audit queue size Establishes the size of the audit queue.
current audit table Sets the current audit table. Adaptive Server writes all audit records to that table.
suspend auditing when full Controls the behavior of the audit process when an audit device becomes full.
All auditing configuration parameters are dynamic and take effect

immediately.
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_audit.
See also Documents For more information about configuring Adaptive Server for
auditing, see sp_configure in the System Administration Guide.
System procedures sp_addauditrecord, sp_configure, sp_addaudittable
Utility commands bcp

sp_autoconnect
sp_autoconnect
Description Component Integration Services only Defines a passthrough connection to
a remote server for a specific user, which allows the named user to enter
passthrough mode automatically at login.
Syntax sp_autoconnect server, {true|false}
[, loginame]
Parameters server
is the name of a server to which an automatic passthrough connection is
made. server must be the name of a remote server already added by
sp_addserver. This server cannot be the local server.
true | false
determines whether the automatic passthrough connection is enabled or
disabled for server. true enables the automatic connection. false disables it.
loginame
specifies the name of the user for which automatic connection is required. If
no loginame is supplied, the autoconnect status is modified for the current
user.
Examples Example 1 The current user is automatically connected to the server SYBASE
the next time that user logs in. The user’s connection is placed in passthrough
mode:
sp_autoconnect SYBASE, true
Example 2 Disables the autoconnect feature for the user “steve”:
sp_autoconnect SYBASE, false, steve
Usage • sp_autoconnect defines a passthrough connection to a remote server for a
specific user, which allows the named user to enter passthrough mode
automatically at login.
• The System Administrator must grant connect to permission to the login
prior to executing sp_autoconnect.
• Use sp_autoconnect only when Component Integration Services is
installed and configured.
• Do not change the autoconnect status of the “sa” login account.
• Changing the autoconnect status does not occur immediately for users who
are currently connected. They must disconnect from the local server, then
reconnect before the change is made.
• Use disconnect to exit passthrough mode.

Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_autoconnect.

See also Commands connect to...disconnect, grant
System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_addserver, sp_passthru, sp_remotesql

sp_bindcache
sp_bindcache
Description Binds a database, table, index, text object, or image object to a data cache.
Syntax sp_bindcache cachename, dbname
[, [ownername.]tablename
[, indexname | "text only"]]
Parameters cachename
is the name of an active data cache.
dbname
is the name of the database to be bound to the cache or the name of the
database containing the table, index, text or image object to be bound to the
cache.
ownername
is the name of the table’s owner. If the table is owned by “dbo”, the owner
name is optional.
tablename
is the name of the table to be bound to the cache, or the name of the table
whose index, text object, or image object is to be bound to the cache.
indexname
is the name of the index to be bound to the cache.
text only
binds text or image objects to a cache. When this parameter is used, you
cannot give an index name at the same time.
Examples Example 1 Binds the titles table to the cache named pub_cache:
sp_bindcache pub_cache, pubs2, titles
Example 2 Binds the clustered index titles.title_id_cix to the pub_ix_cache:
sp_bindcache pub_ix_cache, pubs2, titles, title_id_cix
Example 3 Binds pubs2 to the tempdb_cache:
sp_bindcache tempdb_cache, pubs2
Example 4 Binds the pubs2 transaction log, syslogs, to the cache named
logcache:
sp_bindcache logcache, pubs2, syslogs

Example 5 Binds the image chain for the au_pix table to the cache named
pub_cache:
sp_bindcache pub_cache, pubs2, au_pix, "text only"

Usage • A database or database object can be bound to only one cache. You can
bind a database to one cache and bind individual tables, indexes, text
objects, or image objects in the database to other caches. The database
binding serves as the default binding for all objects in the database that
have no other binding. The data cache hierarchy for a table or index is as
follows:
• If the object is bound to a cache, the object binding is used.
• If the object is not bound to a cache, but the object’s database is bound
to a cache, the database binding is used.
• If neither the object nor its database is bound to a cache, the default
data cache is used.
• The cache and the object or database being bound to it must exist before
you can execute sp_bindcache. Create a cache with sp_cacheconfig and
restart Adaptive Server before binding objects to the cache.
• Cache bindings take effect immediately, and do not require a restart of the
server. When you bind an object to a data cache:
• Any pages for the object that are currently in memory are cleared.
• When the object is used in queries, its pages are read into the bound
cache.
• You can bind an index to a different cache than the table it references. If
you bind a clustered index to a cache, the binding affects only the root and
intermediate pages of the index. It does not affect the data pages (which
are, by definition, the leaf pages of the index).
• To bind a database, you must be using the master database. To bind tables,
indexes, text objects, or image objects, you must be using the database
where the objects are stored.
• To bind any system tables in a database, you must be using the database
and the database must be in single-user mode. Use the command:
sp_dboption db_name, "single user", true
For more information, see sp_dboption.
• You do not have to unbind objects or databases in order to bind them to a
different cache. Issuing sp_bindcache on an object that is already bound
drops the old binding and creates the new one.

sp_bindcache
• sp_bindcache needs to acquire an exclusive table lock when you are

binding a table or its indexes to a cache so that no pages can be read while
the binding is taking place. If a user holds locks on a table, and you issue
sp_bindcache on that object, the task doing the binding sleeps until the
locks are released.
• When you bind or unbind an object, all stored procedures that reference
the object are recompiled the next time they are executed. When you
change the binding for a database, all stored procedures that reference
objects in the bound database are recompiled the next time they are
executed.
• When you drop a table, index, or database, all associated cache bindings
are dropped. If you re-create the table, index, or database, you must use
sp_bindcache again if you want it bound to a cache.
• If a database or a database object is bound to a cache, and the cache is

dropped, the cache bindings are marked invalid, but remain stored in the
sysattributes system table(s). Warnings are printed in the error log when
Adaptive Server is restarted. If a cache of the same name is created, the
bindings become valid when Adaptive Server is restarted.
• The following procedures provide information about the bindings for their
respective objects: sp_helpdb for databases, sp_help for tables, and
sp_helpindex for indexes. sp_helpcache provides information about all
objects bound to a particular cache.
• Use sp_spaceused to see the current size of tables and indexes, and
sp_estspace to estimate the size of tables that you expect to grow. Use
sp_cacheconfig to see information about cache size and status, and to
configure and reconfigure caches.
• Although you can still use sp_bindcache on a system tempdb, the binding
of the system tempdb is now non-dynamic. Until you restart the server:
• The changes do not take effect
• sp_helpcache reports a status of “P” for pending, unless you have
explicitly bound the system tempdb to the default data cache, in which
case the status as “V” for valid, because by default the system tempdb
is already bound to the default datacache.
Restrictions
• The master database, the system tables in master, and the indexes on the
system tables in master cannot be bound to a cache. You can bind
non-system tables from master, and their indexes, to caches.

• You cannot bind a database or an object to a cache if:

• Isolation level 0 reads are active on the table
• The task doing the binding currently has a cursor open on the table
• If a cache has the type log only, you can bind a syslogs table only to that
cache. Use sp_cacheconfig to see a cache’s type.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_bindcache.
See also System procedures sp_cacheconfig, sp_configure, sp_help, sp_helpcache,
sp_helpdb, sp_helpindex, sp_poolconfig, sp_unbindcache, sp_unbindcache_all

sp_bindefault
sp_bindefault
Description Binds a user-defined default to a column or user-defined datatype.
Syntax sp_bindefault defname, objname [, futureonly]
Parameters defname
is the name of a default created with create default statements to bind to
specific columns or user-defined datatypes.
objname
is the name of the table and column, or user-defined datatype, to which the
default is to be bound. If the objname parameter is not of the form
“table.column”, it is assumed to be a user-defined datatype. If the object
name includes embedded blanks or punctuation, or is a reserved word,
enclose it in quotation marks.
Existing columns of the user-defined datatype inherit the default defname,
unless you specify futureonly.
futureonly
prevents existing columns of a user-defined datatype from acquiring the new
default. This parameter is optional when you are binding a default to a
user-defined datatype. It is never used to bind a default to a column.
Examples Example 1 Assuming that a default named today has been defined in the
current database with create default, this command binds it to the startdate
column of the employees table. Each new row added to the employees table has
the value of the today default in the startdate column, unless another value is
supplied:
sp_bindefault today, "employees.startdate"
Example 2 Assuming that a default named def_ssn and a user-defined
datatype named ssn exist, this command binds def_ssn to ssn. The default is
inherited by all columns that are assigned the user-defined datatype ssn when
a table is created. Existing columns of type ssn also inherit the default def_ssn,
unless you specify futureonly (which prevents existing columns of that
user-defined datatype from inheriting the default), or unless the column’s
default has previously been changed (in which case the changed default is
maintained):
sp_bindefault def_ssn, ssn
Example 3 Binds the default def_ssn to the user-defined datatype ssn. Because
the futureonly parameter is included, no existing columns of type ssn are
affected:
sp_bindefault def_ssn, ssn, futureonly

Usage • You can create column defaults in two ways: by declaring the default as a
column constraint in the create table or alter table statement or by creating
the default using the create default statement and binding it to a column
using sp_bindefault. Using create default, you can bind that default to more
than one column in the database.
• You cannot bind a default to an Adaptive Server-supplied datatype.
• You cannot bind a default to a system table.
• Defaults bound to a column or user-defined datatype with the IDENTITY
property have no effect on column values. Each time you insert a row into
the table, Adaptive Server assigns the next sequential number to the
IDENTITY column.
• If binding a default to a column, give the objname argument in the form
“table.column”. Any other format is assumed to be the name of a
user-defined datatype.
• If a default already exists on a column, you must remove it before binding
a new default. Use sp_unbindefault to remove defaults created with
sp_bindefault. To remove defaults created with create table or alter table,
use alter table to replace the default with NULL.
• Existing columns of the user-defined datatype inherit the new default
unless you specify futureonly. New columns of the user-defined datatype
always inherit the default. Binding a default to a user-defined datatype
overrides defaults bound to columns of that type; to restore column
bindings, unbind and rebind the column default.
• Statements that use a default cannot be in the same batch as their
sp_bindefault statement.
Permissions Only the object owner can execute sp_bindefault.

See also Commands create default, create table, drop default
System procedures sp_unbindefault

sp_bindexeclass
sp_bindexeclass
Description Associates an execution class with a client application, login, or stored
procedure.
Syntax sp_bindexeclass "object_name", "object_type", "scope", "classname"
Parameters object_name
is the name of the client application, login, or stored procedure to be
associated with the execution class, classname.
object_type
identifies the type of object_name. Use ap for application, lg for login, or pr
for stored procedure.
scope
is the name of a client application or login, or it can be NULL for ap and lg
objects. It is the name of the stored procedure owner (user name) for objects.
When the object with object_name interacts with the application or login,
classname attributes apply for the scope you set.
classname
specifies the type of class to associate with object_name. Values are:
• EC1, EC2, or EC3
• The name of a user-defined execution class

• ANYENGINE
Examples Example 1 This statement specifies that Transact-SQL applications will

execute with EC3 attributes for any login or application process (because the
value of scope is NULL) that invokes isql, unless the login or application is
bound to a higher execution class:
sp_bindexeclass 'isql', 'ap', NULL, 'EC3'
Example 2 This statement specifies that when a login with the System
Administrator role executes Transact-SQL applications, the login process
executes with EC1 attributes. If you have already executed the statement in the
first example, then any other login or client application that invokes isql will
execute with EC3 attributes:
sp_bindexeclass 'sa', 'lg', 'isql', 'EC1'
Example 3 This statement assigns EC3 attributes to the stored procedure
named my_proc owned by user kundu:
sp_bindexeclass 'my_proc', 'PR', 'kundu', 'EC3'

Usage • sp_bindexeclass associates an execution class with a client application,

login, or stored procedure. Create execution classes with sp_addexeclass.
• When scope is NULL, object_name has no scope. classname’s execution
attributes apply to all of its interactions. For example, if object_name is an
application name, the attributes apply to any login process that invokes the
application. If object_name is a login name, the attributes apply to a
particular login process for any application invoked by the login process.
• When binding a stored procedure to an execution class, you must use the
name of the stored procedure owner (user name) for the scope parameter.
This narrows the identity of a stored procedure when there are multiple
invocations of it in the same database.
• Due to precedence and scoping rules, the execution class being bound may
or may not have been in effect for the object called object_name. The
object automatically binds itself to another execution class, depending on
other binding specifications, precedence, and scoping rules. If no other
binding is applicable, the object binds to the default execution class, EC2.
• It is possible to use sp_bindexeclass to bind a RepAgent thread to an
execution class using rep agent as the application without generating an
error. However, because of restrictions in Adaptive Server, the priority
attribute is set to medium, and the binding has no effect.
• Binding fails when you attempt to bind an active process to an engine
group with no online engines.
• Adaptive Server creates a row in the sysattributes table containing the
object ID and user ID in the row that stores data for the binding.
• A stored procedure must exist before it can be bound.
• Stored procedure bindings must be done in the database in which the
stored procedure resides. Therefore, when binding system procedures,
execute sp_bindexeclass from within the sybsystemprocs database.
• Only the “priority attribute” of the execution class is used when you bind
the class to a stored procedure.
• The name of the owner of a stored procedure must be supplied as the scope
parameter when you are binding a stored procedure to an execution class.
This helps to uniquely identify a stored procedure when multiple stored
procedures with the same name (but different owners) exist in the
database.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_bindexeclass.
See also System procedures sp_addexeclass, sp_showexeclass, sp_unbindexeclass

sp_bindexeclass
Utility isql

sp_bindmsg
Description Binds a user message to a referential integrity constraint or check constraint.
Syntax sp_bindmsg constrname, msgid
Parameters constrname
is the name of the integrity constraint to which you are binding a message.
Use the constraint clause of the create table command, or the add constraint
clause of the alter table command to create and name constraints.
msgid
is the number of the user message to be bound to an integrity constraint. The
message must exist in the sysusermessages table in the local database prior
to calling sp_bindmsg.
Examples sp_bindmsg positive_balance, 20100
Binds user message number 20100 to the positive_balance constraint.
Usage • sp_bindmsg binds a user message to an integrity constraint by adding the
message number to the constraint row in the sysconstraints table.
• Only one message can be bound to a constraint. To change the message for
a constraint, just bind a new message. The new message number replaces
the old message number in the sysconstraints table.
• You cannot bind a message to a unique constraint because a unique
constraint does not have a constraint row in sysconstraints (a unique
constraint is a unique index).
• Use the sp_addmessage procedure to insert user messages into the
sysusermessages table.
• The sp_getmessage procedure retrieves message text from the

sysusermessages table.
• sp_help tablename displays all constraint names declared on tablename.

Permissions Only the object owner can execute sp_bindmsg.
See also Commands alter table, create table
System procedures sp_addmessage, sp_getmessage, sp_unbindmsg

sp_bindrule
sp_bindrule
Description Binds a rule to a column or user-defined datatype.
Syntax sp_bindrule rulename, objname [, futureonly]
Parameters rulename
is the name of a rule. Create rules with create rule statements and bind rules
to specific columns or user-defined datatypes with sp_bindrule.
objname
is the name of the table and column, or user-defined datatype, to which the
rule is to be bound. If objname is not of the form “table.column”, it is
assumed to be a user-defined datatype. If the object name has embedded
blanks or punctuation, or is a reserved word, enclose it in quotation marks.
futureonly
prevents existing columns of a user-defined datatype from inheriting the
new rule. This parameter is optional when you bind a rule to a user-defined
datatype. It is meaningless when you bind a rule to a column.
Examples Example 1 Assuming that a rule named today has been created in the current
database with create rule, this command binds it to the startdate column of the
employees table. When a row is added to employees, the data for the startdate
column is checked against the rule today:
sp_bindrule today, "employees.startdate"
Example 2 Assuming the existence of a rule named rule_ssn and a
user-defined datatype named ssn, this command binds rule_ssn to ssn. In a
create table statement, columns of type ssn inherit the rule rule_ssn. Existing
columns of type ssn also inherit the rule rule_ssn, unless ssn’s rule was
previously changed (in which case the changed rule is maintained in the future
only):
sp_bindrule rule_ssn, ssn
Example 3 The rule rule_ssn is bound to the user-defined datatype ssn, but no
existing columns of type ssn are affected. futureonly prevents existing columns
of type ssn from inheriting the rule:
sp_bindrule rule_ssn, ssn, futureonly
Usage • Create a rule using the create rule statement. Then execute sp_bindrule to
bind it to a column or user-defined datatype in the current database.
• Rules are enforced when an insert is attempted, not when sp_bindrule is
executed. You can bind a character rule to a column with an exact or
approximate numeric datatype, even though such an insert is illegal.

• You cannot use sp_bindrule to bind a check constraint for a column in a

create table statement.
• You cannot bind a rule to an Adaptive Server-supplied datatype or to a text

or an image column.
• You cannot bind a rule to a system table.
• If you are binding to a column, the objname argument must be of the form
“table.column”. Any other format is assumed to be the name of a
• Statements that use a rule cannot be in the same batch as their sp_bindrule
statement.
• You can bind a rule to a column or user-defined datatype without
unbinding an existing rule. Rules bound to columns always take
precedence over rules bound to datatypes. Binding a rule to a column
replaces a rule bound to the datatype of that column; however, binding a
rule to a datatype does not replace a rule bound to a column of that
• Existing columns of the user-defined datatype inherit the new rule unless
their rule was previously changed, or the value of the optional third
parameter is futureonly. New columns of the user-defined datatype always
inherit the rule.
Permissions Only the object owner can execute sp_bindrule.
See also Commands create rule, drop rule
System procedures sp_unbindrule

sp_cacheconfig
sp_cacheconfig
Description Creates, configures, reconfigures, and drops data caches, and provides
information about them.
Syntax sp_cacheconfig [cachename [ ,"cache_size[P|K|M|G]" ]
[,logonly | mixed ] [,strict | relaxed ] ]
[, "cache_partition=[1|2|4|8|16|32|64]"]
Parameters cachename
is the name of the data cache to be created or configured. Cache names must
be unique, and can be up to 30 characters long. A cache name does not have
to be a valid Adaptive Server identifier, that is, it can contain spaces and
other special characters.
cache_size
is the size of the data cache to be created or, if the cache already exists, the
new size of the data cache. The minimum size of a cache is 256 times the
logical page size of the server. Size units can be specified with P for pages,
K for kilobytes, M for megabytes, or G for gigabytes. The default is K. For
megabytes and gigabytes, you can specify floating-point values. The cache
size is in multiples of the logical page size.
logonly | mixed
specifies the type of cache.
strict | relaxed
specifies the cache replacement policy.
cache_partition
specifies the number of partitions to create in the cache.
Examples Example 1 Creates the data cache pub_cache with 10MB of space. All space
is in the default logical page size memory pool:
sp_cacheconfig pub_cache, "10M"
Example 2 Reports the current configuration of pub_cache and any memory
pools in the cache:
sp_cacheconfig pub_cache
Example 3 Drops pub_cache at the next start of Adaptive Server:
sp_cacheconfig pub_cache, "0"
Example 4 Creates pub_log_cache and sets its type to logonly in a single step:
sp_cacheconfig pub_log_cache, "2000K", logonly

Example 5 The first command creates the cache pub_log_cache with the
default type mixed. The second command changes its status to logonly. The
resulting configuration is the same as that in example 4:
sp_cacheconfig pub_log_cache, "2000K"
sp_cacheconfig pub_log_cache, logonly
Example 6 Creates a cache and sets the size, type, replacement policy and
number of cache partitions:
sp_cacheconfig 'newcache', '50M', mixed, strict, "cache_partition=2"
Usage • The minimum cache size is 256 times the logical page size. For example,
a 4K server would have a minimum cache size of 1024K.
• If Adaptive Server is unable to allocate all the memory requested while
you are creating a new cache or adding memory to an existing cache, it
allocates all the available memory. However, this additional memory is
allocated at the next reboot of Adaptive Server.
• If there are objects bound to cache (including the default cache), you
cannot delete the cache until you unbind the objects.
• Some of the actions you perform with sp_cacheconfig are dynamic (do not
require a reboot of Adaptive Server) and some are static (require a reboot).
Table 1-7 describes which are dynamic and which are static:
Table 1-7: Dynamic and static sp_cacheconfig actions
Dynamic sp_cacheconfig actions Static sp_cacheconfig actions
Adding a new cache Changing the number of cache partitions
Adding memory to an existing cache Reducing a cache size
Deleting a cache Changing the replacement policy
Changing a cache type
• When you first create a data cache:

• All space is allocated to the logical page size memory pool.
• The default type is mixed.
• Figure 1-1 shows a data cache for a 2K server with two user-defined data
caches configured and the following pools:
• The default data cache with a 2K pool and a 16K pool
• A user cache with a 2K pool and a 16K pool
• A log cache with a 2K pool and a 4K pool

sp_cacheconfig
Figure 1-1: Data cache with default and user-defined caches
Default DataCache
2K pool
16K pool
C a c h e
User_table_Cache
2K pool
16K pool
D a t a
Log_Cache
2K pool
4K pool
• The default data cache must always have the type default, and no other
cache can have the type default.
• The Adaptive Server housekeeper task does not do any buffer washing in
caches with a type of logonly or in caches with a relaxed LRU replacement
policy.
• The following commands perform only 2K I/O: disk init, some dbcc
commands, and drop table. The dbcc checkdb and dbcc checktable
commands can perform large I/O for tables, but perform 2K I/O on
indexes. Table 1-8 shows cache usage, depending on the binding of the
database or object.
Table 1-8: Cache usage for Transact-SQL commands
Database Table or index Database or object
Command bound is bound not bound
create index Bound cache N/A Default data cache
disk init N/A N/A Default data cache
dbcc checkdb Bound cache N/A Default data cache

Database Table or index Database or object

Command bound is bound not bound
dbcc checktable, indexalloc, tablealloc Bound cache Bound cache Default data cache
drop table Bound cache Bound cache Default data cache
• Recovery uses only the logical page size pool of the default data cache. All
pages for all transactions that must be rolled back or rolled forward are
read into and changed in this pool. Be sure that your default logical page
size pool is large enough for these transactions.
• When you use sp_cacheconfig with no parameters, it reports information
about all of the caches on the server. If you specify only a cache name, it
reports information about only the specified cache. If you use a fragment
of a cache name, it reports information for all names matching
“%fragment%”.
All reports include a block of information that reports information about
caches, and a separate block of data for each cache that provides
information about the pools within the cache.
The output below, from a server using 2K, shows the configuration for:
• The default data cache with two pools: a 2K pool and a 16K pool. The
default data cache has 2 partitions.
• pubs_cache with two pools: 2K and 16K
• pubs_log, with the type set to logonly and cache replacement policy set
to relaxed, with a 2K pool and a 4K pool
Cache Name Status
Type Config Value Run Value
----------------------- ---------
-------- ------------ --------
default data cache Active
Default 0.00 Mb 26.09 Mb
pubs_cache Active
Mixed 10.00 Mb 10.00 Mb
pubs_log Active
Log Only 2.40 Mb 2.40 M
------------- --------
Total 12.40 Mb 38.49 Mb
===================================================================
Cache: default data cache, Status: Active, Type: Default
Config Size: 0.00 Mb, Run Size: 26.09 Mb
Config Replacement: strict LRU, Run Replacement: strict LRU
Config Partition: 2, Run Partition: 2
IO Size Wash Size Config Size Run Size APF Percent
-------- --------- ------------ ------------ -----------
2 Kb 3704 Kb 0.00 Mb 18.09 Mb 10
16 Kb 1632 Kb 8.00 Mb 8.00 Mb 10
===================================================================

sp_cacheconfig
Cache: pubs_cache, Status: Active, Type: Mixed

Config Replacement: strict LRU, Run Replacement: strict LRU
-------- --------- ------------ ------------ -----------
2 Kb 1228 Kb 0.00 Mb 6.00 Mb 10
16 Kb 816 Kb 4.00 Mb 4.00 Mb 10
===================================================================
Cache: pubs_log, Status: Active, Type: Log Only
Config Replacement: relaxed LRU, Run Replacement: relaxed LRU
-------- --------- ------------ ------------ -----------
2 Kb 206 Kb 0.00 Mb 1.01 Mb 10
16 Kb 272 Kb 1.40 Mb 1.39 Mb 10
Table 1-9 lists the meaning of the columns in the output:
Table 1-9: sp_cacheconfig output
Column Meaning
Cache Name The name of the cache.
Status One of the following:
• “Active”
• “Pend/Act”
• “Pend/Del”
These are explained following this table.
Type “Mixed” or “Log Only” for user-defined caches, “Default” for the default data cache.
I/O Size The size of I/O for a memory pool. This column is blank on the line that shows that cache
configuration.
Wash Size The size of the wash area for the pool. As pages enter the wash area of the cache, they are written
to disk. This column is blank on the line that shows the cache configuration.
Config Value The size that the cache or pool. If the value is 0, the size has not been explicitly configured, and a
or default value will be used.
Config Size
Run Value The size of the cache or pool now in use on Adaptive Server.
or
Run Size
Config/ Run The cache policy (strict or relaxed) that will be used for the cache after the next restart, and the
Replacement current replacement policy. These will be different only if the policy has been changed since the
last reboot.

Column Meaning
Config/Run The number of cache partitions that will be used for the cache, and the current number of partitions.
Partition These will be different if sp_cacheconfig has been used to change the number of partitions since
the last reboot.
APF Percent The percentage of buffers in the pool that can hold buffers that have been fetched by asynchronous
prefetch, but have not been used.
Total The total size of data cache, if the report covers all caches, or the current size of the particular
cache, if you specify a cache name.
The status “Pend” is short for pending. It always occurs in combination

with either “Act” for Active or “Del” for Delete. It indicates that a
configuration action has taken place, but that the server must be restarted
in order for the changes to take effect.
Figure 1-2: Effects of restarts and sp_cacheconfig on cache status
sp_bindcache pub_cache
Use cache
pubs2, titles
Bind objects You can Delete cache

also skip
the interim
sp_cacheconfig sp_cacheconfig
pubscache, “10M“ steps by pubscache, “0“
unbinding all
objects then
Create cache deleting the Pend/Del
cache
Unbind
No entry all objects
sp_unbindcache
Delete cache pubscache “all“
sp_cacheconfig pubscache, “0“
• You can also configure caches and pools by editing the configuration file.
For more information, see the System Administration Guide.

sp_cacheconfig
Data cache memory

• When Adaptive Server is first installed, all data cache memory is assigned
to the logical page size pool of the cache named default data cache. The
default data cache is used by all objects that are not explicitly bound to a
data cache with sp_bindcache or whose databases are not bound to a cache.
• When you create data caches, the memory allocation is validated against
max memory. Memory for caches is allocated out of the memory allocated
to Adaptive Server with the total logical_memory configuration parameter.
To increase the amount of space available for caches, increase total logical
memory, or decrease other configuration settings that use memory. If the
sum of total logical memory and additional memory requested is greater
than max memory, then Adaptive Server issues and error and does not
perform the changes.
The default cache is used for all objects, including system tables, that are
not bound to another cache, and is the only cache used during recovery.
For more information, see the System Administration Guide.
• A data cache requires a small percentage of overhead for structures that
manage the cache. All cache overhead is taken from the default data cache.
To see the amount of overhead required for a specific size of cache, use
sp_helpcache, giving the size:
sp_helpcache "200M"
10.38Mb of overhead memory will be needed to manage
a cache of size 200M
This is only an estimate of the overhead. The actual overhead may be
larger because of runtime issues.
Changing existing caches
• To change the size of an existing cache, specify the cache’s name and the
new size.
• If you increase the size of an existing cache, all of the added space is
placed in the smallest pool.
• To reduce the size of an existing cache, all of the space must be
available in the logical page size pool. You may need to use
sp_poolconfig to move space from other pools to this pool.
• If you have a database or any nonlog objects bound to a cache, you cannot
change its type to logonly.

Using cache partitions

• Cache partitions can be used to reduce cache spinlock contention without
needing to create separate caches and bind database objects to them. For
more information on monitoring cache spinlock contention, see the
Performance and Tuning Guide.
• You can set the default number of cache partitions for all caches with the
configuration parameter global cache partition number. See the System
Dropping caches
• To drop or delete a data cache, change its size to 0, as shown in example
3. When you set a cache’s size to 0, the cache is marked for deletion. The
cache remains active, and all objects that are bound to that cache continue
to use it.
You cannot drop the default data cache.
• If you delete a data cache, and there are objects bound to the cache, the
cache is left as-is in memory and Adaptive Server issues the following
message:
Cache (nmc3) not deleted dynamically. Objects are bound to the cache. Use
sp_unbindcache_all to unbind all objects bound to the cache.
The entry corresponding to the cache in the configuration file is deleted,
as well as the entries corresponding to the cache in sysconfigures, and the
cache is deleted the next time Adaptive Server is restarted.
• You cannot run sp_cacheconfig within a transaction.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_cacheconfig to change cache
configurations. Any user can execute sp_cacheconfig to view cache
configurations.
See also System procedures sp_bindcache, sp_helpcache, sp_poolconfig,
sp_unbindcache, sp_unbindcache_all

sp_cachestrategy
sp_cachestrategy
Description Enables or disables prefetching (large I/O) and MRU cache replacement
strategy for a table, index, text object, or image object.
Syntax sp_cachestrategy dbname, [ownername.]tablename
[, indexname | "text only" | "table only"
[, { prefetch | mru }, { "on" | "off"}]]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database where the object is stored.
ownername
is the name of the table’s owner. If the table is owned by “dbo”, the owner
name is optional.
tablename
is the name of the table.
indexname
is the name of the index on the table.
text only
changes the cache strategy for a text or image object.
table only
changes the cache strategy for a table.
prefetch | mru
is prefetch or mru, and specifies which setting to change.
on | off
specifies the setting, "on" or "off", enclosed in quotes.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about cache strategies for the titles table:
sp_cachestrategy pubs2, titles
object name index name large IO MRU
------------------ ------------- -------- --------
dbo.titles titleidind ON ON
Example 2 Displays information about cache strategies for the titleind index:
sp_cachestrategy pubs2, titles, titleind
Example 3 Disables prefetch on the titleind index of the titles table:
sp_cachestrategy pubs2, titles, titleind, prefetch, "off"
Example 4 Reenables MRU replacement strategy on the authors table:
sp_cachestrategy pubs2, authors, "table only", mru, "on"

Example 5 Reenables prefetching on the text pages of the blurbs table:

sp_cachestrategy pubs2, blurbs, "text only", prefetch, "on"
Usage • If memory pools for large I/O are configured for the cache used by a table
or an index, the optimizer can choose to prefetch data or index pages by
performing large I/Os of up to eight data pages at a time. This prefetch
strategy can be used on the data pages of a table or on the leaf-level pages
of a nonclustered index. By default, prefetching is enabled for all tables,
indexes, and text or image objects. Setting the prefetch option to “off”
disables prefetch for the specified object.
• The optimizer can choose to use MRU replacement strategy to fetch and
discard buffers in cache for table scans and index scans for I/O of any size.
By default, this strategy is enabled for all objects. Setting mru to
“off”disables this strategy. If you turn mru off for an object, all pages are
read into the MRU/LRU chain in cache, and they remain in the cache until
they are flushed by additional I/O. For more information on cache
strategies, see the Performance and Tuning Guide.
• You can change the cache strategy only for objects in the current database.
• When you use sp_cachestrategy without specifying the strategy and
setting, it reports the current settings for the object, as shown in Example
1.
• To see the size, status and I/O size of all data caches on the server, use
sp_cacheconfig.
• Setting prefetch "on" has no effect on tables or indexes that are read into a
cache that allows only 2K I/O. The mru strategy can be used in all caches,
regardless of available I/O size.
Overrides
• If prefetching is turned on for a table or an index, you can override the
prefetching for a session with set prefetch "off". If prefetching is turned off
for an object, you cannot override that setting.
• The prefetch, lru, and mru options to the select, delete and update
commands suggest the I/O size and cache strategy for individual
statements. If prefetching or MRU strategy is enabled for a table or an
index, you can override it for a query by specifying I/O the size of the
logical page size for prefetch, and by specifying lru strategy. For example,
the following command forces LRU strategy, logical page size I/O, and a
table scan of the titles table:
select avg(advance)
from titles (index titles prefetch 2 lru)

sp_cachestrategy
If you request a prefetch size, and the object’s cache is not configured for
I/O of the requested size, the optimizer chooses the best available I/O size.
• If prefetching is enabled for an object with sp_cachestrategy, using a
prefetch specification of the logical page size in a select, update or delete
command overrides an earlier set prefetch "on" statement. Specifying a
larger I/O size in a select, update or delete command does not override a
set prefetch "off" command.
Permissions Only a System Administrator or the object owner can execute
sp_cachestrategy.
See also Commands delete, select, set, update

Stored procedures sp_cacheconfig, sp_poolconfig

sp_changedbowner
Description Changes the owner of a user database.
Syntax sp_changedbowner loginame [, true ]
Parameters loginame
is the login name of the new owner of the current database.
true
transfers aliases and their permissions to the new database owner. Values are
“true” and “TRUE”.
Examples Makes the user “albert” the owner of the current database:
sp_changedbowner albert
Usage • The new owner must not already be known as either a user or alias (that is,
the new owner must not already be listed in sysusers or sysalternates).
Executing sp_changedbowner with the single parameter loginame changes
the database ownership to loginame and drops aliases of users who could
act as the old “dbo.”
• After executing sp_changedbowner, the new owner is known as the
Database Owner inside the database.
• sp_changedbowner cannot transfer ownership of the system databases.
• The new owner must already have a login name in Adaptive Server, but
must not have a database user name or alias name in the database. To
assign database ownership to such a user, drop the user name or alias entry
before executing sp_changedbowner.
• To grant permissions to the new owner, a System Administrator must grant
them to the Database Owner, since the user is no longer known inside the
database under any other name.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_changedbowner.
See also Commands create database
System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_dropalias, sp_dropuser, sp_helpdb

sp_changegroup
sp_changegroup
Description Changes a user’s group.
Syntax sp_changegroup grpname, username
Parameters grpname
is the name of the group. The group must already exist in the current
database. If you use “public” as the grpname, enclose it in quotes, because
it is a keyword.
username
is the name of the user to be added to the group. The user must already exist
Examples Example 1 The user “albert” is now a member of the “fort_mudge” group. It
doesn’t matter what group “albert” belonged to before:
sp_changegroup fort_mudge, albert
Example 2 Removes “albert” from the group he belonged to without making
him a member of a new group (all users are always members of “public”):
sp_changegroup "public", albert
Usage • Executing sp_changegroup adds the specified user to the specified group.
The user is dropped from the group he or she previously belonged to and
is added to the one specified by grpname.
• New database users can be added to groups at the same time they are given
access to the database with sp_adduser.
• Groups are used as a collective name for granting and revoking privileges.
Every user is always a member of the default group, “public”, and can
belong to only one other group.
• To remove someone from a group without making that user a member of
a new group, use sp_changegroup to change the user’s group to “public”,
as shown above in Example 2.
• When a user changes from one group to another, the user loses all
permissions that he or she had as a result of belonging to the old group and
gains the permissions granted to the new group.
Officer can execute sp_changegroup.
System procedures sp_addgroup, sp_adduser, sp_dropgroup, sp_helpgroup

sp_checknames
Description Checks the current database for names that contain characters not in the 7-bit
ASCII set.
Syntax sp_checknames
Parameters None.
Examples
sp_checknames
Looking for non 7-bit ASCII characters in the system tables
of database:
"master"
===============================================================
Table.Column name: "syslogins.password"
The following logins have passwords that contain non 7-bit

ASCII characters. If you wish to change them use "sp_password";
Remember, only the sa and the login itself may examine or change
the syslogins.password column:
suid name
------ ------------------------------
1 sa
2 probe
3 bogususer
Usage • sp_checknames examines the names of all objects, columns, indexes, user
names, group names, and other elements in the current database for
characters outside of the 7-bit ASCII set. It reports illegal names and gives
instructions to make them compatible with the 7-bit ASCII set.
• Run sp_checknames in every database on your server after upgrading
from a SQL Server of release 4.0.x or 4.2.x, and after using a default
character set that was not 7-bit ASCII.
• Follow the instructions in the sp_checknames report to correct all
non-ASCII names.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_checknames.
See also Commands update
System procedures sp_password, sp_rename, sp_renamedb

sp_checkreswords
sp_checkreswords
Description Detects and displays identifiers that are Transact-SQL reserved words. Checks
server names, device names, database names, segment names, user-defined
datatypes, object names, column names, user names, login names, and remote
login names.
Syntax sp_checkreswords [user_name_param]
Parameters user_name_param
is the name of a user in the current database. If you supply
user_name_param, sp_checkreswords checks only for objects that are
owned by the specified user.
Examples Example 1 Shows the results if sp_checkreswords is executed in the master
database:
1> /* executed in the master database */
2> sp_checkreswords
Reserved Words Used as Database Object Names for Database master
Upgrade renames sysobjects.schema to sysobjects.schemacnt.
Owner
------------------------------
dbo
Table Reserved Word Column Names

------------------------------ ------------------------------
authorization cascade
Object Type Reserved Word Object Names

------------------------------ ------------------------------
rule constraint
stored procedure check
user table arith_overflow
user table authorization
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Owner
------------------------------
lemur

------------------------------ ------------------------------

key close
Table Reserved Word Index Names

------------------------------ ------------------------------
key isolation

------------------------------ ------------------------------
default isolation
rule level
stored procedure mirror
user table key
Reserved Word Datatype Names

------------------------------
identity
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Database-wide Objects
---------------------
Reserved Word User Names

------------------------------
at
identity
Reserved Word Login Names

------------------------------
at
identity
Reserved Word as Database Names

------------------------------
work
Reserved Word as Language Names

------------------------------
national
Reserved Word as Server Names

------------------------------
mirror

sp_checkreswords
primary
Reserved Word ServerNetNames

--------------------------------
mirror
primary
Example 2 Shows the results if sp_checkreswords is executed in the user
database user_db:
1> /* executed in the user database, user_db */
2> sp_checkreswords
Reserved Words Used as Database Object Names for Database user_db
Upgrade renames sysobjects schema to sysobjects.schemacnt.
Owner
------------------------------
tamarin

------------------------------ ------------------------------
cursor current
endtran current
key identity
key varying
schema primary
schema references
schema role
schema some
schema user
schema work
Table Reserved Word Index Names

------------------------------ ------------------------------
key double

------------------------------ ------------------------------
default escape
rule fetch
stored procedure foreign
user table cursor
user table key
user table schema
view endtran

-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Database-wide Objects
---------------------
Found no reserved words used as names for database-wide objects.

Usage • sp_checkreswords reports the names of existing objects that are reserved
words. Transact-SQL does not allow words that are part of any command
syntax to be used as identifiers, unless you are using delimited identifiers.
Reserved words are pieces of SQL syntax, and they have special meaning
when you use them as part of a command. For example, in pre-release 10.0
SQL Server, you could have a table called work, and select data from it
with this query:
select * from work
work was a new reserved word in SQL Server release 10.0, part of the
command commit work. Issuing the same select statement in release 10.0
or later causes a syntax error. sp_checkreswords finds identifiers that
would cause these problems.
• sp_checkreswords also finds reserved words, used as identifiers, that were
created using the set quoted_identifier option.
• Use sp_checkreswords before or immediately after upgrading to a new
release of Adaptive Server. For information on installing and running this
procedure before performing the upgrade, see the installation
documentation for your platform.
Run sp_checkreswords in the master database and in each user database.
Also run it in model and sybsystemprocs, if you have added users or
objects to those databases.
• The return status indicates the number of items found.
• If you supply a user name, sp_checkreswords checks for all of the objects
that can be owned by a user tables, indexes, views, procedures, triggers,
rules, defaults, and user-defined datatypes. It reports all identifiers that are
reserved words.

sp_checkreswords
• If your current database is not the master database, and you do not provide
a user name, sp_checkreswords checks for all of the objects above, with a
separate section in the report for each user name. It also checks sysusers
and syssegments for user names and segment names that are reserved
words. You only need to check model and sybsystemprocs if you have
added objects, users, or user-defined datatypes.
• If your current database is master, and you do not provide a user name,
sp_checkreswords performs all of the checks above and also checks
sysdatabases, syslogins, syscharsets, sysservers, sysremotelogins,
sysdevices, and syslanguages for reserved words used as the names of
databases, local or remote logins, local and remote servers, character sets,
and languages.
Handling reported instances of reserved words
• If sp_checkreswords reports that reserved words are used as identifiers,
you have two options:
• Use sp_rename, sp_renamedb, or update the system tables to change
the name of the identifier.
• Use set quoted_identifier on if the reserved word is a table name, view
name, or column name. If most of your applications use stored
procedures, you can drop and re-create these procedures with set
quoted_identifier on, and quote all identifiers. All users will be able to
run the procedures, without having to use set quoted_identifier on for
their session. You can use set quoted_identifier on, create views that
give alternative names to tables or columns, and change your
applications to reference the view instead.
The following example provides alternatives for the new reserved
words “key”, “level”, and “work”:
create view keyview
as
select lvl = "level", wrk = "work"
from "key"
The syntax for the set command is:
set quoted_identifier on
• If you do not either change the identifiers or use delimited identifiers, any
query that uses the reserved words as identifiers reports an error, usually a
syntax error. For example:
select level, work from key
Msg 156, Level 15, State 1:

Server ’rosie’, Line 1:

Incorrect syntax near the keyword ’level’.
Note The quoted identifier option is a SQL92 option and may not be
supported by many client products that support other Adaptive Server
features. For example, you cannot use bcp on tables whose names are
reserved words.
Before choosing the quoted identifier option, perform a test on various
objects using all the tools you will use to access Adaptive Server. Use set
quoted_identifier on, create a table with a reserved word for a name and
reserved words for column names. If the client product generates SQL
code, it must enclose identifiers in double quotes (if they are reserved
words) and character constants in single quotes.
• Procedures, triggers, and views that depend on objects whose names have
been changed may work after the name change, but will stop working
when the query plan is recompiled. Recompilation takes place for many
reasons, without notification to the user. To avoid unsuspected loss of
functionality, change the names of objects in procedures, triggers, and
views immediately after you change the object name.
• Whether you change the object names or use delimited identifiers, you
must change all stored procedures, views, triggers, and applications that
include the reserved word. If you change object names, you must change
identifiers; if you use delimited identifiers, you must add the set
quoted_identifier option and quotation marks.
• If you do not have the text of your procedures, triggers, views, rules, and
defaults saved in operating system files, you can use defncopy to copy the
definitions from the server to files. See defncopy in the Utility Guide.
Changing identifiers
• If you change the names of the items reported by sp_checkreswords, you
must change the names in all procedures, triggers, views, and applications
that reference the object using the reserved word.
• Dump your database before changing identifier names. After you change
the identifier names, run dbcc to determine that there are no problems, and
dump the database again.
• If you are changing identifiers on an active production database:
• Perform the changes when the system is least busy, so that you will
disrupt as few users as possible.

sp_checkreswords
• Prepare carefully by finding all Open Client DB-Library™ programs,

windowing applications, stored procedures, triggers, and scripts that
use a particular identifier. This way, you can make the edits needed in
the source code, then change the identifiers and replace the
procedures and code as quickly as possible.
• The procedure sp_depends can help find procedures, views, and triggers
that use table and view names.
Using sp_rename to change identifiers
• The system procedure sp_rename renames tables, indexes, views,
procedures, triggers, rule, defaults, user-defined datatypes, and columns.
Use sp_renamedb to rename databases.
• Table 1-10 shows the types of identifiers that you can change with
sp_rename and lists other changes that may have to be made on the server
and in your application programs.
Table 1-10: sp_rename and changing identifiers
Identifier Remember To
Table name • Drop all procedures, triggers and views that reference the table, and re-create them with the
new name. Use sp_depends to find the objects that depend on the table.
• Change all applications or SQL source scripts that reference the table to use the new table
name.
• Change dbcc scripts that perform table-level checks using table names.
Index name • Drop any stored procedures that create or drop the index, and re-create them with the new
name.
• Change all applications or SQL source scripts that create or drop the index.
• Change dbcc scripts that perform index-level checks using index names.
View name • Drop all procedures, triggers, and views that reference the view, and re-create them with the
new name. Use sp_depends to find the objects that depend on the view.
• Change all applications or SQL source scripts that reference the view to use the new view
name.
Procedure name • Drop and re-create with the new procedure name all procedures and triggers that reference
the procedure.
• Change all applications or SQL source scripts that execute the procedure to use the new
name.
• If another server remotely calls the procedure, change applications on the remote server to
use the new procedure name.
Trigger name • Change any SQL source scripts that create the trigger.
Rule name • Change any SQL source scripts that create the rule.
Default name • Change any SQL source scripts that create the default.

Identifier Remember To
User-defined • Drop all procedures that create tables with user-defined datatypes, and re-create them with
datatype name the new name.
• Change any applications that create tables with user-defined datatypes.
Column name • Drop all procedures, triggers and views that reference the column, and re-create them with
the new column name.
• sp_depends cannot find column name references. The following query displays the names
of procedures, triggers, and views that reference a column named “key”:
select distinct sysobjects.name
from sysobjects, syscomments
where sysobjects.id = syscomments.id
and syscomments.text like "%key%"
• Change all applications and SQL source scripts that reference the column by name.
The following command changes the name of the view isolation to isolated:
sp_rename "isolation", isolated
The following command changes the name of a column in the renamed
view isolated:
sp_rename "isolated.key", keyname
• Use sp_depends to get a list of all views, procedures, and triggers that
reference a view, procedure, or table that will be renamed. To use
sp_depends after renaming an object, give the new name. For example:
sp_depends new_name
Renaming databases with sp_renamedb
• To change the name of a database, use sp_renamedb. The database must
be in single-user mode. Drop and re-create any procedures, triggers, and
views that explicitly reference the database name. For more information,
see sp_renamedb.
Changing other identifiers
• To change user names, login names, device names, remote server names,
remote server user names, segment names, and character set and language
names, first determine if you can drop the object or user, then add or create
it again. If you cannot do that, use the following command to allow direct
updates to system tables:
sp_configure "allow updates to system tables", 1
Only a System Security Officer can set the allow updates to system tables
configuration parameter.

sp_checkreswords
Errors during direct updates to system tables can create severe problems
in Adaptive Server. To determine whether you can drop the objects or user,
then re-create them, see Table 1-11.
Table 1-13 on page 114 shows possible dependencies on this set of
identifiers. See this table for possible dependencies, whether you choose
to upgrade by dropping and recreating objects, by using delimited
identifiers, or by performing direct updates to system tables.
Table 1-11: Alternatives to direct system tables updates when changing
identifiers
Identifier type Suggested actions to avoid updates to system tables
User names and login To change the name of a user with no objects, first use sp_helprotect username in each
names database to record the user’s permissions. Then, drop the user from all of the databases
(sp_dropuser), and drop the login (sp_droplogin). Finally, add the new login name
(sp_addlogin), add the new user name to the databases (sp_adduser), and restore the
user’s permissions with grant.
Device names If this device is completely allocated, you will not need to use its name in a create
database command, so you can leave the name unchanged.
Remote server names Unless there are large numbers of remote login names from the remote server, drop the
remote server (sp_dropserver) and add it with a new name (sp_addserver).
Remote server logins Drop the remote login with sp_dropremotelogin, add it with a new name using
sp_addremotelogin, and restore the user’s permission to execute procedures with grant.
Segment names These are rarely used, once objects have been created on the segments.
Character set and Languages and character sets have reserved words as identifiers only if a System
language names Administrator has created alternative languages with sp_addlanguage. Drop the language
with sp_droplanguage, and add it with a new name.
Warning! Direct updates to system tables can be very dangerous. You can
make mistakes that make it impossible for Adaptive Server to run or make
it impossible to access objects in your databases. Undertake this effort
when you are calm and collected, and when little or no production activity
is taking place on the server. If possible, use the alternative methods
described Table 1-11.
• The following example shows a “safe” procedure for updating a user

name, with all data modification preceded by a begin transaction
command. The System Security Officer executes the following command:
Then you can execute the following:
begin transaction
update sysusers

set name = "workerbee"

where name = "work"
At this point, run the query, and check to be sure that the command
affected only the row that you intended to change. The only identifier
change that affects more than one row is changing the language name in
syslogins.
• If the query affected only the correct row, use commit transaction.
• If the query affected more than one row, or the incorrect row, use
rollback transaction, determine the source of the problem, and execute
the command correctly.
When you are finished, the System Security Officer turns off the allow
updates to system tables configuration parameter with this command:
Warning! Only update system tables in a single database in each user

defined transaction. Do not issue a begin transaction command and then
update tables in several databases. Such actions can make recovery
extremely difficult.
Table 1-12 shows the system tables and columns that you should update to
change reserved words. The tables preceded by “master.dbo.” occur only in the
master database. All other tables occur in master and in user databases. Be
certain you are using the correct database before you attempt the update. You
can check for the current database name with this command:
select db_name()

sp_checkreswords
Table 1-12: System table columns to update when changing identifiers

Column
Type of identifier Table to update name
User name sysusers name
Login names master.dbo.syslogins name
Segment names syssegments name
Device name sysdevices name
Remote server name sysservers srvname
Remote server network name sysservers srvnetname
Character set names master.dbo.syscharsets name
Language name master.dbo.syslanguages name
master.dbo.syslogins language
Table 1-13 shows other changes that may have to be made on the server and in
your application programs:
Table 1-13: Considerations when changing identifiers
Identifier Remember to
Login name Change the user name in each database where this person is a user.
User name Drop, edit, and re-create all procedures, triggers, and views that use qualified
(owner_name.object_name) references to objects owned by this user. Change all
applications and SQL source scripts that use qualified object names to use the new
user name. You do not have to drop the objects themselves; sysusers is linked to
sysobjects by the column that stores the user’s ID, not the user’s name.
Device name Change any SQL source scripts or applications that reference the device name to use
the new name.
Remote server name Change the name on the remote server. If the name that sp_checkreswords reports
is the name of the local server, you must restart the server before you can issue or
receive remote procedure calls.
Remote server network name Change the server’s name in the interfaces files.
Remote server login name Change the name on the remote server.
Segment name Drop and re-create all procedures that create tables or indexes on the segment name.
Change all applications that create objects on segments to use the new segment
name.
Character set name None.
Language name Change both master.dbo.syslanguages and master.dbo.syslogins. The update to
syslogins may involve many rows. Also, change the names of your localization files.
Using delimited identifiers

• You can use delimited identifiers for table names, column names, and view
names. You cannot use delimited identifiers for other object names.

• If you choose to use delimited identifiers, use set quoted_identifier on, and
drop and re-create all the procedures, triggers, and views that use the
identifier. Edit the text for those objects, enclosing the reserved words in
double quotes and enclosing all character strings in single quotes.
The following example shows the changes to make to queries in order to
use delimited identifiers. This example updates a table named work, with
columns named key and level. Here is the pre-release 10.0 query, which
encloses character literals in double quotes, and the edited version of the
query for use with delimited identifiers:
/* pre-release 10.0 version of query */
update work set level = "novice"
where key = "19-732"
/* 10.0 or later version of query, using
** the quoted identifier option
*/
update "work" set "level" = 'novice'
where "key" = '19-732'
• All applications that use the reserved word as an identifier must be
changed as follows:
• The application must set the quoted identifier option on.
• All uses of the reserved word must be enclosed in double quotes.
• All character literals used by the application while the quoted
identifier option is turned on must be enclosed in single quotes.
Otherwise, Adaptive Server attempts to interpret them as object
names.
For example, the following query results in an error message:
set quoted_identifier on
select * from titles where title_id like "BU%"
Here is the correct query:
select * from titles where title_id like ’BU%’
• Stored procedures that you create while the delimited identifiers are in
effect can be run without turning on the option. (The allow updates to
system tables option also works this way.) This means that you can turn on
quoted identifier mode, drop a stored procedure, edit it to insert quotation
marks around reserved words used as identifiers, and re-create the
procedure. All users can execute the procedure without using set
quoted_identifier.

sp_checkreswords
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_checkreswords.

System procedures sp_configure, sp_depends, sp_rename, sp_renamedb
Utilities defncopy

sp_checksource
Description Checks for the existence of the source text of the compiled object.
Syntax sp_checksource [objname [, tabname [, username]]]
Parameters objname
is the compiled object to be checked for the existence of its source text.
tabname
is the name of the table or view to be checked for the existence of all check
constraints, defaults, and triggers defined on it.
username
is the name of the user who owns the compiled objects to be checked for the
existence of the source text.
Examples Example 1 Checks for the existence of the source text of all compiled objects
in the current database:
sp_checksource
Example 2 Checks for the existence of the source text of the view named
titleview:
sp_checksource titleview
Example 3 Checks for the existence of the source text of the view named
titls_vu that is owned by Mary:
sp_checksource title_vu, @username = Mary

Example 4 Checks for the existence of the source text of the custom stored
procedure list_phone_proc:
sp_checksource list_phone_proc
Example 5 Checks for the existence of the source text of all the check
constraints, triggers, and declarative defaults defined on the table named
my_tab:
sp_checksource @tabname = "my_tab"
Example 6 Checks for the existence of the source text of the view my_vu and
all check constraints, triggers, and defaults defined on the table my_tab:
sp_checksource @objname = "my_vu", @tabname = "my_tab"
Example 7 Checks for the existence of the source text of all compiled objects
owned by Tom:
sp_checksource @username = "Tom"

sp_checksource
Usage • sp_checksource checks for the existence of the source text of the specified
compiled object. If the source text exists for the specified object,
sp_checksource returns 0. If the source text does not exist for the specified
object, sp_checksource returns 1.
• If you do not provide any parameters, sp_checksource checks the
existence of the source text for all compiled objects in the current
database.
• To use sp_checksource with no parameters, you must be the Database
Owner or System Administrator.
Permissions Only a Database Owner or System Administrator can execute sp_checksource
to check for the existence of the source text of compiled objects that are owned
by another user. Any user can execute sp_checksource to check for the
existence of the source text for his or her own compiled objects.
See also System procedures sp_hidetext

sp_chgattribute
Description Changes the max_rows_per_page, fillfactor, reservepagegap, or exp_row_size
value for future space allocations of a table or an index; sets the
concurrency_opt_threshold for a table. Provides the user interface for optimistic
index locking, which acquires an exclusive table lock on a specified table.
Syntax sp_chgattribute objname, {"max_rows_per_page" | "fillfactor" |
"reservepagegap" | "exp_row_size"
concurrency_opt_threshold | “optimistic_index_lock”}, value,
optvalue
sp_chgattribute "table_name", {"identity_gap", set_number |
“dealloc_first_txtpg”,1}
Parameters objname
is the name of the table or index for which you want to change attributes.
max_rows_per_page
specifies the row size. Use this option for tables with variable-length
columns.
fillfactor
specifies how full Adaptive Server will make each page when it is
re-creating an index or copying table pages as a result of a reorg rebuild
command or an alter table command to change the locking scheme. The
fillfactor percentage is relevant only at the time the index is rebuilt. Valid
values are 0–100.
reservepagegap
specifies the ratio of filled pages to empty pages that are to be left during
extent I/O allocation operations. For each specified num_pages, an empty
page is left for future expansion of the table. Valid values are 0–255. The
default value is 0.
exp_row_size
reserves a specified amount of space for the rows in data-only locked tables.
Use this option to reduce the number of rows being forwarded, which can be
expensive during updates. Valid values are 0, 1, and any value between the
minimum and maximum row length for the table. 0 means a server-wide
setting is applied, and 1 means to fully pack the rows on the data pages.

sp_chgattribute
concurrency_opt_threshold
specifies the table size, in pages, at which access to a data-only-locked table
should begin optimizing for reducing I/O, rather than for concurrency. If the
table is smaller than the number of pages specified by
concurrency_opt_threshold, the query is optimized for concurrency by
always using available indexes; if the table is larger than the number of
pages specified by concurrency_opt_threshold, the query is optimized for I/O
instead. Valid values are -1 to 32767. Setting the value to 0 disables
concurrency optimization. Use -1 to enforce concurrency optimization for
tables larger than 32767 pages. The default is 15 pages.
optimistic_index_lock
is the name of the option that sets an exclusive table lock on the table you
specify.
value
set 1 to turn optimistic index locking on, or 0 to turn it off.
optvalue
is the new value. Valid values and default values depend on which parameter
is specified.
table_name
is the name of the table for which you want to change the identity gap. Used
also to deallocate the text and image pages on a table to free up space.
identity_gap
indicates that you want to change the identity gap.
set_number
is the new size of the identity gap.
Examples Example 1 Sets the max_rows_per_page to 1 for the authors table for all future
space allocations:
sp_chgattribute authors, "max_rows_per_page", 1
Example 2 Sets the max_rows_per_page to 4 for the titleidind index for all
future space allocations:
sp_chgattribute "titles.titleidind", "max_rows_per_page", 4
Example 3 Specifies a fillfactor of 90 percent for pages in title_ix:
sp_chgattribute "titles.title_ix", "fillfactor", 90
Example 4 Sets the exp_row_size to 120 for the authors table for all future
space allocations:
sp_chgattribute "authors", "exp_row_size", 120

Example 5 Sets the reservepagegap to 16 for the titleidind index for all future
space allocations:
sp_chgattribute "titles.titleidind", "reservepagegap", 16
Example 6 Turns off concurrency optimization for the titles table:
sp_chgattribute "titles", "concurrency_opt_threshold", 0
Example 7 Sets the identity gap for mytable to 20:
sp_chgattribute "mytable", "identity_gap", 20
Example 8 Changes mytable to use the identity burning set factor setting
instead of the identity_gap setting:
sp_chgattribute "mytable", "identity_gap", 0
Sets the value of sp_chgattribute to 1, turning the optimistic index locking
feature on.
sp_chgattribute "mytable", "optimistic_index_lock", 1
Sets the value of sp_chgattribute to 0, turning the optimistic index locking
feature off.
sp_chgattribute "mytable", "optimistic_index_lock", 0
Example 9 Switches the deallocation for text and image space on.
sp_chgattribute "mytable", "deallocate_first_txtpg", 1
To switch the feature off:
sp_chgattribute "mytable", "deallocate_first_txtpg", 0
Usage • sp_chgattribute changes the max_rows_per_page, fillfactor,
reservepagegap, or exp_row_size value for future space allocations or data
modifications of the table or index. It does not affect the space allocations
of existing data pages. You can change these values for an object only in
the current database.
• Use sp_help to see the stored spance management values for a table. Use
sp_helpindex to see the stored space management values for an index.
• Setting max_rows_per_page to 0 tells Adaptive Server to fill the data or

index pages and not to limit the number of rows (this is the default
behavior of Adaptive Server if max_rows_per_page is not set).
• Low values for optvalue may cause page splits. Page splits occur when
new data or index rows need to be added to a page, and there is not enough
room for the new row. Usually, the data on the existing page is split fairly
evenly between the newly allocated page and the existing page.

sp_chgattribute
• To approximate the maximum value for a nonclustered index, subtract 32

from the page size and divide the resulting number by the index key size.
The following statement calculates the maximum value of
max_rows_per_page for the nonclustered index titleind:
select
(select @@pagesize - 32) / minlen
from sysindexes where name = "titleind"
-----------
288
If you specify too high a value for optvalue, Adaptive Server returns an
error message specifying the highest value allowed.
• If you specify an incorrect value for max_rows_per_page, fillfactor,
reservepagegap, or exp_row_size, sp_chgattribute returns an error message
specifying the valid values.
• For more information on max_rows_per_page, fillfactor, reservepagegap,
exp_row_size, and concurrency_opt_threshold, see the Performance and
Tuning Guide.
• For more information about identity gaps, see the section “Managing
Identity Gaps in Tables” in Chapter 7, “Creating Databases and Tables” in
the Transact-SQL User’s Guide.
• You cannot run this stored procedure from within a transaction.
• Only a user with sa_role privileges can execute this stored procedure.
• You cannot set the optimistic index locking option for tables with
datapages or datarow locking schemes.
• You cannot set the optimistic index locking option for tables in system
databases, such as master or tempdb. You can set it only on user-defined
tables.
• If you do not acquire a lock on the specified table, sp_chgattribute fails.
• The default property of the optimistic index locking option is off.
Permissions Only the object owner can execute sp_chgattribute.
See also Commands alter table, create index, create table
System procedures sp_helpindex

sp_clearpsexe
Description Clears the execution attributes of an Adaptive Server session that was set by
sp_setpsexe.
Syntax sp_clearpsexe spid, exeattr
Parameters spid
is the process ID of the session for which execution attributes are to be
cleared.
exeattr
identifies the execution attributes to be cleared. Values for exeattr are
“priority” and “enginegroup”.
Examples Drops the engine group entry for process 12.
sp_clearpsexe 12, 'enginegroup'
Usage • If the execution attributes are not cleared during the lifetime of the session,
they are cleared when the session exits or terminates abnormally.
• sp_clearpsexe fails if there are no online engines in the associated engine
group.
• When you drop an engine group entry, the session executes on an engine
group determined by a class definition or by the default class.
• Use sp_who to list process IDs (spids).
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_clearpsexe to clear priority
attributes for all users. Any user can execute sp_clearpsexe to clear the priority
attributes of tasks owned by that user.
See also Documents sp_clearpsexe clears the execution attributes of the session that
was set by sp_setpsexe. For more information, see the Performance and
Tuning Guide.
System procedures sp_addexeclass, sp_bindexeclass, sp_dropexeclass,
sp_showexeclass, sp_unbindexeclass

sp_clearstats
sp_clearstats
Description Initiates a new accounting period for all server users or for a specified user.
Prints statistics for the previous period by executing sp_reportstats.
Syntax sp_clearstats [loginame]
Parameters loginame
is the user’s login name.
Examples Example 1 Initiates a new accounting period for all users.
sp_clearstats
Name Since CPU Percent CPU I/O Percent I/O
------ -------- ------ ----------- ------- -------------
probe Jun 19 1990 0 0% 0 0%
julie Jun 19 1990 10000 24.9962% 5000 24.325%
jason Jun 19 1990 10002 25.0013% 5321 25.8866%
ken Jun 19 1990 10001 24.9987% 5123 24.9234%
kathy Jun 19 1990 10003 25.0038% 5111 24.865%
(5 rows affected)
Total CPU Total I/O
--------- ---------
40006 20555
5 login accounts cleared.
Example 2 Initiates a new accounting period for the user “kathy.”
sp_clearstats kathy
----- ----------- ----- ------------ ----- -----------
KATHY Jul 24 1990 498 49.8998% 483924 9.1829%
(1 row affected)
Total CPU Total I/O
--------- ----------
998 98392
1 login account cleared.
Usage • sp_clearstats creates an accounting period and should be run only at the
end of a period.
• Because sp_clearstats clears out the accounting statistics, you must record
the statistics before running the procedure.
• sp_clearstats updates the syslogins field accdate and clears the syslogins
fields totcpu and totio.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_clearstats.

See also System procedures sp_reportstats

sp_client_addr
sp_client_addr
Description Displays the IP (Internet Protocol) address of every Adaptive Server task with
an attached client application, including the spid and the client host name.
Syntax sp_client addr[“spid”]
Parameters spid
specifies one task for which you require an IP address.
Examples Example 1 Lists IP addresses for all tasks:
sp_client_addr
---------
spid hostname ipaddr
-----------------------------
11 FRED 162.66.131.36
21 BARNEY 162.66.100.233
22 WILMA 162.66.100.206
23 BETTY 162.66.100.119
24 PEBBLES 162.66.100.125
25 BAMBAM 162.66.100.124
(6 rows affected)
(return status = 0)
Example 2 Shows IP addresses for spid 21:

sp_client_addr 21
----------
-----------------------------
21 BARNEY 162.66.100.233
(1 row affected)
(return status = 0)
Example 3 Shows the result when a client application is not connected via IP:
sp_client_addr 11
----------
-----------------------------
11 FRED 0.0.0.0
(1 row affected)
(return status = 0)

Example 4 Shows the result of a task with no attached client; for example,
Housekeeper:
sp_client_addr 9
----------
-------------------------------
9 NULL
(1 row affected)
(return status = 0)
Example 5 Shows the result when an incorrect spid is specified:

sp_client_addr 99
----------
Msg 18934, Level 16, State 1:
Procedure "sp_client_addr", Line 32:
spid not found
(return status = 1)
Usage • If the client application is not attached by IP, the address appears as
0.0.0.0. Adaptive Server does not support display of addresses of protocols
other than IP.
• If a task has no attached client (Housekeeper, for instance), the IP address
appears as “NULL”. Tasks with no attached client are not listed when you
use sp_client_addr with no parameter.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_client_addr.
See also System procedures sp_who

sp_cmp_all_qplans
sp_cmp_all_qplans
Description Compares all abstract plans in two abstract plan groups.
Syntax sp_cmp_all_qplans group1, group2 [, mode]
Parameters group1, group2
are the names of the 2 abstract plan groups.
mode
is the display option, one of: counts, brief, same, diff, first, second, offending
and full. The default mode is counts.
Examples Example 1 Generates a default report on 2 abstract plan groups:
sp_cmp_all_qplans dev_plans, prod_plans
If the two query plans groups are large, this might take some time.
Query plans that are the same
count
-----------
49
Different query plans that have the same association key
count
-----------
1
Query plans present only in group ’dev_plans’ :
count
-----------
1
Query plans present only in group ’prod_plans’ :
count
-----------
0
Example 2 Generates a report using the brief mode:
sp_cmp_all_qplans dev_plans, prod_plans, brief
Usage • Use sp_cmp_all_qplans to check for differences in abstract plans in two

groups of plans.
• sp_cmp_all_qplans matches pairs of plans where the plans in each group
have the same user ID and query text. The plans are classified as follows:
• Plans that are the same
• Plans that have the same association key in both groups, but have
different abstract plans. The association key is the group ID, user ID
and query text.

• Plans that exist in one group, but do not exist in the other group
Table 1-14 shows the report modes and what type of information is
reported for each mode.
Table 1-14: Report modes for sp_cmp_all_qplans
Mode Reported information
counts The counts of: plans that are the same, plans that have the same association key, but different groups,
and plans that exist in one group, but not the other. This is the default report mode.
brief The information provided by counts, plus the IDs of the abstract plans in each group where the plans are
different, but the association key is the same, and the IDs of plans that are in one group, but not in the
other.
same All counts, plus the IDs, queries, and plans for all abstract plans where the queries and plans match.
diff All counts, plus the IDs, queries, and plans for all abstract plans where the queries and plans are
different.
first All counts, plus the IDs, queries, and plans for all abstract plans that are in the first plan group, but not
in the second plan group.
second All counts, plus the IDs, queries, and plans for all abstract plans that are in the second plan group, but
not in the first plan group.
offending All counts, plus the IDs, queries, and plans for all abstract plans that have different association keys or
that do not exist in both groups. This is the combination of the diff, first and second modes
full All counts, plus the IDs, queries, and plans for all abstract plans. This is the combination of same and
offending modes.
• To compare two individual abstract plans, use sp_cmp_qplans. To see the

names of abstract plan groups, use sp_help_qpgroup.
• When a System Administrator or Database Owner runs
sp_cmp_all_qplans, it reports on all plans in the two groups. When another
user executes sp_cmp_all_qplans, it reports only on plans that have the
user’s ID.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_cmp_all_qplans.
See also System procedures sp_cmp_qplans, sp_help_qpgroup

sp_cmp_qplans
sp_cmp_qplans
Description Compares two abstract plans.
Syntax sp_cmp_qplans id1, id2
Parameters id1, id2
are the IDs of two abstract plans.
Examples Example 1 Compares abstract plan 411252620 to 1383780087:
sp_cmp_qplans 411252620, 1383780087
The queries are the same.
The query plans are the same.
Example 2 Compares abstract plan 2091258605 to 647777465:
sp_cmp_qplans 2091258605, 647777465
The queries are the same.
The query plans are different.
Usage • sp_cmp_qplans compares the queries, abstract plans, and hash keys of two
abstract plans, and reports whether the queries are the same, and whether
the plans are the same. It prints one of these messages for the query:
• The queries are the same.
• The queries are different.
• The queries are different but have the same hash key.
It prints one of these messages for the abstract plan:
• The query plans are the same.
• The query plans are different.
• sp_cmp_qplans also prints a return status showing the results of the
comparison. The status values 1, 2 and 10 are additive. The status values
are show in Table 1-15

Table 1-15: Return status values for sp_cmp_qplans

Return value Meaning
0 The query text and abstract plans are the same.
+1 The queries and hash keys are different.
+2 The queries are different, but the hash keys are the same.
+10 The abstract plans are different.
100 One or both of the plan IDs does not exist.
• To find the ID of a plan, use sp_help_qpgroup or sp_find_qplan. Plan IDs

are also returned by create plan and are included in showplan output.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_cmp_qplans to compare plans that he or she owns.
Only a System Administrator or the Database Owner can compare plans owned
by another user.
See also System procedures sp_cmp_all_qplans, sp_help_qpgroup

sp_commonkey
sp_commonkey
Description Defines a common key—columns that are frequently joined—between two
tables or views.
Syntax sp_commonkey tabaname, tabbname, col1a, col1b
[, col2a, col2b, ..., col8a, col8b]
Parameters tabaname
is the name of the first table or view to be joined.
tabbname
is the name of the second table or view to be joined.
col1a
is the name of the first column in the table or view tabaname that makes up
the common key. Specify at least one pair of columns (one column from the
first table or view and one from the second table or view).
col1b
is the name of the partner column in the table or view tabbname that is joined
with col1a in the table or view tabaname.
Examples Example 1 Defines a common key on titles.titleid and titleauthor.titleid:
sp_commonkey titles, titleauthor, title_id, title_id
Example 2 Assumes two tables, projects and departments, each with a column
named empid. This statement defines a frequently used join on the two
columns:
sp_commonkey projects, departments, empid, empid
Usage • Common keys are created in order to make explicit a logical relationship
that is implicit in your database design. The information can be used by an
application. sp_commonkey does not enforce referential integrity
constraints; use the primary key and foreign key clauses of the create table
or alter table command to enforce key relationships.
• Executing sp_commonkey adds the key to the syskeys system table. To
display a report on the common keys that have been defined, use
sp_helpkey.
• You must be the owner of at least one of the two tables or views in order
to define a common key between them.

• The number of columns from the first table or view must be the same as
the number of columns from the second table or view. Up to eight columns
from each table or view can participate in the common key. The datatypes
of the common columns must also agree. For columns that take a length
specification, the lengths can differ. The null types of the common
columns need not agree.
• The installation process runs sp_commonkey on appropriate columns of
the system tables.
• You cannot use a Java datatype with sp_commonnkey.
Permissions Only the owner of tabaname or tabbname can execute sp_commonkey.
See also Commands alter table, create table, create trigger
System procedures sp_dropkey, sp_foreignkey, sp_helpjoins, sp_helpkey,

sp_primarykey

sp_companion
sp_companion
Description Performs cluster operations such as configuring Adaptive Server as a
secondary companion in a high availability system and moving a companion
server from one failover mode to another. sp_companion is run from the
secondary companion.
Syntax sp_companion
[server_name
{, configure
[, {with_proxydb | NULL}]
[, srvlogin]
[, server_password]
[, cluster_login]
[, cluspassword]]
| drop
| suspend
| resume
| prepare_failback
| do_advisory}
{, all
| help
| group attribute_name
| base attribute_name}
Parameters server_name
is the name of the Adaptive Server on which you are performing a cluster
operation.
configure
configures the server specified by server_name as the primary companion in
a failover configuration.
drop
permanently drops a companion from failover configuration. After the
command has completed, the servers are in single-server mode.
suspend
temporarily removes the companions from a failover configuration. After
the command is completed, the companions are in suspended mode.
resume
reverses the suspend command and resumes normal companion mode
between the companions.
prepare_failback
prepare the secondary companion to relinquish the primary companion’s
resources so it can failback.

do_advisory
verifies that the secondary companion is compatible for successfully
performing the primary companion’s functions during failover mode.
• all – causes do_advisory the investigate all the parameters.
• help – displays information and syntax about the do_advisory parameter.
• group attribute – limits do_advisory to investigate only the group

attributes.
• base attribute – limits do_advisory to investigate only the base attributes.
with_proxydb
vreates proxy databases on the secondary companion for all database other
than the system databases – and all subsequent databases that are added –
when this parameter is included in the initial configuration of the companion
servers. By default, with_proxydb is disabled.
srvlogin
is a user’s login to access the companion server. By default, the value of
srvlogin is “sa”.
srvpassword
is the user’s password to access the companion server. By default, the value
of srvpassword is null.
cluster_login
i the user’s login to log into the cluster. By default, the value of cluster_login
is “sa”.
cluspassword
is the users password you must provide to log into the cluster. By default, the
value of cluspassword is null.
Examples Example 1 Configures the Adaptive Server MONEY1 as the primary
companion:
sp_companion "MONEY1", configure
Example 2 Configures the Adaptive Server MONEY1 as the primary
companion and creates proxy databases on the secondary companion:
sp_companion "MONEY1", configure, with_proxydb, "sa", "sapsswd"
Example 3 Drops the Adaptive Server PERSONEL1 from the failover
configuration. After the command has completed, both the primary companion
and the secondary companion will be in single-server mode:
sp_companion "PERSONEL1", "drop"

sp_companion
Example 4 Resumes normal companion mode for the companion server (in
this example, MONEY1):
sp_companion "MONEY1", "resume"
Example 5 Prepares the primary companion (in this example, PERSONEL1)
to change to normal companion mode and resume control of the Adaptive
Server that failed over:
sp_companion "PERSONEL1", "prepare_failback"
Example 6 Checks to make sure a cluster operation with the PERSONEL1
companion will be successful. Because do_advisory in this example uses the all
parameter, it checks all the do_advisory attributes of PERSONEL1 to make
sure that none of them will prevent a successful cluster operation, and that the
secondary companion can successfully perform the primary companion’s
operations after failover is complete:
sp_companion "PERSONEL1", do_advisory, "all"
Example 7 Checks to make sure that none of the attributes for the Component
Integration Services (CIS) on the companion server is compatible with the
local server:
sp_companion "PERSONEL1", do_advisory, "CIS"
Usage • sp_companion performs cluster operations such as configuring Adaptive
Server as a secondary companion in a high availability system.
sp_companion also moves companion servers from one failover mode to
another (for example, from failover mode back to normal companion
mode). sp_companion is run from the secondary companion.
• sp_companion is installed with the installhasvss (insthasv on Windows
NT), not the installmaster script. installhasvss is located in
$SYBASE/ASE-12_0/scripts.
• sp_companion automatically disables Sybase’s mirroring. Sybase
recommends that you use a third-party mirroring software to protect your
data from disk failures.
For complete information, see Using Sybase Failover in A High Availability
System. Before running the do_advisory command, make sure to read the
configuration chapter of this book as well as the do_advisory chapter.
Permissions Only users with the ha_role can issue sp_companion.

sp_configure
Description Displays configuration parameters by group, their current values, their default
values, the value to which they have most recently been set, and the amount of
memory used by this setting. Displays only the parameters whose display level
is the same as or below that of the user.
Syntax sp_configure [configname [, configvalue] | group_name |
non_unique_parameter_fragment][number of histogram steps, n]
sp_configure "configuration file", 0, {"write" | "read" | "verify" | "restore"}
"file_name"
sp_configure “max concurrently recovered db”, config_value
sp_configure “number of checkpoint tasks”, config_value
Parameters configname
displays the current value, default value, most recently changed value, and
amount of memory used by the setting for all parameters matching
parameter.
configvalue
resets configname to configvalue and displays the current value, default
value, configured value, and amount of memory used by configname.
sp_configure configname, 0, “default” resets configname to its default value
and displays current value, default value, configured value, and amount of
memory used by configname.
group_name
displays all configuration parameters in group_name, their current values,
their default values, the value (if applicable) to which they have most
recently been set, and the amount of memory used by this setting.
non_unique_parameter_fragment
displays all parameter names that match non_unique_parameter_fragment,
their current values, default values, configured values, and the amount of
memory used.
file_name
is the name of the file you want to us sp_configure on.
number of histogram steps, n
used when creating an index or running update statistics where you can
specify the number of steps when using create index or update statistics. The
default is 20.

sp_configure
write
creates file_name from the current configuration. If file_name already
exists, a message is written to the error log and the existing file is renamed
using the convention file_name.001, file_name.002, and so on. If you have
changed a static parameter but have not restarted your server, “write” gives
you the currently running value for that parameter.
read
performs validation checking on values contained in file_name and reads
those values that pass validation into the server. If any parameters are
missing from file_name, the current running values for those parameters are
used.
verify
performs validation checking on the values in file_name.
restore
creates file_name with the values in sysconfigures. This is useful if all copies
of the configuration file have been lost and you need to generate a new copy.
max concurrently recovered db config_value
sets the limit to the number of databases recovered concurrently.
The default value of config_value is 0, where Adaptive Server determines
the number of databases recovered concurrently, based on a self-tuning
approach. The number of engines and number of open databases limit the
value of this configuration parameter. There is no absolute maximum.The
value of 1 indicates serial recovery.
number of checkpoint tasks config_value
sets the limit to the number of checkpoint tasks in Adaptive Server.
The default value of config_value is 1, indicating serial checkpoints. The
number of engines and number of open databases limit number of
checkpoint tasks. It has an absolute ceiling of 8.
Examples Example 1 Displays all configuration parameters by group, their current
values, their default values, the value (if applicable) to which they have most
recently been set, and the amount of memory used by this setting:
sp_configure
Example 2 Displays all configuration parameters that include the word
“identity”:
sp_configure "identity"
Configuration option is not unique.

Parameter Name Default Memory Used Config Value Run Value Unit Type
-------------- ------- ----------- ------------ --------- ------ ----
identity burning set 1 0 1 1 id static
identity grab size 0 0 0 0 id dyna
size of auto identit 10 0 10 10 bytes dyna
. . .
Example 3 Sets the system recovery interval in minutes to 3 minutes:
sp_configure "recovery interval in minutes", 3
Parameter Name Default Memory Used Config Value Run Value Unit Type
-------------- ------- ----------- ------------ --------- ------ ----
recovery interval 5 0 3 3 min dyn
Configuration option changed. The SQL Server need not be rebooted since the
option is dynamic.
Example 4 Resets the value for number of devices to the Adaptive Server
default:
sp_configure "number of device", 0, "default"
Example 5 To reset the default number of steps for create index and update
statistics:
sp_configure 'number of histogram steps', 30
Example 6 To configure 4 databases to be recovered concurrently, enter:
sp_configure "max concurrently recovered db", 4
Example 7 To configure Adaptive Server for the self-tuning approach, enter:
Example 8 To configure Adaptive Server to have serial recovery, enter:
Example 9 To start four checkpoint tasks, enter:
sp_configure "number of checkpoint tasks", 4
Example 10 To revert to serial checkpoints, enter:
sp_configure "number of checkpoint tasks", 1
Usage • Any user can execute sp_configure to display information about
parameters and their current values, but not to modify parameters. System
Administrators can execute sp_configure to change the values of most
configuration parameters. Only System Security Officers can execute
certain parameters. These are listed under “Permissions” in this section.

sp_configure
• sp_configure allows you to specify the value for configuration paramters

in unit specifiers. The unit specifiers are p or P for pages, m or M for
megabytes, and g or G for gigabytes. If you do not specify a unit, and you
are configuring a parameter that controls memory, Adaptive Server uses
the logical page size for the basic unit.
• When you execute sp_configure to modify a dynamic parameter:
• The configuration and run values are updated.
• The configuration file is updated.
• The change takes effect immediately.
• When you execute sp_configure to modify a static parameter:
• The configuration value is updated.
• The configuration file is updated.
• The change takes effect only when you restart Adaptive Server.
• When issued with no parameters, sp_configure displays a report of all
configuration parameters by group, their current values, their default
values, the value (if applicable) to which they have most recently been set,
and the amount of memory used by this setting:
• The default column in the report displays the value Adaptive Server is
shipped with. If you do not explicitly reconfigure a parameter, it
retains its default value.
• The memory used column displays the amount of memory used by the
parameter at its current value in kilobytes. Some related parameters
draw from the same memory pool. For instance, the memory used for
stack size and stack guard size is already accounted for in the memory
used for number of user connections. If you added the memory used by
each of these parameters separately, it would total more than the
amount actually used. In the memory used column, parameters that
“share” memory with other parameters are marked with a hash mark
(#).
• The config_value column displays the most recent value to which the
configuration parameter has been set with sp_configure.

• The run_value column displays the value being used by Adaptive

Server. It changes after you modify a parameter’s value with
sp_configure and, for static parameters, after you restart Adaptive
Server. This is the value stored in syscurconfigs.value.
Note If the server uses a case-insensitive sort order, sp_configure with

no parameters returns a list of all configuration parameters and groups
in alphabetical order with no grouping displayed.
• Each configuration parameter has an associated display level. There are

three display levels:
• The “basic” level displays only the most basic parameters. It is
appropriate for very general server tuning.
• The “intermediate” level displays parameters that are somewhat more
complex, as well as showing you all the “basic” parameters. This level
is appropriate for a moderately complex level of server tuning.
• The “comprehensive” level displays all parameters, including the
most complex ones. This level is appropriate for users who do highly
detailed server tuning.
The default display level is “comprehensive”. Setting one of the other
display levels lets you work with a subset of the configuration parameter,
shortening the amount of information displayed by sp_configure.
The syntax for showing your current display level is:
sp_displaylevel
• For information on the individual configuration parameters, see the System
max concurrently recovered db
This parameter determines the degree of parallelism during database recovery:
• When Adaptive Server is not in recovery, this configuration parameter
takes effect statically. However, when Adaptive Server is in recovery, a
System Administrator can force serial recovery dynamically.
• The effectiveness of max concurrently recovered db is dependent on the
database layout and the performance of underlying I/O subsystem.
number of checkpoint tasks
This parameter configures parallel checkpoints:

sp_configure
• Parallel checkpoints depend on the layout of the databases and

performance of underlying I/O sybsystems. Tune this parameter
depending on the number of active databases and the ability of the I/O
subsystem to handle writes.
• This configuration parameter is dynamic. When the value for this
parameter is reduced, checkpoint tasks drain out, and when the value is
increased, additional tasks are created.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_configure to display information about parameters and
their current values.
Only System Administrators can execute sp_configure to modify values for:
• max concurrently recovered db
• number of checkpoint tasks
Only System Administrators and System Security Officers can execute

sp_configure to modify configuration parameters.
Only System Security Officers can execute sp_configure to modify values for:
• allow procedure grouping
• allow select on syscomments.text
• allow updates
• audit queue size
• auditing
• current audit table
• remote access
• suspend auditing when full
• systemwide password expiration
System Administrators can modify all other parameters.

See also For more information on max concurrently recovered db and number of
checkpoint tasks, see Chapter 27, “Backing up and Restoring User Databases,”
in the System Administration Guide.
Commands set
System procedures sp_dboption, sp_displaylevel, sp_helpconfig,
sp_monitorconfig

sp_copy_all_qplans
Description Copies all plans for one abstract plan group to another group.
Syntax sp_copy_all_qplans src_group, dest_group
Parameters src_group
is the name of the source abstract plan group.
dest_group
is the name of the abstract plan group to which the plans are to be copied.
Examples Copies all of the abstract plans in the dev_plans group to the ap_stdin group:
sp_copy_all_qplans dev_plans, ap_stdin
Usage • The destination group must exist before you can copy plans into it. It may
contain plans.
• sp_copy_all_qplans calls sp_copy_qplan for each plan in the source group.
Each plan is copied as a separate transaction, so any problem that keeps
sp_copy_all_qplans from completing does not affect the plans that have
already been copied.
• sp_copy_qplan prints messages when it cannot copy a particular abstract
plan. You also see these messages when running sp_copy_all_qplans.
• If the query text for a plan in the destination group exactly matches the
query text in the source group and the user ID is the same, the plan is not
copied, and a message giving the plan ID is sent to the user, but the
copying process continues with the next plan in the source group.
• Copying a very large number of abstract plans can take considerable time,
and also requires space on the system segment in the database and space
to log the changes to the database. Use sp_spaceused to check the size of
sysqueryplans, and sp_helpsegment for the system and logsegment to
check the space available.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_copy_all_qplans to copy an abstract plan that he or she
owns. Only the System Administrator or Database Owner can copy plans that
are owned by other users.
See also System procedures sp_copy_qplan, sp_help_qpgroup

sp_copy_qplan
sp_copy_qplan
Description Copies one abstract plan to an abstract plan group.
Syntax sp_copy_qplan src_id, dest_group
Parameters src_id
is the ID of the abstract plan to copy.
dest_group
is the name of the destination abstract plan group.
Examples sp_copy_qplan 2140534659, ap_stdin
Usage • The destination group must exist before you can copy an abstract plan into
it. You do not need to specify a source group, since plans are uniquely
identified by the plan ID.
• A new plan ID is generated when the plan is copied. The plan retains the
ID of the user who created it, even if the System Administrator or
Database Owner copies the plan. To assign a different user ID, a System
Administrator or Database Owner can use sp_export_qpgroup and
sp_import_qpgroup.
• If the query text for a plan in the destination group exactly matches the
query text in the source group and the user ID, the plan is not copied, and
a message giving the plan IDs is sent to the user.
• To copy all of the plans in an abstract plan group, use sp_copy_all_qplans.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_copy_qplan to copy a plan that he or she owns. Only
the System Administrator or Database Owner can copy plans that are owned
by other users.
See also System procedures sp_copy_all_qplans, sp_help_qpgroup, sp_help_qplan,
sp_import_qpgroup

sp_countmetadata
Description Displays the number of indexes, objects, or databases in Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_countmetadata "configname" [, dbname]
is either “open indexes”, “open objects”, or “open databases”.
dbname
is the name of the database on which to run sp_countmetadata. If no database
name is given, sp_countmetadata provides a total count for all databases.
Examples Example 1 Reports on the number of user objects in Adaptive Server. Use this
value to set the number of objects allowed in the database, plus space for
additional objects and temporary tables:
sp_configure "number of open objects", 310
sp_countmetadata "open objects"
There are 283 user objects in all database(s), requiring
117.180 Kbytes of memory. The 'open objects'
configuration parameter is currently set to a run value
of 500.
Example 2 Reports on the number of indexes in Adaptive Server:
sp_countmetadata "open indexes", pubs2
There are 21 user indexes in pubs2 database(s),
requiring 8.613 kbytes of memory. The 'open indexes'
configuration parameter is currently set to 600.
Usage • sp_countmetadata displays the number of indexes, objects, or databases in
Adaptive Server, including the number of system databases such as model
and tempdb.
• Avoid running sp_countmetadata during Adaptive Server peak times. It
can cause contention on the sysindexes, sysobjects, and sysdatabases
system tables.
• You can run sp_countmetadata on a specified database if you want
information on a particular database. However, when configuring caches
for indexes, objects, or databases, run sp_countmetadata without the
database_name option.

sp_countmetadata
• The information on memory returned by sp_countmetadata can vary by

platform. For example, a database on Adaptive Server for Windows NT
could have a different sp_countmetadata result than the same database on
Sun Solaris. Information on the number of user indexes, objects, or
databases should be consistent, however.
• sp_countmetadata does not include temporary tables in its calculation.
Add 5 percent to the open objects value and 10 percent to the open indexes
value to accommodate temporary tables.
• If you specify a nonunique fragment of “open indexes”, “open objects”, or
“open databases” for configname, sp_countmetadata returns a list of
matching configuration parameter names with their configured values and
current values. For example:
sp_countmetadata "open"
option_name config_value run_value
------------------------------ ------------ -----------
curread change w/ open cursors 1 1
number of open databases 12 12
number of open indexes 500 500
number of open objects 500 500
open index hash spinlock ratio 100 100
open index spinlock ratio 100 100
open object spinlock ratio 100 100
Permissions Only a System Administrator or the Database Owner can execute

sp_countmetadata.
See also System procedures sp_configure, sp_helpconfig, sp_monitorconfig

sp_cursorinfo
Description Reports information about a specific cursor or all cursors that are active for
your session.
Syntax sp_cursorinfo [{cursor_level | null}] [, cursor_name]
Parameters cursor_level | null
is the level at which Adaptive Server returns information for the cursors.
You can specify the following for cursor_level:
Level Types of cursors
N Any cursors declared inside stored procedures at a specific procedure
nesting level. You can specify any positive number for its level.
0 Any cursors declared outside stored procedures.
-1 Any cursors from either of the above. You can substitute any negative
number for this level.
If you want information about cursors with a specific cursor_name,

regardless of cursor level, specify null for this parameter.
cursor_name
is the specific name for the cursor. Adaptive Server reports information
about all active cursors that use this name at the cursor_level you specify. If
you omit this parameter, Adaptive Server reports information about all the
cursors at that level.
Examples Example 1 Displays the information about the cursor named authors_crsr at
level 0:
sp_cursorinfo 0, authors_crsr
Cursor name 'authors_crsr' is declared at nesting level '0'.
The cursor id is 327681
The cursor has been successfully opened 1 times.
The cursor was compiled at isolation level 0.
The cursor is not open.
The cursor will remain open when a transaction is commited or rolled back.
The number of rows returned for each FETCH is 1.
The cursor is read only.
There are 3 columns returned by this cursor.
The result columns are:
Name = 'au_id', Table = 'authors', Type = ID,
Length = 11 (read only)
Name = 'au_lname', Table = 'authors', Type = VARCHAR,
Name = 'au_fname', Table = 'authors', Type = VARCHAR,

sp_cursorinfo
Example 2 Displays the information about any cursors named author_sales

declared by a user across all levels:
sp_cursorinfo null, author_sales
Cursor name 'author_sales' is declared on procedure 'au_sales'.
Cursor name 'author_sales' is declared at nesting level '1'.
The cursor id is 327682
The cursor has been successfully opened 1 times.
The cursor was compiled at isolation level 1.
The cursor is currently scanning at a nonzero isolation level.
The cursor is positioned after the last row.
The cursor will be closed when a transaction is commited or rolled back.
The number of rows returned for each FETCH is 1.
The cursor is updatable.
There are 3 columns returned by this cursor.
The result columns are:
Name = 'title_id', Table = 'titleauthor', Type = ID,
Length = 11 (updatable)
Name = 'title', Table = 'titles', Type = VARCHAR,
Length = 80 (updatable)
Name = 'total_sales', Table = 'titles', Type = INT (updatable)
Usage • If you do not specify either cursor_level or cursor_name, Adaptive Server
displays information about all active cursors. Active cursors are those
declared by you and allocated by Adaptive Server.
• Adaptive Server reports the following information about each cursor:
• The cursor name, its nesting level, its cursor ID, and the procedure
name (if it is declared in a stored procedure).
• The number of times the cursor has been opened.
• The isolation level (0, 1, or 3) in which it was compiled and in which
it is currently scanning (if open).
• Whether the cursor is open or closed. If the cursor is open, it indicates
the current cursor position and the number of rows fetched.
• Whether the open cursor will be closed if the cursor’s current position
is deleted.
• Whether the cursor will remain open or be closed if the cursor’s
current transaction is committed or rolled back.
• The number of rows returned for each fetch of that cursor.
• Whether the cursor is updatable or read-only.

• The number of columns returned by the cursor. For each column, it

displays the column name, the table name or expression result, and
whether it is updatable.
The output from sp_cursorinfo varies, depending on the status of the
cursor. In addition to the information listed, sp_cursorinfo displays the
showplan output for the cursor. For more information about showplan, see
the Performance and Tuning Guide.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_cursorinfo.
See also Commands declare cursor, set

sp_dbextend
sp_dbextend
Description Allows you to:
• Install automatic database expansion procedures on database/segment
pairs and devices.
• Define site-specific policies for individual segments and devices.
• Simulate execution of the database expansion machinery, to study the
operation before engaging large volume loads.
These policies are stored in the sysattributes table in master database.
All arguments are string arguments:
Syntax sp_dbextend ’help’[, <command > ]
sp_dbextend [ ['set', ['threshold', dbname, segmentname, freespace |
'database', dbname, segmentname {[ [, growby ] [, maxsize ] ]} |
'device', devicename { [ [, growby ] [, maxsize ] ] }] |
'clear', 'threshold', dbname, segmentname
sp_dbextend 'clear', 'database' [, dbname [, segmentname ] ]
sp_dbextend 'clear', 'device' [, devicename ]
sp_dbextend 'modify', 'database', dbname, segmentname,
{ 'growby' | 'maxsize' }, newvalue
sp_dbextend 'modify', 'device', devicename, { ’growby’ | ' maxsize ' },
newvalue
sp_dbextend { 'list' | 'listfull' } [, 'database' [, dbname [, segmentname
[, order_by_clause ] ] ] ]
sp_dbextend { 'list' | 'listfull' } [, 'device' [, devicename [, order_by_clause ] ] ]
sp_dbextend 'check', 'database' [, dbname [, segmentname ] ]
sp_dbextend { 'simulate' | 'execute' }, dbname, segmentname [, iterations ]
sp_dbextend 'trace', {'on' | 'off' }
sp_dbextend 'reload [defaults]'
sp_dbextend { 'enable' | 'disable' }, 'database' [, dbname [, segmentname ] ]
sp_dbextend 'who' [, '<spid>' | 'block' | 'all' ]

Parameters set
sets the threshold at which a database, segment, or device should fire. The
arguments are:
• threshold – specifies the free space level at which to install the threshold
on a specified database and segment.
You should always specify freespace in size unit specifiers, such as
megabytes. If you specify no size units, the value of freespace is treated
as the number of kilobytes in the segment.
• database – specifies the name of the database/segment pair, the size by
which to alter the database, and the maximum size of the database, at
which the expansion process stops.
growby – is the rate, in unit specifiers or percentage values, at which the
database grows at each expansion attempt. maxsize is the maximum size
of the segment, after which no further expansion occurs. Both are
optional parameters.
• device – defines the growth rate and maximum size of a device, in unit
specifiers or percentage values, at which the device can grow. maxsize
in devices is subject to OS disk limitations.
clear
clears any previously set rules of expansion for a specified database and
segment or for a specified device.
modify
modifies previously set site-specific policies, such as growby and maxsize,
for a database and segment.
Use newvalue to specify the new value you set for automatic expansion.
list
lists briefly existing rules for a specified database, segment, or device, and
presents the data from master.db.sysattributes in a readable format. Allows
you to view rules on a per-database or per-device basis.
Presents the current rules in effect.
Use order_by_clause to generate listings in a different order from the default
ordering of name, type.
listfull
lists fully the site-specific policy rules, and includes a comment column in
the sysattributes table that displays a datetime stamp for when the rule was
set, and when it was last modified.

sp_dbextend
check
examines current policies and verifies that they are consistent with the
current space layout in each segment. If any policy settings appear
redundant, ineffective, or incorrect, a warning message appears.
simulate
simulates executing the database or device expansion schemes executed at
runtime, according to the set of current policies implemented by the set
command.
iterations specifies the number of times you simulate the expansion.
execute
performs the actual database/segment, or device, expansion, using the
current set of policies.
reload defaults
reinitializes sysattributes with the system-supplied defaults for growby and
maxsize in all databases, segments, and devices, and reverts the databases or
devices to the original default behavior.
help
provides help information for all command parameters, such as set or list, or
help information for any single command.
trace
traces the threshold procedure execution logic in all expansion processes.
enable, disable
enables or disables the automatic expansion procedures on a specified
database segment or device.
who
shows any active expansion processes running currently. ‘<spid>’ restricts
the output for a particular spid. Use:
• block to show tasks that currently cause blocking of the expansion
process.
• all to show all currently active tasks.
freespace
specifies the free space value at which the threshold procedure is installed
on the specified segment. Always use size unit specifiers, such as
megabytes, to specify freespace.
dbname
is the name of the database in which the threshold is being installed.

segmentname
is the segment contained in database dbname.
devicename
is the logical name of the affected device.
newvalue
specifies the new value you set for automatic expansion when you modify a
policy for a database/segment pair or device.
order_by_clause
generates listings in a different order from the default ordering in the list
command. The default order is name, type.
iterations
specifies the number of times an expansion is simulated or executed.
growby
specifies the rate, in unit specifiers or percentage values, at which a specified
database segment or device grows each time the threshold procedures are
attempted.
maxsize
is the maximum size of a segment/database pair or device, the size at which
automatic expansion must stop.
Examples Example 1 set thresholds – installs the space expansion threshold on a log
segment in the database pubs2 at 100MB:
sp_dbextend 'set', 'thresh’, pubs2, logsegment, '100m'
Example 2 set database – installs a policy for the logsegment segment, at a
growth rate of 100MB per expansion attempt:
sp_dbextend 'set', 'database', pubs2, logsegment, '100m'
Example 3 set device – expands this device until either the OS disk space
limitation or the device size of 32GB is reached:
sp_dbextend 'set', 'device', pubs2-datadev1, '100m'
Example 4 clear – shows how to clear all space-expansion thresholds
previously installed in pubs2, logsegment:
sp_dbextend 'clear', 'thresh', pubs2, logsegment
You can also the space-expansion threshold for segment dataseg1 in pubs2,
installed at a free space of 200MB:
sp_dbextend 'clear', 'thresh', pubs2, dataseg1, '200m'

sp_dbextend
Example 5 modify – defines the rate of growth as 5% of current value, in each

expansion attempt:
sp_dbextend 'modify', 'da', pubs2, logsegment, 'growby', '5%'
A command can fail when maxsize is not previously defined:
sp_dbextend 'modify', 'device', pubs2_log_dev, 'maxsize', '2.3g'
Example 6 list – lists briefly the rules for all databases and devices:
sp_dbextend 'list'
This lists rules for all databases with names similar to ‘pubs%’:
sp_dbextend 'list', 'database', 'pubs%'
Example 7 listfull – lists the rules for all databases and devices, including a
comment column showing a datetime stamp:
sp_dbextend 'listfull'
Example 8 simulate – simulates an expansion twice, without tripping the
thresholds:
sp_dbextend 'simulate', pubs2, logsegment, '2'
Example 9 execute – executes an automatic expansion procedure:
sp_dbextend 'execute', pubs2, logsegment
Example 10 help – obtains help for a specific command:
sp_dbextend help, 'set'
Usage • You can only set one automatic expansion threshold on any given
database/segment pair. If you try to install another instance of the
threshold procedure, even at a different free space value, an error is raised.
• You cannot set system-supplied defaults, only modify them. After you
modify system defaults you can reset them by re-running the
installdbextend script, or by using the reload defaults command.
• To disallow any automatic growth in a particular segment, either specify 0
for growby or maxsize, or do not install the threshold procedure at all. If
you specify NULL for this parameter, defaults to the system-specified
default growby rate is used.
• maxsize is the maximum size of the segment at which the automatic
expansion process stops, not the maximum size of the database.

• There is no system-specified maximum size for the default database. If no

maxsize value is specified, the size of the database is limited only by the
physical limitations of the database device.
• To turn off the automatic growth feature on a particular device, specify 0
for growby or maxsize. If you do not specify a value for growby, the default
expansion rate is used.
• You can set maxsize to a value larger than the total amount of disk space
available on the device, but actual expansion is limited to the available
disk space at the time expansion is attempted.
• When you use this stored procedure to clear a threshold, dbname and
segmentname are required arguments.
• When you use this stored procedure to clear a database, and provide no
dbname and segmentname, all policy rules—that is, all the relevant rows
in master.dbo.sysattributes—for the current database and all segments in it
are deleted. This is a good way to reverse all settings to default and restart.
• When you use this stored procedure to clear a device, if you do not provide
a value for devicename, no policy rules are cleared. You can clear out the
policy rules for a single device by providing devicename or using “%” to
clear policies for all devices.
• You can specify dbname, devicename, and segmentname using patterns, so
that names whose patterns match the specified pattern are considered for
the clear, enable, disable, and list operations.
• You must have set a value or property before you can modify it. modify
fails if no value was previously set. growby and maxsize are modified to
the new value specified by newvalue
• The new value specified in newvalue remains in effect throughout
subsequent attempts to expand either the database or device. Even if
newvalue is less than the current size of the database, segment, or device,
the object does not shrink. newvalue specifies only future expansion, and
does not affect current sizes.
• When you use list for a database and provide no dbname or segmentname,
all the policy rules (that is, rows in master.dbo.sysattributes) for all
segments in the current database are listed.
• Provide dbname and segmentname to obtain policy rules for individual
databases and for the segments inside them.

sp_dbextend
• When you use list for a device name and provide no devicename, default
policy rules for all devices are listed. You can filter this to list the policy
rules for a single device by providing devicename or use pattern specifiers
for the devicename.
• You can simulate the expansion of only one database/segment pair at a
time. Both dbname and segmentname are required arguments. You cannot
use wildcard patterns in dbname or segmentname for execute or simulate
commands.
• The maximum size of a device is 32Gb.
• Use reload to re-initialize your databases and devices after using modify
and simulate. reload deletes any existing rows in master.dbo.sysattributes
that describe system default behavior, and loads new rows.
• reload does not delete user-specified policies.
• trace turns the trace facility on or off throughout the server. If trace is on,
messages appear in the server error log when a threshold fires. Use trace
only for troubleshooting.
Permissions sa_role permission is needed to run the installdbextend script, and execute
permission is granted to public only on sp_dbextend.
Any user can execute the list parameter. All other commands must be granted
Database Owner or sa_role permissions on the specified database.
Commands such as clear, that allow pattern specifiers for the dbname
argument, require sa_role privilege.
The following command parameters require sa_role privilege: simulate,
execute, check, reload defaults, trace.
If the automatic expansion procedures are installed on a segment by a Database

Owner without sa_role privilege, the devices do not expand, because the user
cannot run the disk resize command. Sybase recommends that a user with
sa_role privilege run the set threshold command when installing the threshold
procedure.
See also Stored procedures sp_dropthreshold, sp_modifythreshold
Commands alter database, create database, disk init, disk resize

sp_dboption
Description Displays or changes database options.Enables the feature Asynchronous Log
Service.
Syntax sp_dboption [dbname, optname, {true | false}]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database in which the option is to be set. You must be
using master to execute sp_dboption with parameters (that is, to change a
database option). You cannot, however, change option settings in the master
database.
optname
is the name of the option to be set. Adaptive Server understands any unique
string that is part of the option name. Use quotes around the option name if
it is a keyword or includes embedded blanks or punctuation.
true | false
true to turn the option on, false to turn it off.
Examples Example 1 Displays a list of the database options:
sp_dboption
Settable database options
database_options
------------------------
abort tran on log full
allow nulls by default
auto identity
dbo use only
ddl in tran
identity in nonunique index
no chkpt on recovery
no free space acctg
read only
select into/bulkcopy/pllsort
single user
trunc log on chkpt
trunc. log on chkpt.
unique auto_identity index
Example 2 Makes the database pubs2 read only. The read string uniquely
identifies the read only option from among all available database options. Note
the use of quotes around the keyword read:
use pubs2
go

sp_dboption
master..sp_dboption pubs2, "read", true

go
checkpoint
go
Example 3 Makes the database pubs2 writable again:
pubs2..sp_dboption pubs2, "read", false
go
checkpoint
go
Example 4 Allows select into, bcp and parallel sort operations on tables in the
pubs2 database. The select into string uniquely identifies the select into/
bulkcopy option from among all available database options:
use pubs2
go
master..sp_dboption pubs2, "select into", true
go
checkpoint
go
Note Quotes are required around the option because of the embedded space.
Example 5 Automatically defines 10-digit IDENTITY columns in new tables

created in mydb. The IDENTITY column, SYB_IDENTITY_COL, is defined in
each new table that is created without specifying either a primary key, a unique
constraint, or an IDENTITY column:
use mydb
go
master..sp_dboption mydb, "auto identity", true
go
checkpoint
go
Example 6 Automatically includes an IDENTITY column in the mydb tables’
index keys, provided these tables already have an IDENTITY column. All
indexes created on the tables will be internally unique:
use master
go
sp_dboption mydb, "identity in nonunique index", true
go
use mydb
go

checkpoint
go
Example 7 Automatically includes an IDENTITY column with a unique,
nonclustered index for new tables in the pubs2 database:
use master
go
sp_dboption pubs2, "unique auto_identity index", true
go
use pubs2
go
checkpoint
go
Example 8 Sets Asynchronous Log Service (ALS) in a specified database,
enabling the ULC (User Log Cache) and the log writer threads.
sp_dboption "mydb", "async log service", true
Example 9 Disables ALS in a specified database.
sp_dboption "mydb", "async log service", false
Usage • The master database option settings cannot be changed.
• To display a list of database options, execute sp_dboption with no
parameters from inside the master database.
• For a report on which database options are set in a particular database,
execute sp_helpdb.
• The no chkpt on recovery option disables the trunc log on chkpt option when
both are set with sp_dboption for the same database. This conflict is
especially possible in the tempdb database which has trunc log on chkpt set
to on as the default.
• The Database Owner or System Administrator can set or unset particular
database options for all new databases by executing sp_dboption on model.
• After sp_dboption has been executed, the change does not take effect until
the checkpoint command is issued in the database for which the option was
changed.
Asynchronous Log Service (ALS) options
• The ALS option is disabled by default.
• The ALS option cannot be enabled in system databases, such as master or
model.

sp_dboption
• The ALS option is persistent; once you enable ALS on a specified

database, you can dump and reload the database without disabling ALS.
To disable this feature, you must use sp_dboption to set the parameter to
false.
Database options
• The abort tran on log full option determines the fate of a transaction that is
running when the last-chance threshold is crossed in the log segment of the
specified database. The default value is false, meaning that the transaction
is suspended and is awakened only when space has been freed. If you
change the setting to true, all user queries that need to write to the
transaction log are killed until space in the log has been freed.
• Setting the allow nulls by default option to true changes the default value of
a column from not null to null, in compliance with the SQL standards. The
Transact-SQL default value for a column is not null, meaning that null
values are not allowed in a column unless null is specified in the create
table or alter table column definition. allow nulls by default true reverses
this.
• While the auto identity option is set to true (on), a 10-digit IDENTITY
column is defined in each new table that is created without specifying
either a primary key, a unique constraint, or an IDENTITY column. The
column is not visible when you select all columns with the select *
statement. To retrieve it, you must explicitly mention the column name,
SYB_IDENTITY_COL, in the select list.
To set the precision of the automatic IDENTITY column, use the size of
auto identity column configuration parameter.
Though you can set auto identity to true in tempdb, it is not recognized or
used, and temporary tables created there do not automatically include an
IDENTITY column.
For a report on indexes in a particular table that includes the IDENTITY
column, execute sp_helpindex.
• While the dbo use only option is set to true (on), only the database’s owner
can use the database.

• When the ddl in tran option is set to true (on), you can use certain data
definition language commands in transactions. If ddl in tran is true in a
particular database, commands such as create table, grant, and alter table
are allowed inside transactions in that database. If ddl in tran is true in the
model database, the commands are allowed inside transactions in all
databases created after ddl in tran was set in model.
Warning! Data definition language (DDL) commands hold locks on

system tables such as sysobjects. Avoid using them inside transactions; if
you must use them, keep the transactions short.
Using any DDL commands on tempdb within transactions may cause your
system to grind to a halt. Always leave ddl in tran set to false in tempdb.
• The following commands can be used inside a user-defined transaction

when the ddl in tran option is set to true:
alter table – clauses other than partition and unpartition are allowed
create default
create index
create procedure
create rule
create schema
create table
create trigger
create view
drop default
drop index
drop procedure
drop rule
drop table
drop trigger
drop view
grant
revoke
• The following commands cannot be used inside a user-defined transaction

under any circumstances:
alter database
alter table...lock
alter table...partition
alter table...unpartition
create database
disk init

sp_dboption
dump database
dump transaction
drop database
load transaction
load database
select into
truncate table
update statistics
In addition, system procedures that create temporary tables or change the

master database cannot be used inside user-defined transactions.
• The identity in nonunique index option automatically includes an

IDENTITY column in a table’s index keys, so that all indexes created on
the table are unique. This database option makes logically nonunique
indexes internally unique, and allows these indexes to be used to process
updatable cursors and isolation level 0 reads.
The table must already have an IDENTITY column for the identity in
nonunique index option to work, either from a create table statement or by
setting the auto identity database option to true before creating the table.
Use identity in nonunique index if you plan to use cursors and isolation level
0 reads on tables with nonunique indexes. A unique index ensures that the
cursor will be positioned at the correct row the next time a fetch is
performed on that cursor. If you plan to use cursors on tables with unique
indexes and any isolation level, you may want to use the unique
auto_identity index option.
For a report on indexes in a particular table that includes the IDENTITY

column, execute sp_helpindex.
• The no free space acctg option suppresses free-space accounting and
execution of threshold actions for the non-log segments. This speeds
recovery time because the free-space counts are not recomputed for those
segments.
• The no chkpt on recovery option is set to true (on) when an up-to-date copy
of a database is kept. In these situations, there is a “primary” and a
“secondary” database. Initially, the primary database is dumped and
loaded into the secondary database. Then, at intervals, the transaction log
of the primary database is dumped and loaded into the secondary database.

If this option is set to false (off), the default condition, a checkpoint record
is added to a database after it is recovered when you restart Adaptive
Server. This checkpoint, which ensures that the recovery mechanism will
not be rerun unnecessarily, changes the sequence number and causes a
subsequent load of the transaction log from the primary database to fail.
Setting this option to true (on) for the secondary database causes it not to
get a checkpoint from the recovery process so that subsequent transaction
log dumps from the primary database can be loaded into it.
• The read only option means that users can retrieve data from the database,
but cannot modify any data.
• Setting the select into/bulkcopy/pllsort option to true (on) enables the use of
writetext, select into a permanent table, “fast” bulk copy into a table that has
no indexes or triggers, using bcp or the bulk copy library routines, and
parallel sort. A transaction log dump cannot recover these minimally
logged operations, so dump transaction to a dump device is prohibited.
After non-logged operations are completed, set select into/bulk copy/pllsort
to false (off) and issue dump database.
Issuing the dump transaction statement after unlogged changes have been
made to the database with select into, bulk copy, or parallel sort produces
an error message instructing you to use dump database instead. (The
writetext command does not have this protection.)
You do not have to set the select into/bulkcopy/pllsort option to true in order
to select into a temporary table, since tempdb is never recovered. The
option need not be set to true in order to run bcp on a table that has indexes,
because tables with indexes are always copied with the slower version of
bulk copy and are logged.
• When single user is set to true, only one user at a time can access the
database (single-user mode).
You cannot set single user to true in a user database from within a stored
procedure or while users have the database open. You cannot set single
user to true for tempdb.
• The trunc log on chkpt option means that if the transaction log has more
than 50 rows of committed transactions, the transaction log is truncated
(the committed transactions are removed) every time the checkpoint
checking process occurs (usually more than once per minute). When the
Database Owner runs checkpoint manually, however, the log is not
truncated. It may be useful to turn this option on while doing development
work, to prevent the log from growing.

sp_dboption
While the trunc log on chkpt option is on, dump transaction to a dump
device is prohibited, since dumps from the truncated transaction log
cannot be used to recover from a media failure. Issuing the dump
transaction statement produces an error message instructing you to use
dump database instead.
• When the unique auto_identity index option is set to true, it adds an

IDENTITY column with a unique, nonclustered index to new tables. By
default, the IDENTITY column is a 10-digit numeric datatype, but you can
change this default with the size of auto identity column configuration
parameter. As with auto identity, the IDENTITY column is not visible
when you select all columns with the select * statement. To retrieve it, you
must explicitly mention the column name, SYB_IDENTITY_COL, in the
select list.
If you need to use cursors or isolation level 0 reads with nonunique
indexes, use the identity in nonunique index option.
Though you can set unique auto_identity index to true in tempdb, it is not
recognized or used, and temporary tables created there do not
automatically include an IDENTITY column with a unique index.
Permissions Only a System Administrator or the Database Owner can execute sp_dboption
with parameters to change database options. A user aliased to the Database
Owner cannot execute sp_dboption to change database options. Any user can
execute sp_dboption with no parameters to view database options.
See also Documents See the System Administration Guide for more information on
database options.
Commands checkpoint, select
System procedures sp_configure, sp_helpdb, sp_helpindex, sp_helpjoins
Utilities bcp

sp_dbrecovery_order
Description Specifies the order in which user databases are recovered and lists the
user-defined recovery order of a database or all databases.
Syntax sp_dbrecovery_order
[database_name [, rec_order [, force]]]
Parameters database_name
The name of the database being assigned a recovery order or the database
whose user-defined recovery order is to be listed.
rec_order
The order in which the database is to be recovered. A rec_order of -1 deletes
a specified database from the user-defined recovery sequence.
force
allows the user to insert a database into an existing recovery sequence
without putting it at the end.
Examples Example 1 Makes the pubs2 database the first user database to be recovered
following a system failure:
sp_dbrecovery_order pubs2, 1
Example 2 Inserts the pubs3 database into third position in a user-defined
recovery sequence. If another database was initially in third position, it is
moved to fourth position, and all databases following it are moved accordingly:
sp_dbrecovery_order pubs3, 3, force
Example 3 Removes the pubs2 database from the user-defined recovery
sequence. Subsequently, pubs2 will be recovered after all databases with a
user-specified recovery order have recovered:
sp_dbrecovery_order pubs2, -1
Example 4 Lists the current recovery order of all databases with a recovery
order assigned through sp_dbrecovery_order:
sp_dbrecovery_order
Usage • You must be in the master database to use sp_dbrecovery_order to enter or
modify a user-specified recovery order. You can list the user-defined
recovery order of databases from any database.
• To change the user-defined recovery position of a database, use
sp_dbrecovery_order to delete the database from the recovery sequence,
then use sp_dbrecovery_order to insert it into a new position.

sp_dbrecovery_order
• System databases are always recovered before user databases. The system
databases and their recovery order are:
master
model
tempdb
sybsystemdb
sybsecurity
sybsystemprocs
• If no database is assigned a recovery order through sp_dbrecovery_order,

all user databases are recovered in order, by database ID, after system
databases.
• If database_name is specified, but no rec_order is given,
sp_dbrecovery_order shows the user-defined recovery position of the
specified database.
• If database_name is not specified, sp_dbrecovery_order lists the recovery
order of all databases with a user-assigned recovery order.
• The order of recovery assigned through sp_dbrecovery_order must be
consecutive, starting with 1 and containing no gaps between values. The
first database assigned a recovery order must be assigned a rec_order of 1.
If three databases have been assigned a recovery order of 1, 2, and 3, you
cannot assign the next database a recovery order of 5.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dbrecovery_order.

sp_dbremap
Description Forces Adaptive Server to recognize changes made by alter database. Run this
procedure only when instructed to do so by an Adaptive Server message.
Syntax sp_dbremap dbname
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database in which the alter database command was
interrupted.
Examples An alter database command changed the database sample_db. This command
makes the changes visible to Adaptive Server:
sp_dbremap sample_db
Usage • If an alter database statement issued on a database that is in the process of
being dumped is interrupted, Adaptive Server prints a message instructing
the user to execute sp_dbremap.
• Any changes to sysusages during a database or transaction dump are not
copied into active memory until the dump completes, to ensure that
database mapping does not change during the dump. Running alter
database makes changes to system tables on the disk immediately.
In-memory allocations cannot be changed until a dump completes. This is
why alter database pauses.
When you execute sp_dbremap, it must wait until the dump process
completes.
• If you are instructed to run sp_dbremap, but do not do it, the space you
have allocated with alter database does not become available to Adaptive
Server until the next restart.
Permissions Only a System Administrator or Database Owner can execute sp_dbremap.
See also Commands alter database, dump database, dump transaction

sp_defaultloc
sp_defaultloc
Description Component Integration Services only Defines a default storage location
for objects in a local database.
Syntax sp_defaultloc dbname, {"defaultloc"| NULL}
[, "defaulttype"]
Parameters dbname
is the name of a database being mapped to a remote storage location. The
database must already have been defined by a create database statement.
You cannot map system databases to a remote location.
defaultloc
is the remote storage location to which the database is being mapped. To
direct the server to delete an existing default mapping for a database, supply
NULL for this parameter. The value of defaultloc must end in a period (.),
as follows:
server.dbname.owner.
defaulttype
is one of the values that specify the format of the object named by
object_loc.The valid values are as follows. Enclose the defaulttype value in
quotes:
• table – indicates that the object named by object_loc is a table accessible
to a remote server. This value is the default for defaulttype.
• view – indicates that the object named by object_loc is a view managed
by a remote server, processed as a table.
• rpc – indicates that the object named by object_loc is an RPC managed
by a remote server; processes the result set from the RPC as a read-only
table.
Examples Example 1 sp_defaultloc defines the remote storage location pubs.dbo. in the
remote server named SYBASE. It maps the database pubs to the remote
location. A create table book1 statement would create a table named book1
at the remote location. A create existing table statement for bookN would
require that pubs.dbo.bookN already exist at the remote location, and
information about table bookN would be stored in the local table bookN:
sp_defaultloc pubs, "SYBASE.pubs.dbo.", "table" create
table pubs.dbo.book1 (bridges char(15))
Example 2 Removes the mapping of the database pubs to a remote location:
sp_defaultloc pubs, NULL

Example 3 Identifies the remote storage location wallst.nasdaq.dbo where

“wallst” is the value provided for server_name, “nasdaq” is provided for
database, and “dbo” is provided for owner. The RPC sybase must already exist
at the remote location. A create existing table sybase statement would
store information about the result set from RPC sybase in local table ticktape.
The result set from RPC sybase is regarded as a read-only table. Inserts,
updates and deletes are not supported for RPCs:
sp_defaultloc ticktape,"wallst.nasdaq.dbo.", "rpc"
create existing table sybase (bestbuy integer)
Usage • sp_defaultloc defines a default storage location for tables in a local
database. It maps table names in a database to a remote location. It permits
the user to establish a default for an entire database, rather than issue an
sp_addobjectdef command before every create table and create existing
table command.
• When defaulttype is table, view, or rpc, the defaultloc parameter takes the
form:
server_name.dbname.owner.
• Note that the defaultloc specification ends in a period (.).
• server_name represents a server already added to sysservers by
sp_addserver. The server_name parameter is required.
• dbname might not be required. Some server classes do not support it.
• owner should always be provided to avoid ambiguity. If it is not
provided, the remote object actually referenced could vary, depending
on whether the external login corresponds to the remote object owner.
• Issue sp_defaultloc before any create table or create existing table
statement. When either statement is used, the server uses the sysattributes
table to determine whether any table mapping has been specified for the
object about to be created or defined. If the mapping has been specified, a
create table statement directs the table to be created at the location
specified by object_loc. A create existing table statement stores
information about the existing remote object in the local table.
• If you issue sp_defaultloc on defaulttype view and then issue create table,
Component Integration Services creates a new table, not a view, on the
remote server.
• Changing the default location for a database does not affect tables that
have previously been mapped to a different default location.

sp_defaultloc
• After tables in the database have been created, all future references to
tables in dbname (by select, insert, delete and update) are mapped to the
correct location.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_defaultloc.
See also Commands create existing table, create table
System procedures sp_addobjectdef, sp_addserver, sp_helpserver

sp_depends
Description Displays information about database object dependencies—the view(s),
trigger(s), and procedure(s)—in the database that depend on a specified table
or view, and the table(s) and view(s) in the database on which the specified
view, trigger, or procedure depends.
Also displays information about table column dependencies—the index(s),
default(s), check constraint(s), rule(s), and referential integrity constraint(s)—
defined in either the column specified, if column_name is provided, or on all
the columns in the table, if column_name is not provided.
Syntax sp_depends objname[, column_name]
Parameters objname
is the name of the table, view, Transact-SQL stored procedure, SQLJ stored
procedure, SQLJ function, or trigger to be examined for dependencies. You
cannot specify a database name. Use owner names if the object owner is not
the user running the command and is not the Database Owner.
column_name
is the name of the column to be examined for dependencies.
Examples Example 1 Lists the database objects that depend on the table sysobjects:
sp_depends sysobjects
Example 2 Lists the database objects that depend on the titleview view, and the
database objects on which the titleview view depends:
sp_depends titleview
Things that the object references in the current
database.
object type updated selected
-------------- ----------- ------- -----
dbo.authors user table no no
dbo.titleauthor user table no no
dbo.titles user table no no
Things inside the current database that reference the
object.
object type
------------ ---------------
dbo.tview2 view
Example 3 Lists the database objects that depend on the titles table owned by
the user “mary”. The quotes are needed, since the period is a special character:
sp_depends "mary.titles"

sp_depends
Example 4 Shows the column-level dependencies for all columns of the

sysobjects table:
sp_depends sysobjects
Things inside the current database that reference the object.

object type
---------------------------------------- ----------------
dbo.sp_dbupgrade stored procedure
dbo.sp_procxmode stored procedure
Dependent objects that reference all columns in the table. Use sp_depends
on each column to get more information.
Columns referenced in stored procedures, views or triggers are not included
in this report.
Column Type Object Names or Column Names

----------------------- ------------ ------------------------------
cache permission column permission
ckfirst permission column permission
crdate permission column permission
deltrig permission column permission
expdate permission column permission
id index sysobjects (id)
id logical RI From syscolumns (id) To sysobjects (id)
id logical RI From syscomments (id) To sysobjects (id)
id logical RI From sysdepends (id) To sysobjects (id)
id logical RI From sysindexes (id) To sysobjects (id)
id logical RI From syskeys (depid) To sysobjects (id)
id logical RI From syskeys (id) To sysobjects (id)
id logical RI From sysobjects (id) To sysprocedures (id)
id logical RI From sysobjects (id) To sysprotects (id)
id logical RI sysobjects (id)
id permission column permission
indexdel permission column permission
instrig permission column permission
loginame permission column permission
name index ncsysobjects (name, uid)
name permission column permission
objspare permission column permission
schemacnt permission column permission
seltrig permission column permission
sysstat permission column permission
sysstat2 permission column permission
type permission column permission
uid index ncsysobjects (name, uid)
uid logical RI From sysobjects (uid) To sysusers (uid)

uid permission column permission

updtrig permission column permission
userstat permission column permission
versionts permission column permission
Example 5 Shows more details about the column-level dependencies for the
id column of the sysobjects table:
sp_depends sysobjects, id

object type
------------------------------------ -------------
dbo.sp_dbupgrade stored procedure
dbo.sp_procxmode stored procedure
Dependent objects that reference column id.
in this report.
Type Property Object Names or Column Names
Also see/Use command
---------- --------- ----------------------------------
----------------------------------
index index sysobjects (id)
sp_helpindex, drop index,
sp_helpconstraint, alter table drop constraint
logical RI primary sysobjects (id)
sp_helpkey, sp_dropkey
logical RI foreign From syskeys (id) To sysobjects (id)
logical RI common From syscolumns (id) To sysobjects (id)
logical RI common From sysdepends (id) To sysobjects (id)
logical RI common From sysindexes (id) To sysobjects (id)
logical RI common From syskeys (depid) To sysobjects (id)
logical RI common From syscomments (id) To sysobjects (id)
logical RI common From sysobjects (id) To sysprotects (id)
logical RI common From sysobjects (id) To sysprocedures (id)
permission permission column permission
sp_helprotect, grant/revoke

sp_depends
Example 6 Shows the column-level dependencies for all columns of the

user-created table, titles:
1> sp_depends titles
object type
----------------------------------- ---------------
dbo.deltitle trigger
dbo.history_proc stored procedure
dbo.title_proc stored procedure
dbo.titleid_proc stored procedure
dbo.titleview view
dbo.totalsales_trig trigger
Dependent objects that reference all columns in the table. Use sp_depends
on each column to get more information.
in this report.
Column Type Object Names or Column Names

------ ----- ----------------------------------------
pub_id logical RI From titles (pub_id) To publishers (pub_id)
pubdate default datedflt
title index titleind (title)
title statistics (title)
title_id index titleidind (title_id)
title_id logical RI From roysched (title_id) To titles (title_id)
title_id logical RI From salesdetail (title_id) To titles (title_id)
title_id logical RI From titleauthor (title_id) To titles (title_id)
title_id logical RI titles (title_id)
title_id rule title_idrule
title_id statistics (title_id)
type default typedflt
Example 7 Shows more details about the column-level dependencies for the
pub_id column of the user-created titles table:
sp_depends titles, pub_id

object type
------------------------------------ ----------------
dbo.deltitle trigger
dbo.history_proc stored procedure
dbo.title_proc stored procedure
dbo.titleid_proc stored procedure

dbo.titleview view
dbo.totalsales_trig trigger
Dependent objects that reference column pub_id.
Columns referenced in stored procedures, views or triggers are not
included in this report.
Type Property Object Names or Column Names
Also see/Use command
---------- --------- ---------------------
----------------------------
logical RI foreign From titles (pub_id) To publishers (pub_id)
Usage • Executing sp_depends lists all objects in the current database that depend
on objname, and on which objname depends. For example, views depend
on one or more tables and can have procedures or other views that depend
on them. An object that references another object is dependent on that
object. References to objects outside the current database are not reported.
• Before you modify or drop a column, use sp_depends to determine if the
table contains any dependent objects that could be affected by the
modification. For example, if you modify a column to use a new datatype,
objects tied to the table may need to be redefined to be consistent with the
column’s new datatype.
• The sp_depends procedure determines the dependencies by looking at the
sysdepends table.
If the objects were created out of order (for example, if a procedure that
uses a view was created before the view was created), no rows exist in
sysdepends for the dependencies, and sp_depends does not report the
dependencies.
• The updated and selected columns in the report from sp_depends are
meaningful if the object being reported on is a stored procedure or trigger.
The values for the updated column indicate whether the stored procedure
updates the object. The selected column indicates whether the object is
being used for a read cursor or a data modification statement.
• sp_depends follows these Adaptive Server rules for finding objects:
• If the user does not specify an owner name, and the user executing the
command owns an object with the specified name, that object is used.
• If the user does not specify an owner name, and the user does not own
an object of that name, but the Database Owner does, the Database
Owner’s object is used.

sp_depends
• If neither the user nor the Database Owner owns an object of that
name, the command reports an error condition, even if an object exists
in the database with that object name, but with a different owner.
• If both the user and the Database Owner own objects with the
specified name, and the user wants to access the Database Owner’s
object, the name must be specified, as in dbo.objectname.
• Objects owned by database users other than the user executing a command
and the Database Owner must always be qualified with the owner’s name,
as in Example 3.
• SQLJ functions and SQLJ stored procedures are Java methods wrapped in
SQL wrappers. See Java in Adaptive Server Enterprise for more
information.
• SQLJ functions and SQLJ stored procedures are database objects for
which you can list dependencies. The only dependencies of SQLJ
stored procedures and SQLJ functions are Java classes.
• If objname is a SQLJ stored procedure or SQLJ function, sp_depends
lists the Java class in the routine’s external name declared in the create
statement, not classes specified as the return type or datatypes in the
parameter list.
• SQLJ stored procedures and SQLJ functions can be listed as
dependencies of other database objects.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_depends.
See also Commands create procedure, create table, create view, execute
System procedures sp_help

sp_deviceattr
Description UNIX platforms only Changes the dsync setting of an existing database
device file.
Syntax sp_deviceattr logicalname, optname, optvalue
Parameters logicalname
is the name of an existing database device. The device can be stored on
either an operating system file or a raw partition, but the dsync setting is
ignored for raw partitions.
optname
is the name of the setting to change. Currently, the only acceptable value for
optname is dsync.
optvalue
can be either “true” or “false.”
Examples Sets dsync on for the device named “file_device1”:
sp_deviceattr file_device1, dsync, true
Usage • For database devices stored on UNIX files, dsync determines whether
updates to the device take place directly on the storage media, or are
buffered by the UNIX file system.
When dsync is on, writes to the database device occur directly to the
physical storage media, and Adaptive Server can recover data on the
device in the event of a system failure.
When dsync is off, writes to the database device may be buffered by the
UNIX file system. The UNIX file system may mark an update as being
completed, even though the physical media has not yet been modified. In
the event of a system failure, there is no guarantee that requests to update
data have ever taken place on the physical media, and Adaptive Server
may be unable to recover the database.
• After using sp_deviceattr to change the dsync setting, you must reboot
Adaptive Server before the change takes affect.
• dsync is always on for the master device file. You cannot change the dsync
setting for a master device file with sp_deviceattr.
• The dsync value should be turned off only when the databases on the
device need not be recovered after a system failure. For example, you may
consider turning dsync off for a device that stores only the tempdb
database.

sp_deviceattr
• Adaptive Server ignores the dsync setting for devices stored on raw
partitions; updates to those devices are never buffered, regardless of the
dsync setting.
• dsync is not used on the Windows NT platform.

Permissions The user executing sp_deviceattr must have permission to update the
sysdevices table.
See also System procedures sp_helpdevice

sp_diskdefault
Description Specifies whether or not a database device can be used for database storage if
the user does not specify a database device or specifies default with the create
database or alter database commands.
Syntax sp_diskdefault logicalname, {defaulton | defaultoff}
is the logical name of the device as given in master.dbo.sysdevices.name.
The device must be a database device rather than a dump device.
defaulton | defaultoff
defaulton designates the database device as a default database device;
defaultoff designates that the specified database device is not a default
database device.
Use defaulton after adding a database device to the system with disk init. Use
defaultoff to change the default status of the master device (which is
designated as a default device when Adaptive Server is first installed).
Examples The master device is no longer used by create database or alter database for
default storage of a database:
sp_diskdefault master, defaultoff
Usage • A default database device is one that is used for database storage by create
database or alter database if the user does not specify a database device
name or specifies the keyword default.
• You can have multiple default devices. They are used in the order they
appear in the master.dbo.sysdevices table (that is, alphabetical order).
When the first default device is filled, the second default device is used,
and so on.
• When you first install Adaptive Server, the master device is the only
default database device.
Note Once you initialize devices to store user databases, use

sp_diskdefault to turn off the master device’s default status. This prevents
users from accidentally creating databases on the master device and
simplifies recovery of the master database.
• To find out which database devices are default database devices, execute
sp_helpdevice.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_diskdefault.

sp_diskdefault
See also Commands alter database, create database, disk init

System procedures sp_helpdevice

sp_displayaudit
Description Displays the status of audit options.
Syntax sp_displayaudit ["procedure" | "object" | "login" | "database" | "global" |
"default_object" | "default_procedure" [, "name"]]
Parameters procedure
displays the status of audit options for the specified stored procedure or
trigger. If you do not specify a value for name, sp_displayaudit displays the
active audit options for all procedures and triggers in the current database.
object
displays the status of audit options for the specified table or view. If you do
not specify a value for name, sp_displayaudit displays the active audit
options for all tables and views in the current database.
login
displays the status of audit options for the specified user login. If you do not
specify a value for name, sp_displayaudit displays the active audit options
for all logins in the master database.
database
displays the status of audit options for the specified database. If you do not
specify a value for name, sp_displayaudit displays the active audit options
for all databases on the server.
global
displays the status of the specified global audit option. If you do not specify
a value for name, sp_displayaudit displays the active audit options for all
procedures and triggers in the current database.
default_object
displays the default audit options that will be used for any new table or view
created on the specified database. If you do not specify a value for name,
sp_displayaudit displays the default audit options for all databases with
active default audit settings.
default_procedure
displays the default audit options that will be used for any new procedure or
trigger created on the specified database. If you do not specify a value for
name, sp_displayaudit displays the default audit options for all databases
with active default audit settings.

sp_displayaudit
name
is the information for the specified parameter, as described in the following
table:
Parameter Value for name
procedure Procedure or trigger name
object Table or view name
login User login
database Database name
global Global audit option
default_object Database name
default_procedure Database name
Examples Example 1 Displays the status of each category and all auditing options when
you do not specify a parameter:
sp_displayaudit
Procedure/Trigger Audit Option Value Database
----------------- -------------- ----- ---------------------
dbo.sp_altermessage exec_procedure on sybsystemprocs
dbo.sp_help exec_procedure on sybsystemprocs
dbo.sp_who exec_procedure on sybsystemprocs
No databases currently have default sproc/trigger auditing enabled.
No objects currently have auditing enabled.
No databases currently have default table/view auditing enabled.
No logins currently have auditing enabled.
No databases currently have auditing enabled.
Option Name Value

------------------------------ ------------------------------
adhoc off
dbcc off
disk off
errors off
login off
logout off
navigator_role off
oper_role off
replication_role off
rpc off
sa_role off
security off
sso_role off

Example 2 Displays the status of all procedure audit options when you do not
specify a procedure name:
sp_displayaudit "procedure"
----------------- -------------- ----- ---------------------
dbo.sp_altermessage exec_procedure on sybsystemprocs
dbo.sp_help exec_procedure on sybsystemprocs
Example 3 Displays only the status of the procedure when you specify a name
for a procedure:
sp_displayaudit "procedure", "sp_who"
----------------- --------------- ----- ----------------------
Example 4 Displays the status of all global audit options when you do not
specify a global audit option:
sp_displayaudit "global"
Option Name Value
------------------------------ ------------------------------
adhoc off
dbcc off
disk off
errors off
login off
logout off
navigator_role off
oper_role off
replication_role off
rpc off
sa_role off
security off
sso_role off
Usage • sp_displayaudit displays the status of audit options.
• The following table shows the valid auditing options for each parameter:
Object type parameter Valid auditing options
procedure exec_procedure, exec_trigger

sp_displayaudit
Object type parameter Valid auditing options

object delete, func_obj_access, insert, reference, select, update
login all, cmdtext, table_access, view_access
database alter, bcp, bind, create, dbaccess, drop, dump, func_dbaccess,
grant, load, revoke, setuser, truncate, unbind
global adhoc, dbcc, disk, errors, login, logout, navigator_role,
oper_role, replication_role, rpc, sa_role, security, sso_role
default_object delete, func_obj_access, insert, reference, select, update
default_procedure exec_procedure, exec_trigger
• You cannot specify a value for name unless you first specify an object type
parameter.
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_displayaudit.
See also Documents See the System Administration Guide for information on setting
up auditing.
System procedures sp_audit
Utilities bcp

sp_displaylevel
Description Sets or shows which Adaptive Server configuration parameters appear in
sp_configure output.
Syntax sp_displaylevel [loginame [, level]]
Parameters loginame
is the Adaptive Server login of the user for whom you want to set or show
the display level.
level
sets the display level to one of the following:
• “basic” display level shows just the most basic configuration
parameters. This level is appropriate for very general server tuning.
• “ intermediate” display level shows configuration parameters that are
somewhat more complex, as well as all the “basic” level parameters.
This level is appropriate for moderately complex server tuning.
• “ comprehensive” display level shows all configuration parameters,
including the most complex ones. This level is appropriate for highly
detailed server tuning.
Examples Example 1 Shows the current display level for the user who invoked
sp_displaylevel:
sp_displaylevel
The current display level for login 'sa' is 'comprehensive'.
Example 2 Shows the current display level for the user “jerry”:
sp_displaylevel jerry
The current display level for login 'jerry' is 'intermediate'.
Example 3 Sets the display level to “comprehensive” for the user “jerry”:
sp_displaylevel jerry, comprehensive
The display level for login 'jerry' has been changed to 'comprehensive'.
Usage See the System Administration Guide for details about display levels and
configuration parameters.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_displaylevel to set the display
level for another user. Any user can execute sp_displaylevel to set and show his
or her own display level.
See also System procedures sp_configure

sp_displaylogin
sp_displaylogin
Description Displays information about a login account. Also displays information about
the hierarchy tree above or below the login account when you so specify.
Syntax sp_displaylogin [loginame [, expand_up | expand_down]]
Parameters loginame
is the user login account about which you want information if it is other than
your own. You must be a System Security Officer or System Administrator
to get information about someone else’s login account.
expand_up
specifies that Adaptive Server display all roles in the role hierarchy that
contain the loginame role.
expand_down
specifies that Adaptive Server display all roles in the role hierarchy that are
contained by the loginame role.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about your server login account:
sp_displaylogin
Suid: 1
Loginame: sa
Fullname:
Default Database: master
Default Language:
Auto Login Script:
Configured Authorization:
sa_role (default ON)
sso_role (default ON)
oper_role (default ON)
Locked: NO
Date of Last Password Change: Nov 16 1994 10:08AM
Example 2 Displays information about the login account “susanne”. The
information displayed varies, depending on the role of the user executing
sp_displaylogin:
sp_displaylogin susanne
Suid: 12
Loginame: susanne
Fullname:
Default Database: pubs2
Default Language:
Auto Login Script:

supervisor (default OFF)

Locked: NO
Date of Last Password Change: May 12 1997 11:09AM
Example 3 Displays information about all roles containing the role of the login
account “pillai”. The information displayed varies, depending on the role of the
user executing sp_displaylogin:
sp_displaylogin pillai, expand_up
Example 4 Displays the login security-related parameters configured for a
login:
sp_displaylogin joe
Suid: 294
Loginame: joe
Fullname: Joseph Resu
Default Database: master
Default Language:
Auto Login Script:
intern_role (default OFF)
Locked: NO
Date of Last Password Change: Nov 24 1998 3:46PM
Password expiration interval : 5
Password expired : NO
Minimum password length:4
Maximum failed logins : 10
Current failed logins : 3
Usage • sp_displaylogin displays configured roles, so even if you have made a role
inactive with the set command, it is displayed.
• If there are any login triggers associated with the login in question, they
are listed after the Auto Login Script line. For more information, see
“Row-level access control” in Chapter 11, “Managing User Permissions,”
of the System Administration Guide.
• When you use sp_displaylogin to get information about your own account,
you do not need to use the loginame parameter. sp_displaylogin displays
your server user ID, login name, full name, any roles that have been
granted to you, date of last password change, default database, default
language, and whether your account is locked.
• If you are a System Security Officer or System Administrator, you can use
the loginame parameter to access information about any account.

sp_displaylogin
Permissions Only a System Administrator or a System Security Officer can execute

sp_displaylogin with the loginame and expand parameters to get information
about other users’ login accounts. Any user can execute sp_displaylogin to get
information about his or her own login account.
See also Stored procedures sp_activeroles, sp_displayroles, sp_helprotect,
sp_modifylogin

sp_displayroles
Description Displays all roles granted to another role, or displays the entire hierarchy tree
of roles in table format.
Syntax sp_displayroles [grantee_name [, mode]]
Parameters grantee_name
is the login name of a user whose roles you want information about, or the
name of a role you want information about.
mode
is one of the following:
• expand_up – shows the role hierarchy tree for the parent levels
• expand_down – shows the role hierarchy tree for the child levels
• display_info – shows the login security-related parameters configured

for the specified role
Examples Example 1 Displays all roles granted to the user issuing the command:
sp_displayroles
Role Name
------------------------------
supervisor_role
Example 2 Displays all roles granted to supervisor_role:
sp_displayroles "supervisor_role"
Role Name
------------------------------
clerk
Example 3 Displays the active roles granted to login “susanne” and the roles
below it in the hierarchy:
sp_displayroles susanne, expand_down
Role Name Parent Role Name Level
----------------- ---------------------- ------
supervisor_role NULL 1
clerk_role supervisor_role 2
Example 4 Displays the active roles granted to intern_role and the roles above
it in the hierarchy:
sp_displayroles "intern_role", expand_up

sp_displayroles
Example 5 Shows the login security-related parameters configured for the

specified role:
sp_displayroles physician_role, "display_info"
Role name = physician_role
Locked : NO
Date of Last Password Change : Oct 31 1999 3:33PM
Password expiration interval = 5
Password expired : NO
Minimum password length = 4
Maximum failed logins = 10
Current failed logins = 3
Usage • When you specify the optional parameter expand_up or expand_down all
directly granted roles contained by or containing the specified role name
are displayed.
Permissions Only a System Administrator or a System Security Officer can execute
sp_displayroles to display information on roles activated by any other user. Any
user can execute sp_displayroles to see his or her own active roles.
See also Documents See “User-Defined Login Security” in the System
Administration Guide for more information.
Commands alter role, create role, drop role, grant, revoke, set
System procedures sp_activeroles, sp_displaylogin, sp_helprotect,
sp_modifylogin

sp_dropalias
Description Removes the alias user name identity established with sp_addalias.
Syntax sp_dropalias loginame
Parameters loginame
is the name (in master.dbo.syslogins) of the user who was aliased to another
user.
Examples Assuming that “victoria” was aliased (for example, to the Database Owner) in
the current database, this statement drops “victoria” as an aliased user from the
database:
sp_dropalias victoria
Usage • Executing the sp_dropalias procedure deletes an alternate suid mapping for
a user from the sysalternates table.
• When a user’s alias is dropped, he or she no longer has access to the
database for which the alias was created.
• You cannot drop the alias of a user who owns objects in the database that
were created in version 12.0 or later. You must drop the objects before
dropping the login.
Permissions Only the Database Owner or a System Administrator can execute sp_dropalias.
See also System procedures sp_addalias, sp_adduser, sp_droplogin, sp_dropuser,
sp_helpuser

sp_drop_all_qplans
sp_drop_all_qplans
Description Deletes all abstract plans in an abstract plan group.
Syntax sp_drop_all_qplans name
Parameters name
is the name of the abstract plan group from which to drop all plans.
Examples sp_drop_all_qplans dev_test
Usage • To drop individual plans, use sp_drop_qplan.
• To see the names of abstract plan groups in the current database, use
sp_drop_qpgroup.
• sp_drop_all_qplans silently drops all plans in the group that belong to the
specified user, or all plans in the group, if it is executed by a System
Administrator or Database Owner.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_drop_all_qplans to drop plans that he or she owns.
Only a System Administrator or Database Owner can drop plans owned by
other users.
See also System procedures sp_drop_qplan, sp_drop_qpgroup

sp_dropdevice
Description Drops an Adaptive Server database device or dump device.
Syntax sp_dropdevice logicalname
is the name of the device as listed in master.dbo.sysdevices.name.
Examples Example 1 Drops the device named tape5 from Adaptive Server:
sp_dropdevice tape5
Example 2 Drops the database device named fredsdata from Adaptive Server.
The device must not be in use by any database:
sp_dropdevice fredsdata
Usage • The sp_dropdevice procedure drops a device from Adaptive Server,
deleting the device entry from master.dbo.sysdevices.
• sp_dropdevice does not remove a file that is being dropped as a database
device; it makes the file inaccessible to Adaptive Server. Use operating
system commands to delete a file after using sp_dropdevice.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dropdevice.
See also Commands drop database
System procedures sp_addumpdevice, sp_helpdb, sp_helpdevice

sp_dropengine
sp_dropengine
Description Drops an engine from a specified engine group or, if the engine is the last one
in the group, drops the engine group.
Syntax sp_dropengine engine_number, engine_group
Parameters engine_number
is the number of the engine you are dropping from the group. Values are
between 0 and a maximum equal to the number of configured online
engines, minus one.
engine_group
is the name of the engine group from which to drop the engine.
Examples This statement drops engine number 2 from the group called DS_GROUP. If it
is the last engine in the group, the group is also dropped:
sp_dropengine 2, DS_GROUP
Usage • sp_dropengine can be invoked only from the master database.
• If engine_number is the last engine in engine_group, Adaptive Server also

drops engine_group.
• The engine_number you specify must exist in engine_group.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dropengine.
See also System procedures sp_addengine

sp_dropexeclass
Description Drops a user-defined execution class.
Syntax sp_dropexeclass classname
Parameters classname
is the name of the user-defined execution class to be dropped.
Examples This statement drops the user-defined execution class DECISION:
sp_dropexeclass 'DECISION'
Usage • An execution class helps define the execution precedence used by
Adaptive Server to process tasks. See the Performance and Tuning Guide
for more information on execution classes and execution attributes.
• classname must not be bound to any client application, login, or stored
procedure. Unbind the execution class first, using sp_unbindexeclass, then
drop the execution class, using sp_dropexeclass.
• You cannot drop system-defined execution classes.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dropexeclass.
See also System procedures sp_addexeclass, sp_bindexeclass, sp_showexeclass,
sp_unbindexeclass

sp_dropextendedproc
sp_dropextendedproc
Description Removes an extended stored procedure (ESP).
Syntax sp_dropextendedproc esp_name
Parameters esp_name
is the name of the extended stored procedure to be dropped.
Examples Removes xp_echo:
sp_dropextendedproc xp_echo
Usage • sp_dropextendedproc must be executed from the master database.
• The esp_name is case sensitive. It must precisely match the name with
which the ESP was created.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dropextendedproc.
See also Commands drop procedure
System procedures sp_addextendedproc, sp_freedll, sp_helpextendedproc

sp_dropexternlogin
Description Component Integration Services only Drops the definition of a remote
login previously defined by sp_addexternlogin.
Syntax sp_dropexternlogin remote_server [, login_name] [, role_name]
is the name of the remote server from which the local server is dropping
account access. The remote_server is known to the local server by an entry
in the master.dbo.sysservers table.
login_name
is a login account known to the local server. If login_name is not specified,
the current account is used. login_name must exist in the
master.dbo.syslogins table.
role_name
is the Adaptive Server user’s assigned role.
Examples Example 1 Drops the definition of an external login to the remote server
CIS1012 from “bobj”. Only the “bobj” account and the “sa” account can add
or modify a remote login for “bobj”:
sp_dropexternlogin CIS1012, bobj
Example 2 Drops the definition of an external login to the remote server SSB
from users with the sa_role:
sp_dropexternlogin SSB, NULL, sa_role
Usage • sp_dropexternlogin drops the definition of a remote login previously
defined to the local server by sp_addexternlogin.
• You cannot execute sp_dropexternlogin from within a transaction.
• The remote_server must be defined to the local server by sp_addserver.
• To add and drop local server users, use the system procedures sp_addalias
and sp_droplogin.
Permissions Only login_name or a System Administrator can execute sp_dropexternlogin.
See also System procedures sp_addexternlogin, sp_helpexternlogin, sp_addlogin,
sp_droplogin

sp_dropglockpromote
sp_dropglockpromote
Description Removes lock promotion values from a table or database.
Syntax sp_dropglockpromote {"database" | "table"}, objname
Parameters database | table
specifies whether to remove the lock promotion thresholds from a database
or table. The quotes are required because these are Transact-SQL keywords.
objname
is the name of the table or database from which to remove the lock
promotion thresholds.
Examples Removes the lock promotion values from titles. Lock promotion for titles now
uses the database or server-wide values:
sp_dropglockpromote "table", titles
Usage • Use sp_dropglockpromote to drop lock promotion values set with
sp_setpglockpromote.
• When you drop a database’s lock promotion thresholds, tables that do not
have lock promotion thresholds configured will use the server-wide
values.
• When a table’s values are dropped, Adaptive Server uses the database’s
lock promotion thresholds if they are configured or the server-wide values
if they are not.
• Server-wide values can be changed with sp_setpglockpromote, but cannot
be dropped.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dropglockpromote.
See also System procedures sp_setpglockpromote

sp_dropgroup
Description Drops a group from a database.
Syntax sp_dropgroup grpname
Parameters grpname
is the name of a group in the current database.
Examples The “purchasing” group has merged with the “accounting” group. These
commands move “martha” and “george”, members of the “purchasing” group,
to other groups before dropping the group. The group name “public” is quoted
because “public” is a reserved word:
sp_changegroup accounting, martha
sp_changegroup "public", george
sp_dropgroup purchasing
Usage • Executing sp_dropgroup drops a group name from a database’s sysusers
table.
• You cannot drop a group if it has members. You must execute
sp_changegroup for each member before you can drop the group.
Officer can execute sp_dropgroup.
See also System procedures sp_addgroup, sp_changegroup, sp_helpgroup

sp_dropkey
sp_dropkey
Description Removes from the syskeys table a key that had been defined using
sp_primarykey, sp_foreignkey, or sp_commonkey.
Syntax sp_dropkey keytype, tabname [, deptabname]
Parameters keytype
is the type of key to be dropped. The keytype must be primary, foreign, or
common.
tabname
is the name of the key table or view that contains the key to be dropped.
deptabname
specifies the name of the second table in the relationship, if the keytype is
foreign or common. If the keytype is primary, this parameter is not needed,
since primary keys have no dependent tables. If the keytype is foreign, this is
the name of the primary key table. If the keytype is common, give the two
table names in the order in which they appear with sp_helpkey.
Examples Example 1 Drops the primary key for the employees table. Any foreign keys
that were dependent on the primary key for employees are also dropped:
sp_dropkey primary, employees
Example 2 Drops the common keys between the employees and projects
tables:
sp_dropkey common, employees, projects
Example 3 Drops the foreign key between the titleauthor and titles tables:
sp_dropkey foreign, titleauthor, titles
Usage • Executing sp_dropkey deletes the specified key from syskeys. Only the
owner of a table can drop a key from that table.
• Keys are created to make explicit a logical relationship that is implicit in
your database design. This information can be used by an application.
• Dropping a primary key automatically drops any foreign keys associated
with it. Dropping a foreign key has no effect on a primary key specified on
that table.
• Executing sp_commonkey, sp_primarykey, or sp_foreignkey adds the key
to the syskeys system table. To display a report on the keys that have been
defined, execute sp_helpkey.
Permissions Only the owner of tabname can execute sp_dropkey.

See also System procedures sp_commonkey, sp_foreignkey, sp_helpkey,

sp_primarykey

sp_droplanguage
sp_droplanguage
Description Drops an alternate language from the server and removes its row from
master.dbo.syslanguages.
Syntax sp_droplanguage language [, dropmessages]
Parameters language
is the official name of the language to be dropped.
dropmessages
drops all Adaptive Server system messages in language. You cannot drop a
language with associated system messages without also dropping its
messages.
Examples Example 1 This example drops French from the available alternate languages,
if there are no associated messages:
sp_droplanguage french
Example 2 This example drops French from the available alternate languages,
if there are associated messages:
sp_droplanguage french, dropmessages
Usage • Executing sp_droplanguage drops a language from a list of alternate
languages by deleting its entry from the master.dbo.syslanguages table.
• If you try to drop a language that has system messages, the request fails
unless you supply the dropmessages parameter.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_droplanguage.
See also System procedures sp_addlanguage, sp_helplanguage

sp_droplogin
Description Drops an Adaptive Server user login by deleting the user’s entry from
master.dbo.syslogins.
Syntax sp_droplogin loginame
Parameters loginame
is the name of the user, as listed in master.dbo.syslogins.
Examples Drops the “victoria” login from Adaptive Server:
sp_droplogin victoria
Usage • Executing sp_droplogin drops a user login from Adaptive Server, deleting
the user’s entry from master.dbo.syslogins.
• Adaptive Server reuses a dropped login’s server user ID, which
compromises accountability. You can avoid dropping accounts entirely
and, instead, use sp_locklogin to lock any accounts that will no longer be
used.
If you need to drop logins, be sure to audit these events (using sp_audit) so
that you have a record of them.
• sp_droplogin deletes all resource limits associated with the dropped login.
• sp_droplogin fails if the login to be dropped is a user in any database on the

server. Use sp_dropuser to drop the user from a database. You cannot drop
a user from a database if that user owns any objects in the database.
• If the login to be dropped is a System Security Officer, sp_droplogin
verifies that at least one other unlocked System Security Officer’s account
exists. If not, sp_droplogin fails. Similarly, sp_droplogin ensures that there
is always at least one unlocked System Administrator account.
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_droplogin.
See also System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_audit, sp_dropuser, sp_locklogin

sp_dropmessage
sp_dropmessage
Description Drops user-defined messages from sysusermessages.
Syntax sp_dropmessage message_num [, language]
is the message number of the message to be dropped. Message numbers
must have a value of 20000 or higher.
language
is the language of the message to be dropped.
Examples Removes the French version of the message with the number 20002 from
sysusermessages:
sp_dropmessage 20002, french

Usage • The language parameter is optional. If included, only the message with the
indicated message_num in the indicated language is dropped. If you do not
specify a language, all messages with the indicated message_num are
dropped.
Permissions Only the Database Owner, a System Administrator, or the user who created the
message being dropped can execute sp_dropmessage.
See also System procedures sp_addmessage, sp_getmessage

sp_dropobjectdef
Description Component Integration Services only Deletes the external storage
mapping provided for a local object.
Syntax sp_dropobjectdef "object_name"
has the form dbname.owner.object, where:
• dbname is the name of the database containing the object whose storage
location you are dropping. dbname is optional; if present, it must be the
current database, and the owner or a placeholder is required.
• owner is the name of the owner of the object whose storage location you
are dropping. owner is optional; it is required if dbname is specified.
• object is the name of the local table for which external storage mapping
is to be dropped.
Examples Example 1 Deletes the entry from sysattributes that provided the external
storage mapping for a table known to the server as the colleges table in database
personnel:
sp_dropobjectdef "personnel.dbo.colleges"
Example 2 Deletes the entry from sysattributes that provided the external
storage mapping for the andrea.fishbone object, where andrea is the owner and
the local table name is fishbone:
sp_dropobjectdef "andrea.fishbone"
Usage • sp_dropobjectdef deletes the external storage mapping provided for a local
object. It replaces sp_droptabledef.
• Use sp_dropobjectdef after dropping a remote table with drop table.
• Dropping a table does not remove the mapping information from the
sysattributes table if it was added using sp_addobjectdef. It must be
explicitly removed using sp_dropobjectdef.
• The object_name can be in any of these forms:
• object
• owner.object
• dbname..object
• dbname.owner.object

sp_dropobjectdef

sp_dropobjectdef. Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dropobjectdef
to remove mapping information for another user’s object.
See also Commands create existing table, create table, drop table
System procedures sp_addobjectdef

sp_drop_qpgroup
Description Drops an abstract plan group.
Syntax sp_drop_qpgroup group
Parameters group
is the name of the abstract plan group to drop.
Examples Drops the abstract plan group “dev_test”:
sp_drop_qpgroup dev_test
Usage • You cannot drop the default groups, ap_stdin and ap_stdout.
• You cannot drop a group that contains plans. To drop all of the plans in a
a group, use sp_drop_all_qplans. To see a list of groups and the number of
plans they contain, use sp_help_qpgroup.
• sp_drop_qpgroup cannot be run in a transaction.
Permissions Only a System Administrator or Database Owner can execute

sp_drop_qpgroup.
See also System procedures sp_drop_all_qplans, sp_help_qpgroup

sp_drop_qplan
sp_drop_qplan
Description Drops an abstract plan.
Syntax sp_drop_qplan id
Parameters id
is the ID of the abstract plan to drop.
Examples The abstract plan with the specified ID is dropped:
sp_drop_qplan 1760009301
Usage • To find the ID of a plan, use sp_help_qpgroup, sp_help_qplan, or
sp_find_qplan. Plan IDs are also returned by create plan and are included
in showplan output.
• To drop all abstract plans in a group, use sp_drop_all_qplans.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_drop_qplan to drop a plan he or she owns. Only the
System Administrator or the Database Owner can drop plans owned by other
others.
See also Commands create plan
System procedures sp_drop_all_qplans, sp_find_qplan, sp_help_qpgroup,
sp_help_qplan

sp_dropremotelogin
Description Drops a remote user login.
Syntax sp_dropremotelogin remoteserver [, loginame [, remotename] ]
is the name of the server that has the remote login to be dropped.
loginame
is the local server’s user name that is associated with the remote server in the
sysremotelogins table.
remotename
is the remote user name that gets mapped to loginame when logging in from
the remote server.
Examples Example 1 Drops the entry for the remote server named GATEWAY:
sp_dropremotelogin GATEWAY
Example 2 Drops the entry for mapping remote logins from the remote server
GATEWAY to the local user named “churchy”:
sp_dropremotelogin GATEWAY, churchy
Example 3 Drops the login for the remote user “pogo” on the remote server
GATEWAY that was mapped to the local user named “churchy”:
sp_dropremotelogin GATEWAY, churchy, pogo
Usage • Executing sp_dropremotelogin drops a user login from a remote server,
deleting the user’s entry from master.dbo.sysremotelogins.
• For a more complete discussion on remote logins, see sp_addremotelogin.
• To add and drop local server users, use the system procedures sp_addlogin
and sp_droplogin.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_dropremotelogin.
See also System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_addremotelogin, sp_addserver,
sp_droplogin, sp_helpremotelogin, sp_helpserver

sp_drop_resource_limit
Description Removes one or more resource limits from Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_drop_resource_limit { name, appname }
[, rangename, limittype, enforced, action, scope]
Parameters name
is the Adaptive Server login to which the limit applies. To drop resource
limits that apply to all users of a particular application, specify the appname
and a name of NULL.
appname
is the application to which the limit applies. To drop resource limits that
apply to all applications used by the specified login, specify the login name
and an appname of NULL. To drop a limit that applies to a particular
application, specify the application name that the client program passes to
the Adaptive Server in the login packet.
rangename
is the time range during which the limit is enforced. This must be an existing
time range stored in the systimeranges system table or NULL to delete all
resource limits for the specified name, appname, limittype, action, and
scope, without regard to rangename.
limittype
is the type of resource being limited. This must be one of the following:
• row_count – drops only limits that restrict the number of rows a query
can return.
• elapsed_time – drops only limits that restrict the number of seconds that
a query batch or transaction can run.
• io_cost – drops only limits that restrict actual or estimated query
processing cost.
• tempdb_space – drops only limits that restrict the number of pages a
tempdb database can have during a single session.
• NULL – drops all resource limits with the specified name, appname,
rangename, enforcement time, action, and scope, without regard to
limittype.

enforced
The following table lists the valid values for each limit type:
Enforced
code Description Limit type
1 Drops only limits for which action is taken when the estimated cost of execution io_cost
exceeds the specified limit.
2 Drops only limits for which action is taken when the actual row count, elapsed time, row_count
or cost of execution exceeds the specified limit. elapsed_time
io_cost
3 Drops only limits for which action is taken when either the estimated cost (1) or the io_cost
actual cost (2) exceeds the specified limit.
NULL Drops all resource limits with the specified name, appname, rangename, limittype,
and scope, without regard to when the action is enforced.
action
is the action taken when the limit is exceeded. This must be one of the
following:
Action code Description
1 Drops only limits that issue a warning.
2 Drops only limits that abort the query batch.
3 Drops only limits that abort the transaction.
4 Drops only limits that kill the session.
NULL Drops all resource limits with the specified name, appname, rangename, limittype, enforcement
time, and scope, without regard to the action they take.
scope
is the scope of the limit. This must be one of the following:
Scope code Description
1 Drops only limits that apply to queries.
2 Drops only limits that apply to query batches.
4 Drops only limits that apply to transactions.
6 Drops only limits that apply to both query batches and transactions.
NULL Drops all resource limits with the specified name, appname, rangename, limittype, enforcement
time, and action, without regard to their scope.
Examples Example 1 Drops the single resource limit that kills the session whenever joe’s
use of the payroll application runs a query during the friday_afternoon time
range that results in excessive execution-time I/O cost:

sp_drop_resource_limit joe, payroll, friday_afternoon, io_cost, 2, 4, 1
Note If no resource limit matches these selection criteria,

sp_drop_resource_limit returns without error.
Example 2 Drops all limits that apply to joe’s use of the payroll application:
sp_drop_resource_limit joe, payroll
Example 3 Drops all limits that apply to the user “joe”:
sp_drop_resource_limit joe
Example 4 Drops all resource limits that apply to the payroll application:
sp_drop_resource_limit NULL, payroll
Example 5 Drops all resource limits on the payroll application whose action
is to kill the session:
sp_drop_resource_limit NULL, payroll, NULL, NULL, NULL, 4, NULL
Usage • Use the sp_help_resource_limit system procedure to determine which
resource limits apply to a given user, application, or time of day.
• When you use sp_droplogin to drop an Adaptive Server login, all resource
limits associated with that login are also dropped.
• The deletion of a resource limit causes the limits for each session for that
login and/or application to be rebound at the beginning of the next query
batch for that session.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_drop_resource_limit.
resource limits.
System procedures sp_add_resource_limit, sp_droplogin,
sp_help_resource_limit, sp_modify_resource_limit

sp_droprowlockpromote
Description Removes row lock promotion threshold values from a database or table.
Syntax sp_droprowlockpromote {"database" | "table"}, objname
Parameters database | table
specifies whether to remove the row lock promotion thresholds from a
database or table.
objname
is the name of the database or table from which to remove the row lock
promotion thresholds.
Examples Removes the row lock promotion values from the sales table. Lock promotion
for sales now uses the database or server-wide values:
sp_droprowlockpromote "table", "sales"
Usage • Use sp_droprowlockpromote to drop row lock promotion values set with
sp_setrowlockpromote.
• When you drop a database’s row lock promotion thresholds,

datarows-locked tables that do not have row lock promotion thresholds
configured use the server-wide values. Use sp_configure to check the value
of the row lock promotion configuration parameters.
• When a table’s row lock promotion values are dropped, Adaptive Server
uses the database’s row lock promotion thresholds, if they are configured,
or the server-wide values, if no thresholds are set for the database.
• To change the lock promotion thresholds for a database, you must be using
the master database. To change the lock promotion thresholds for a table
in a database, you must be using the database where the table resides.
• Server-wide values can be changed with sp_setrowlockpromote. This
changes the values in the row lock promotion configuration parameters, so
there is no corresponding server option for sp_droprowlockpromote.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_droprowlockpromote.
See also System procedures sp_setrowlockpromote

sp_dropsegment
sp_dropsegment
Description Drops a segment from a database or unmaps a segment from a particular
database device.
Syntax sp_dropsegment segname, dbname [, device]
Parameters segname
is the name of the segment to be dropped.
dbname
is the name of the database from which the segment is to be dropped.
device
is the name of the database device from which the segment segname is to be
dropped. This parameter is optional, except when the system segment
system, default, or logsegment is being dropped from a database device.
Examples Example 1 This command drops the segment indexes from the pubs2 database.
sp_dropsegment indexes, pubs2
Example 2 This command unmaps the segment indexes from the database
device dev1:
sp_dropsegment indexes, pubs2, dev1
Usage • You can drop a segment if it is not referenced by any table or index in the
specified database.
• If you do not supply the optional argument device, the segment is dropped
from the specified database. If you do supply a device name, the segment
is no longer mapped to the named database device, but the segment is not
dropped.
• Dropping a segment drops all thresholds associated with that segment.
• When you unmap a segment from one or more devices, Adaptive Server
drops any thresholds that exceed the total space on the segment. When you
unmap the logsegment from one or more devices, Adaptive Server
recalculates the last-chance threshold.
• sp_placeobject changes future space allocations for a table or index from
one segment to another, and removes the references from the original
segment. After using sp_placeobject, you can drop the original segment
name with sp_dropsegment.
• For the system segments system, default, and logsegment, you must specify
the device name from which you want the segments dropped.


sp_dropsegment.
See also System procedures sp_addsegment, sp_addthreshold, sp_helpsegment,

sp_helpthreshold, sp_placeobject

sp_dropserver
sp_dropserver
Description Drops a server from the list of known servers or drops remote logins and
external logins in the same operation.
Syntax sp_dropserver server [, droplogins]
Parameters server
is the name of the server to be dropped.
droplogins
indicates that any remote logins for server should also be dropped.
Examples Example 1 This command drops the remote server GATEWAY:
sp_dropserver GATEWAY
Example 2 Drops the entry for the remote server RDBAM_ALPHA and drops
all remote logins and external logins for that server:
sp_dropserver RDBAM_ALPHA, droplogins
Usage • Executing sp_dropserver drops a server from the list of known servers by
deleting the entry from the master.dbo.sysservers table.
• Running sp_dropserver on a server that has associated entries in the
master.dbo.sysremotelogins table results in an error message stating that
you must drop the remote users before you can drop the server. To drop all
remote logins for a server when dropping the server, use droplogins.
• Running sp_dropserver without droplogins against a server that has
associated entries in the sysattributes table results in an error. You must
drop the remote logins and external logins before you can drop the server.
• The checks against sysattributes for external logins and for default
mapping to a server apply when Component Integration Services is
configured.
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_dropserver.
See also System procedures sp_addserver, sp_dropremotelogin, sp_helpremotelogin,
sp_helpserver

sp_dropthreshold
Description Removes a free-space threshold from a segment.
Syntax sp_dropthreshold dbname, segname, free_space
Parameters dbname
is the database from which you are dropping the threshold. This must be the
name of the current database.
segname
is the segment whose free space is monitored by the threshold. Use quotes
when specifying the “default” segment.
free_space
is the number of free pages at which the threshold is crossed.
Examples Removes a threshold from segment1 of mydb. You must specify the database,
segment, and amount of free space to identify the threshold:
sp_dropthreshold mydb, segment1, 200
Usage • You cannot drop the last-chance threshold from the log segment.
• You can use the no free space acctg option of sp_dboption as an alternative
to sp_dropthreshold. This option disables free-space accounting on
non-log segments. You cannot disable free-space accounting on log
segments.
sp_dropthreshold.
See also System procedures sp_addthreshold, sp_dboption, sp_helpthreshold,

sp_thresholdaction

sp_drop_time_range
sp_drop_time_range
Description Removes a user-defined time range from Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_drop_time_range name
Parameters name
is the name of the time range to be dropped.
Examples Removes the “evenings” time range:
sp_drop_time_range evenings
Usage • You cannot remove the “at all times” time range.
• You cannot drop a time range if a resource limit exists for that time range.
• Dropping a time range does not affect the active time ranges for sessions
currently in progress.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_drop_time_range.
See also Documents For more information on time ranges, see the System
System procedures sp_add_resource_limit, sp_add_time_range,

sp_droptype
Description Drops a user-defined datatype.
Syntax sp_droptype typename
Parameters typename
is the name of a user-defined datatype that you own.
Examples Drops the user-defined datatype named birthday:
sp_droptype birthday
Usage • Executing sp_droptype deletes a user-defined datatype from systypes.
• A user-defined datatype cannot be dropped if it is referenced by tables or
another database object.
Permissions Only the Database Owner or datatype owner can execute sp_droptype.
See also Datatypes User-defined datatypes
System procedures sp_addtype, sp_rename

sp_dropuser
sp_dropuser
Description Drops a user from the current database.
Syntax sp_dropuser name_in_db
Parameters name_in_db
is the user’s name in the current database’s sysusers table.
Examples Drops the user “albert” from the current database. The user “albert” can no
longer use the database:
sp_dropuser albert
Usage • sp_dropuser drops a user from the current database by deleting the user’s
row from sysusers.
• You cannot drop a user who owns objects in the database.
• You cannot drop a user who has granted permissions to other users.
• You cannot drop the Database Owner from a database.
• If other users are aliased to the user being dropped, their aliases are also
dropped. They no longer have access to the database.
• You cannot drop a user from a database if the user owns a stored procedure
that is bound to an execution class in that database. See sp_bindexeclass.
Officer can execute sp_dropuser.
See also Commands grant, revoke, use
System procedures sp_addalias, sp_adduser, sp_bindexeclass,
sp_droplogin

sp_dumpoptimize
Description Specifies the amount of data dumped by Backup Server during the dump
database operation.
Syntax sp_dumpoptimize [ ’archive_space =
{maximum | minimum | default }’ ]
sp_dumpoptimize [ ’reserved_threshold =
{nnn | default }’ ]
sp_dumpoptimize [ ’allocation_threshold =
{nnn | default }’ ]
Parameters archive_space
specifies the amount of the database you want dumped.
maximum
dumps the whole database without determining which pages are allocated or
not. The total space used by the archive image or images is equal to the size
of the database. Using this option has the same effect as using the options
reserved_threshold=0 and allocation_threshold=0.
minimum
dumps only the allocated pages, which results in the smallest possible
archive image. This option is useful when dumping to archive devices for
which the throughput is much smaller than that of the database devices such
as QIC tape drives. Using this option has the same effect as using the options
reserved_threshold=100 and allocation_threshold=100.
default
specifies that default values should be used.
When used with archive_space, this option dumps the database with the
reserved_threshold and allocation_threshold options set to their default
values. Use this to reset Backup Server to the default configuration.
When used with reserved_threshold, default specifies 85 percent.
When used with allocation_threshold, default specifies 40 percent.
reserved_threshold
dumps all the pages belonging to the database in a database disk if the
percentage of reserved pages in the disk is equal to or greater than nnn. For
example, if you specify nnn as 60 and if a database disk has a percentage of
reserved pages equal to or greater than 60 percent, then the entire disk is
dumped without determining which pages within that disk are allocated. The
default for this option is 85 percent.

sp_dumpoptimize
nnn
an integer value between 0 and 100 that represents the value of the threshold.
It is used to determine how much data to dump.
When used with reserved_threshold, if the percentage of reserved pages in
the disk is greater than the value specified, all the pages of the database in a
database disk are dumped.
When used with allocation_threshold, if the percentage of allocated pages in
an allocation unit is greater than the percentage specified for
allocation_threshold, all the pages within an allocation unit are dumped.
allocation_threshold
dumps all the pages in the allocation unit if the percentage of allocated pages
in the unit is equal to or greater than nnn. For example, if nnn is specified as
70 and if the percentage of allocated pages in an allocation unit is equal to
or greater than 70 percent, then the entire allocation unit is dumped without
determining whether pages within that allocation unit are allocated or not. If
the reserved_threshold setting causes the whole disk to be dumped, the
allocation_threshold setting is ignored for the disk. The default for this option
is 40 percent.
Examples Example 1 This causes the whole database to be dumped:
sp_dumpoptimize 'archive_space=maximum'
Backup Server: 4.172.1.1: The value of 'reserved pages threshold' has been
set to 0%.
Backup Server: 4.172.1.2: The value of 'allocated pages threshold' has been
set to 0%.
Example 2 This causes only the allocated pages to be dumped, thereby
resulting in the smallest archive image:
sp_dumpoptimize 'archive_space=minimum'
set to 100%.
set to 100%.
Example 3 This causes the reserved threshold to be set to 85 percent and the
allocation threshold to be set to 40 percent:
sp_dumpoptimize 'archive_space=default'
set to 85%.
set to 40%.

Example 4 Those disks in the database whose percentage of reserved pages is

greater than or equal to 60 percent are dumped without reading allocation
pages on this disk. For the remaining disks, the allocation pages are read, and
the last set value for the allocation_threshold is used. If the allocation_threshold
was not set after Backup Server was started, default allocation_threshold of 40
percent is used:
sp_dumpoptimize 'reserved_threshold=60'
set to 60%.
Example 5 This causes the reserved threshold to be set to 85 percent. It does
not affect the allocation page threshold:
sp_dumpoptimize 'reserved_threshold=default'
set to 85%.
Example 6 Allocation pages are read for those disks whose reserved page
percentage is less than the last set value for the reserved_threshold and if an
allocation unit has 80 percent or more pages allocated, then the whole
allocation unit is dumped:
sp_dumpoptimize 'allocation_threshold=80'
set to 80%.
Example 7 This causes the allocation page threshold to be set to the default of
40 percent. It does not affect the reserved pages threshold:
sp_dumpoptimize 'allocation_threshold=default'
set to 40%.
Example 8 Those disks in the database whose percentage of reserved pages is
greater than or equal to 60 percent are dumped without reading allocation
pages on this disk. For the remaining disks, the allocation pages are read and if
an allocation unit has 30 percent or more pages allocated, then the whole
allocation unit is dumped:
sp_dumpoptimize 'reserved_threshold=60', 'allocation_threshold=30'
set to 60%.
set to 30%.

sp_dumpoptimize
Example 9 This displays the current value of the thresholds:

sp_dumpoptimize
Backup Server: 4.171.1.1: The current value of 'reserved pages threshold'
is 60%
Backup Server: 4.171.1.2: The current value of 'allocated pages threshold'
is 30%.
Usage • When you set values with sp_dumpoptimize, those values are immediately
in affect without the need to restart Backup Server. However, the changes
are effective only until the Backup Server is restarted. When Backup
Server is restarted, the default values are used.
• If you issue sp_dumpoptimize multiple times, the thresholds specified by
the last instance are used by later dumps. For example, if you first set the
reserved_threshold value, and later issue archive_space=maximum, then
that value overwrites the previous value you set for reserved_threshold.
• Dumps of different databases can use different thresholds by changing the
sp_dumpoptimize values before each database dump.
• The optimal threshold values can vary from one database to another.
Therefore, the performance of a dump depends on both the I/O
configuration and the amount of used space in the database. The DBA can
determine the appropriate configuration for a database by experimenting
with dumps using different values and choosing the one that results in the
shortest dump time.
• You can use sp_dumpoptimize for both local and remote dumps.
• sp_dumpoptimize has no effect on the performance of a transaction log
dump or a load. Therefore, it need not be issued before dump transaction,
load database or load transaction operations.
• If sp_dumpoptimize is issued without any parameters, the current value of

the thresholds is displayed on the client.
• On configurations in which the archive device throughput is equal to or
higher than the cumulative throughput of all the database disks, using
archive_space=maximum may result in a faster dump. However, on
configurations in which the archive device throughput is less than the
cumulative throughput of all the database disks, using this option may
result in a slower dump.
• The option names and the values for this procedure can be abbreviated to
the unique substring that identifies them. For example, ar = ma is sufficient
to uniquely identify the option archive_space=maximum.

• There can be zero or more blank space characters around the equal sign (=)
in the option string.
• The option names and their values are case insensitive.
Permissions Only the System Administrator, the Database Owner, or users with the
Operator role can execute sp_dumpoptimize.
See also Documents See the System Administration Guide for information on
allocation pages.
Commands dump database, dump transaction, load database, load
transaction

sp_engine
sp_engine
Description Enables you to bring an engine online or offline.
Syntax sp_engine {“online” | [offline | can_offline] [, engine_id] |
[“shutdown”, engine_id]}
Parameters “online”
bring an engine online. The value of sp_configure “max online engines” must
be greater than the current number of engines online. , Becuase “online” is a
reserved keyword, you must use quotes.
offline
bring an engine offline. You can also use the engine_id parameter to specify
a specific engine to bring offline.
can_offline
returns information on whether an engine can be brought offline. can_offline
returns the Adaptive Server tasks with an affinity to this engine (for
example, during Omni or java.net tasks) if its state is online . If you do not
specify an engine_id, the command describes the status of the engine in
sysengines with the highest engine_id.
engine_id
the ID of the engine. The engine_id parameter is optional. If you do not
specify an engine_id, sp_engine uses the incremented or decremented value
for engine_id for the value of engine found within sysengines. That is, if
your system uses engines 0, 1, 2, and 3, and you do not specify an engine id,
sp_engine takes engine ID 3 offline, then engine ID 2, and so on.
“shutdown”
Forces an engine offline. If there are any tasks with an affinity to this engine,
they are killed after a five-minute wait. You must use quotes, as shutdown is
a reserved keyword.
Examples Example 1 Brings engine 1 online. Messages are platform specific (in this
example, Sun Solaris was used):
sp_engine "online", 1
02:00000:00000:2001/10/26 08:53:40.61 kernel Network and device connection
limit is 3042.
02:00000:00000:2001/10/26 08:53:40.61 kernel SSL Plus security modules
loaded successfully.
02:00000:00000:2001/10/26 08:53:40.67 kernel engine 2, os pid 8624 online
02:00000:00000:2001/10/26 08:53:40.67 kernel Enabling Sun Kernel
asynchronous disk I/O strategy
00:00000:00000:2001/10/26 08:53:40.70 kernel ncheck: Network fc0330c8
online

Example 2 Describes the steps in taking an engine offline that is currently

running tasks with an affinity for this engine:
select engine, status from sysengines
engine status
------ ------
0 online
1 online
2 online
3 online
If you bring engine 1 offline:
sp_engine offline, 1
The following task(s) will affect the offline process:
spid: 19 has outstanding ct-lib connections.
And then run the same query as above, it now shows that engine 1 is in an
offline state:
engine status
------ ------
0 online
1 in offline
2 online
3 online
As soon as the task that has an affinity to engine 1 finishes, Adaptive Server
issues a message similar to the following to the error log:
02:00000:00000:2001/10/26 09:02:09.05 kernel engine 1, os pid
8623 offline
Example 3 Determines whether engine 1 can be brought offline:
sp_engine can_offline, 1
Example 4 Takes engine 1 offline:
sp_engine offline, 1
Adaptive Server eventually returns a message similar to the following:
01:00000:00000:2001/11/09 16:11:11.85 kernel Engine 1 waiting for
affinitated process(es) before going offline
01:00000:00000:2001/11/09 16:11:11.85 kernel Process 917518 is preventing
engine 1 going offline
00:00000:00000:2001/11/09 16:16:01.90 kernel engine 1, os pid
21127 offline

sp_engine
Example 5 Shuts down engine 1 :

sp_engine shutdown, 1
Usage • You cannot offline or shut down engine 0.
• You can determine the status of an engine, and which engines are currently
online with the following query:
where status = "online"
• online and shutdown are keywords and must be enclosed in quotes.
• Engines can be brought online only if max online engines is greater then
the current number of engines with an online status, and if enough CPU is
available to support the additional engine.
• An engine offline may fail or may not immediately take effect if there are
server processes with an affinity to that engine.
Using sp_engine “offline” versus sp_engine “shutdown”
Sometimes when you use sp_engine “offline", the engine does not immediately
go offline, and instead appears to be in “dormant” state in the engine table. This
is caused by processes that are attached to your engine that cannot be migrated
to other engines. When this happens, the engine does not take new work, and
consumes minimal CPU cycles. When the process preventing the completion
of engine offline either end or become available for migration, the engine moves
from dormant to fully offline, and disappears from the engine table.
sp_engine "shutdown" is a more aggressive version of the offline command. The
sp_engine "shutdown" procedure actively kills any processes that are
preventing the engine from going offline, forcing it to shut down.
However, if you use sp_engine "shutdown" on an engine that has ct-lib or java
connections, you get the following error message:
Engine has outstanding ct-lib/java connections and
cannot be offlined.
When this happens, repeat the command again every few minutes until the
connections are no longer there, and the engine can shut down.
Permissions You must be a System Administrator to bring engines online or offline.

sp_estspace
Description Estimates the amount of space required for a table and its indexes, and the time
needed to create the index.
Syntax sp_estspace table_name, no_of_rows, fill_factor,
cols_to_max, textbin_len, iosec, page_size
Parameters table_name
is the name of the table. It must already exist in the current database.
no_of_rows
is the estimated number of rows that the table will contain.
fill_factor
is the index fillfactor. The default is null, which means that Adaptive Server
uses its default fillfactor.
cols_to_max
is a comma-separated list of the variable-length columns for which you want
to use the maximum length instead of the average. The default is the average
declared length of the variable-length columns.
textbin_len
is the length, per row, of all text and image columns. The default value is 0.
You need to provide a value only if the table stores text or image data. text
and image columns are stored in a separate set of data pages from the rest of
the table’s data. The actual table row stores a pointer to the text or image
value. sp_estspace provides a separate line of information about the size of
the text or image pages for a row.
iosec
is the number of disk I/Os per second on this machine. The default is 30 I/Os
per second.
pagesize
allows you to estimate the space required for a given table—and all of its
indexes—if you migrate the table to a server of the specified page size. You
can either specify a page size (2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, or 2K, 4K, 8K,
16K) or NULL to use your current page size. If you do not use “K” as a unit
specifier, the default for pagesize is bytes. Because page allocation allocates
the same size page for various objects, the page_size value applies to all
page types (index, data, text and so on).
Examples Example 1 Calculates the space requirements for the titles table and its indexes,
and the time required to create the indexes. The number of rows is 10,000, the
fillfactor is 50 percent, two variable-length columns are computed using the
maximum size for the column, and the disk I/O speed is 25 I/Os per second:

sp_estspace
sp_estspace titles, 10000, 50, "title,notes", 0, 25

name type idx_level Pages Kbytes
---------------- ------------ --------- ------------ ------------
titles data 0 3364 6728
titles text/image 0 0 0
titleidind clustered 0 21 43
titleind nonclustered 0 1001 2002
Total_Mbytes
-----------------
8.68
name type total_pages time_mins

------------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
titleidind clustered 3386 13
titleind nonclustered 1060 5
titles data 0 2
Example 2 Uses the average length of existing image data in the au_pix table
to calculate the size of the table with 1000 rows. You can also provide this size
as a constant:
declare @i int
select @i = avg(datalength(pic)) from au_pix
exec sp_estspace au_pix, 1000, null, null, 16, @i
au_pix has no indexes
--------------- ------------ --------- --------- ---------
au_pix data 0 31 63
au_pix text/image 0 21000 42000
Total_Mbytes
-----------------
41.08
Example 3 Calculates the size of the titles table with 50,000 rows, using
defaults for all other values:
sp_estspace titles, 50000

--------------- ------------ --------- ------------ ------------

titles data 0 4912 9824
Total_Mbytes
-----------------
12.46

------------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
titleidind clustered 4943 19
titleind nonclustered 1435 8
Example 4 This example is run after adding a clustered index to the blurbs
table:
declare @i int
select @i = avg(datalength(copy)) from blurbs
exec sp_estspace blurbs, 6, null, null, 16, @i, "16k"
------------------------ ----------- --------- --------- -------
blurbs data 0 8 128
blurbs text/image 0 6 96
blurbs_ind clustered 0 1 16
Total_Mbytes
-----------------
0.25

------------------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
blurbs_ind clustered 10 0
blurbs data 6 0
This example is run on a 2K server, and indicates that the blurbs table would
require .25MB after it is migrated to a 16K server. Below is the same query run
on a 16K server, which verifies the .25MB space requirement:
declare @i int

sp_estspace

------------------------ ------------ --------- --------- ------
blurbs data 0 8 128
Total_Mbytes
-----------------
0.25

----------------------- ------------ ------------ ----------
blurbs data 6 0
Example 5 This example estimates that, if the blurbs table had a thousand rows
in it on a 2K server, it would require 1.99MB of space:
declare @i int
----------------------- ------------ --------- ------------ ------
blurbs data 0 16 32
Total_Mbytes
------------
1.99

----------------------- ------------ ------------ ---------
blurbs data 1000 0
Usage • To estimate the amount of space required by a table and its indexes:
a Create the table.
b Create all indexes on the table.

c Run sp_estspace, giving the table name, the estimated number of

rows for the table, and the optional arguments, as needed.
You do not need to insert data into the tables. sp_estspace uses information
in the system tables—not the size of the data in the tables—to calculate the
size of tables and indexes.
• If the auto identity option is set in a database, Adaptive Server
automatically defines a 10-digit IDENTITY column in each new table that
is created without specifying a primary key, a unique constraint, or an
IDENTITY column. To estimate how much extra space is required by this
column:
a In the master database, use sp_dboption to turn on the auto identity
option for the database.
b Create the table.
c Run sp_estspace on the table and record the results.
d Drop the table.
e Turn the auto identity option off for the database.
f Re-create the table.
g Rerun sp_estspace on the table, and record the results.
• For information about tables or columns, use sp_help tablename.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_estspace.
See also Commands create index, create table
System procedures sp_dboption, sp_help

sp_export_qpgroup
sp_export_qpgroup
Description Exports all plans for a specified user and abstract plan group to a user table.
Syntax sp_export_qpgroup usr, group, tab
Parameters usr
is the name of the user who owns the abstract plans to be exported.
group
is the name of the abstract plan group that contains the plans to be exported.
tab
is the name of a table into which to copy the plans. It must be a table in the
current database. You can specify a database name, but not an owner name,
in the form dbname..tablename. The total length must be 30 characters or
less.
Examples Creates a table called moveplans containing all the plans for the user “freidak”
that are in the ap_stdout group:
sp_export_qpgroup freidak, ap_stdout, "tempdb..moveplans"
Usage • sp_export_qpgroup copies plans from an abstract plan group to a user table.
With sp_import_qpgroup, it can be used to copy abstract plans groups
between servers and databases or to assign user IDs to copied plans.
• The user table name that you specify cannot exist before you run
sp_export_qpgroup. The table is created with a structure identical to that of
sysqueryplans.
• sp_export_qpgroup uses select...into to create the table to store the copied

plans. You must use sp_dboption to enable select into/bulkcopy/pllsort in
order to use sp_export_qpgroup, or create the table in tempdb.
sp_export_qpgroup.
See also System procedures sp_copy_all_qplans, sp_copy_qplan, sp_dboption,

sp_import_qpgroup

sp_extendsegment
Description Extends the range of a segment to another database device.
Syntax sp_extendsegment segname, dbname, devname
Parameters segname
is the name of the existing segment previously defined with sp_addsegment.
dbname
is the name of the database on which to extend the segment. dbname must
be the name of the current database.
devname
is the name of the database device to be added to the current database device
range already included in segname.
Examples Extends the range of the segment indexes for the database pubs2 on the
database device dev2:
sp_extendsegment indexes, pubs2, dev2
Usage • A segment can be extended over several database devices.

• If the logsegment segment is extended, any other segments on the device
are dropped and the device is used for the log segment exclusively.
• When you extend the logsegment segment, Adaptive Server recalculates
its last-chance threshold.
• To associate a segment with a database device, create or alter the database
with a reference to that device. A database device can have more than one
segment associated with it.
• After defining a segment, you can use it in the create table and create index
commands to place the table or index on the segment. If you create a table
or index on a particular segment, subsequent data for the table or index is
located on that segment.
sp_extendsegment.
See also Commands alter database, create index, create table
System procedures sp_addsegment, sp_dropsegment, sp_helpdb,

sp_helpdevice, sp_helpsegment, sp_placeobject

sp_extengine
sp_extengine
Description Starts and stops EJB Server. Displays status information about EJB Server.
Syntax sp_extengine 'ejb_server', '{ start | stop | status }'
Parameters ejb_server
the logical name of the EJB Server.
start
starts the EJB Server.
stop
shuts down the EJB Server.
status
displays status information about the EJB Server.
Examples Example 1 Informs user that the EJB Server SYB_EJB is running:
sp_extengine 'SYB_EJB', 'status'
Enterprise java bean server is up and running.
Example 2 Shuts down the EJB Server SYB_EJB:
sp_extengine 'SYB_EJB', 'stop'
Usage • You must have a valid Adaptive Server EJB Server site license to use
sp_extengine.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_extengine.
See also Documents See the User’s Guide to EJB Server for more information.

sp_familylock
Description Reports information about all the locks held by a family (coordinating process
and its worker processes) executing a statement in parallel.
Syntax sp_familylock [fpid1 [, fpid2]]
Parameters fpid1
is the family identifier for a family of worker processes from the
master.dbo.sysprocesses table. Run sp_who or sp_lock to get the spid of the
parent process.
fpid2
is the Adaptive Server process ID number for another lock.
Examples Displays information about the locks held by all members of the family with
an fid of 5:
sp_familylock 5
fid spid locktype table_id page dbname class context
--- ---- ---------- -------- ---- ------ ------------- --------
5 5 Sh_intent 176003658 0 userdb Non cursor lock Sync-pt duration
request
5 5 Sh_intent-blk 208003772 0 userdb Non cursor lock Sync-pt
duration request
5 6 Sh_page 208003772 3972 userdb Non cursor lock Sync-pt duration
request
request
request
Usage • sp_familylock with no parameter reports information on all processes

belonging to families that currently hold locks. The report is identical to
the output from sp_lock; however, sp_familylock allows you to generate
reports based on the family ID, rather than the process ID. It is useful for
detecting family deadlocks.
• Use the object_name system function to derive a table’s name from its ID
number.
• The “locktype” column indicates whether the lock is a shared lock (“Sh”
prefix), an exclusive lock (“Ex” prefix) or an update lock, and whether the
lock is held on a table (“table” or “intent”) or on a page (“page”).

sp_familylock
The “blk” suffix in the “locktype” column indicates that this process is
blocking another process that needs to acquire a lock. As soon as this
process completes, the other process(es) moves forward. The “demand”
suffix indicates that the process is attempting to acquire an exclusive lock.
• The “class” column indicates whether a lock is associated with a cursor. It
displays one of the following:
• “Non cursor lock” indicates that the lock is not associated with a
cursor.
• “Cursor Id number” indicates that the lock is associated with the
cursor ID number for that Adaptive Server process ID.
• A cursor name indicates that the lock is associated with the cursor
cursor_name that is owned by the current user executing sp_lock.
• The “fid” column identifies the family (including the coordinating process
and its worker processes) to which a lock belongs. Values for “fid” are as
follows:
• A zero value indicates that the task represented by the spid is executed
in serial. It is not participating in parallel execution.
• A nonzero value indicates that the task (spid) holding the lock is a
member of a family of processes (identified by “fid”) executing a
statement in parallel. If the value is equal to the spid, it indicates that
the task is the coordinating process in a family executing a query in
parallel.
• The “context” column identifies the context of the lock. Worker processes
in the same family have the same context value. Values for “context” are
as follows:
• “NULL” means that the task holding this lock is either executing a
query in serial or is a query being executed in parallel in transaction
isolation level 1.
• “FAM_DUR” means that the task holding the lock will hold the lock
until the query is complete.
A lock’s context may be “FAM_DUR” if the lock is a table lock held
as part of a parallel query, if the lock is held by a worker process at
transaction isolation level 3, or if the lock is held by a worker process
in a parallel query and must be held for the duration of the transaction.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_familylock.
See also Commands kill, select

System procedures sp_lock, sp_who

sp_find_qplan
sp_find_qplan
Description Finds an abstract plan, given a pattern from the query text or plan text.
Syntax sp_find_qplan pattern [, group ]
Parameters pattern
is a string to find in the text of the query or abstract plan.
group
is the name of the abstract plan group.
Examples Example 1 Reports on all abstract plans that have the string “from titles” in the
query:
sp_find_qplan "%from titles%"
gid id text
--- ----------- --------------------------------------------------
2 921054317 select count(*) from titles
2 921054317
( plan
( i_scan t_pub_id_ix titles )
( )
)
( prop titles
( parallel 1 )
( prefetch 16 )
( lru )
)
5 937054374 select type, avg(price) from titles group by type
5 937054374
( plan
( store Worktab1
( i_scan type_price titles )
)
( t_scan ( work_t Worktab1 ) )
)
( prop titles
( parallel 1 )
( prefetch 16 )
( lru )
Example 2 Finds all plans that include a table scan operator:

sp_find_qplan "%t_scan%"
Example 3 Uses the range pattern matching to look for strings such as
“table1”, “table2”, and so forth, in plans in the dev_plans group:

sp_find_qplan "%table[0-9]%", dev_plans

Usage • Use sp_find_qplan to find an abstract plan that contains a particular string.
You can match strings from either the query text or from the abstract plan
text.
• For each matching plan, sp_find_qplan prints the group ID, plan ID, query
text and abstract plan text.
• If you include a group name, sp_find_qplan searches for the string in the
specified group. If you do not provide a group name, sp_find_plan searches
all queries and plans for all groups.
• You must supply the “%” wildcard characters, as shown in the examples,
unless you are searching for a string at the start or end of a query or plan.
You can use any Transact-SQL pattern matching syntax, such as that
shown in Example 3.
• The text of queries in sysqueryplans is broken into 255-byte column
values. sp_find_qplan may miss matches that span one of these boundaries,
but finds all matches that are less than 127 bytes, even if they span two
rows.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_find_qplan. It reports only on abstract plans owned by
the user who executes it, except when executed by a System Administrator or
the Database Owner.
See also System procedures sp_help_qpgroup, sp_help_qplan

sp_fixindex
sp_fixindex
Description Repairs the index on one of your system tables when it has been corrupted.
Syntax sp_fixindex dbname, table_name, index_id
Parameters dbname
is the database name
table_name
is the table name
index_id
is the ID of the index you want to fix
Examples In this example, sp_fixindex repairs the clustered index on the sysprocedures
table of the pubs2 database:
1> sp_fixindex pubs2, sysprocedures, 1
2> go
Usage Warning! Do not run sp_fixindex on the clustered index of the sysobjects or
sysindexes tables or on user tables. If you do, sp_fixindex returns the following
error message:
The index with id 1 on sysobjects cannot be recreated.
Before you run sp_fixindex, make sure your database is in single-user mode, and
is reconfigured to allow updates to system tables.
After you run sp_fixindex:

• Use the dbcc checktable command to verify that the corrupted index has
been fixed
• Disallow updates to system tables using sp_configure
• Turn off single-user mode
Do not run sp_fixindex on user tables.
Repairing a nonclustered index on sysobjects using sp_fixindex requires
additional steps.
Permissions Only SA can run sp_fixindex.
See also Documents For more information on sp_fixindex, see:
• Chapter 2, “Encyclopedia of Tasks” in the Troubleshooting and Error
Message Guide.

• Chapter 13, See “Indexing for Performance” in the Performance and

Tuning Guide: Basics.

sp_flushstats
sp_flushstats
Description Flushes statistics from in-memory storage to the systabstats system table.
Syntax sp_flushstats objname
Parameters objname
is the name of a table.
Examples Flushes statistics for the titles table:
sp_flushstats titles
Usage • Some statistics in the systabstats table are updated in in-memory storage
locations and flushed to systabstats periodically, to reduce overhead and
contention on systabstats.
• If you query systabstats using SQL, executing sp_flushstats guarantees
that in-memory statistics are flushed to systabstats.
• The optdiag command always flushes in-memory statistics before
displaying output.
• The statistics in sysstatistics are changed only by data definition language
commands and do not require the use of sp_flushstats.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_flushstats.

sp_forceonline_db
Description Provides access to all the pages in a database that were previously marked
suspect by recovery.
Syntax sp_forceonline_db dbname,
{"sa_on" | "sa_off" | "all_users"}
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database to be brought online.
sa_on
allows only users with the sa_role access to the specified page.
sa_off
revokes access privileges created by a previous invocation of
sp_forceonline_page with sa_on.
all users
allows all users access to the specified page.
Examples Example 1 Allows the System Administrator access to all suspect pages in the
pubs2 database:
sp_forceonline_db pubs2, "sa_on"

Example 2 Revokes access to all suspect pages in the pubs2 database from the
System Administrator. Now, no one can access the suspect pages in pubs2:
sp_forceonline_db pubs2, "sa_off"
Example 3 Allows all users access to all pages in the pubs2 database:
sp_forceonline_db pubs2, "all_users"
Usage • A page that is forced online is not necessarily repaired. Corrupt pages can
also be forced online. Adaptive Server does not perform any consistency
checks on pages that are forced online.
• sp_forceonline_page with all users cannot be reversed. When pages have
been brought online for all users, you cannot take them offline again.
• sp_forceonline_db cannot be used in a transaction.
• To bring only specific offline pages online, use sp_forceonline_page.

Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_forceonline_db.
See also System procedures sp_forceonline_page, sp_listsuspect_db,
sp_listsuspect_page, sp_setsuspect_granularity, sp_setsuspect_threshold

sp_forceonline_object
sp_forceonline_object
Description Provides access to an index previously marked suspect by recovery.
Syntax sp_forceonline_object dbname, objname, indid,
{sa_on | sa_off | all_users} [, no_print]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database containing the index to be brought online.
objname
is the name of the table.
indid
is the index ID of the suspect index being brought online.
sa_on
allows only users with the sa_role to access the specified index.
sa_off
sp_forceonline_object with sa_on.
all_users
allows all users to access the specified index.
no_print
skips printing a list of other suspect objects after the specified object is
brought online.
Examples Example 1 Allows a System Administrator to access the index with indid 3 on
the titles table in the pubs2 database:
sp_forceonline_object pubs2, titles, 3 , sa_on
Example 2 Revokes access to the index from the System Administrator. Now,
no one has access to this index:
sp_forceonline_object pubs2, titles, 3, sa_off
Example 3 Allows all users to access the index on the titles table in the pubs2
database:
sp_forceonline_object pubs2, titles, 3, all_users
Usage • If an index on a data-only-locked table has suspect pages, the entire index
is taken offline during recovery. Offline indexes are not considered by the
query optimizer. Indexes on allpages-locked tables are not taken
completely offline during recovery; only individual pages of these indexes
are taken offline. These pages can be brought online with
sp_forceonline_page.

• Use sp_listsuspect_object to see a list of databases that are offline.

• To repair a suspect index, use sp_forceonline_object with sa_on access.
Then, drop and re-create the index.
Note If the index is on systabstats or sysstatistics (the only

data-only-locked system tables) call Sybase Technical Support for
assistance.
• sp_forceonline_object with all_users cannot be reversed. When an index

has been brought online for all users, you cannot take it offline again.
• An index that is forced online is not necessarily repaired. Corrupt indexes
can be forced online. Adaptive Server does not perform any consistency
checks on indexes that are forced online.
• sp_forceonline_object cannot be used in a transaction.
• sp_forceonline_object works only for databases in which the recovery fault

isolation mode is “page.” Use sp_setsuspect_granularity to display the
recovery fault isolation mode for a database.
• To bring all of a database’s offline pages and indexes online in a single
command, use sp_forceonline_db.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_forceonline_object.
See also Documents For more information on recovery fault isolation, see the System
System procedures sp_listsuspect_object, sp_setsuspect_granularity

sp_forceonline_page
sp_forceonline_page
Description Provides access to pages previously marked suspect by recovery.
Syntax sp_forceonline_page dbname, pgid,
{"sa_on" | "sa_off" | "all_users"}
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database containing the pages to be brought online.
pgid
is the page identifier of the page being brought online.
sa_on
allows only users with the sa_role access to the specified page.
sa_off
sp_forceonline_page with sa_on.
all_users
allows all users access to the specified page.
Examples Example 1 Allows a System Administrator access to page 312 in the pubs2
database:
sp_forceonline_page pubs2, 312, "sa_on"
Example 2 Revokes access to page 312 in the pubs2 database from the System
Administrator. Now, no one has access to this page:
sp_forceonline_page pubs2, 312, "sa_off"
Example 3 Allows all users access to page 312 in the pubs2 database:
sp_forceonline_page pubs2, 312, "all_users"
Usage • sp_forceonline_page with all_users cannot be reversed. When pages have
been brought online for all users, you cannot take them offline again.
• A page that is forced online is not necessarily repaired. Corrupt pages can
also be forced online. Adaptive Server does not perform any consistency
checks on pages that are forced online.
• sp_forceonline_page cannot be used in a transaction.
• sp_forceonline_page works only for databases in which the recovery fault

isolation mode is "page." Use sp_setsuspect_granularity to display the
recovery fault isolation mode for a database.
• To bring all of a database’s offline pages online in a single command, use
sp_forceonline_db.

Permissions Only a System Administrator can use sp_forceonline_page.

See also System procedures sp_forceonline_db, sp_listsuspect_db,
sp_listsuspect_page, sp_setsuspect_granularity, sp_setsuspect_threshold

sp_foreignkey
sp_foreignkey
Description Defines a foreign key on a table or view in the current database.
Syntax sp_foreignkey tabname, pktabname, col1 [, col2] ...
[, col8]
Parameters tabname
is the name of the table or view that contains the foreign key to be defined.
pktabname
is the name of the table or view that has the primary key to which the foreign
key applies. The primary key must already be defined.
col1
is the name of the first column that makes up the foreign key. The foreign
key must have at least one column and can have a maximum of eight
columns.
Examples Example 1 The primary key of the publishers table is the pub_id column. The
titles table also contains a pub_id column, which is a foreign key of publishers:
sp_foreignkey titles, publishers, pub_id

Example 2 The primary key of the parts table has been defined with
sp_primarykey as the partnumber and subpartnumber columns. The orders table
contains the columns part and subpart, which make up a foreign key of parts:
sp_foreignkey orders, parts, part, subpart
Usage • sp_foreignkey adds the key to the syskeys table. Keys make explicit a
logical relationship that is implicit in your database design.
• sp_foreignkey does not enforce referential integrity constraints; use the
foreign key clause of the create table or alter table command to enforce a
foreign key relationship.
• The number and order of columns that make up the foreign key must be
the same as the number and order of columns that make up the primary
key. The datatypes (and lengths) of the primary and foreign keys must
agree, but the null types need not agree.
• The installation process runs sp_foreignkey on the appropriate columns of
the system tables.
• To display a report on the keys that have been defined, execute sp_helpkey.
• You cannot use a Java datatype with sp_foreignkey.
Permissions Only the owner of the table or view can execute sp_foreignkey.

System procedures sp_commonkey, sp_dropkey, sp_helpjoins, sp_helpkey,

sp_primarykey

sp_freedll
sp_freedll
Description Unloads a dynamic link library (DLL) that was previously loaded into XP
Server memory to support the execution of an extended stored procedure
(ESP).
Syntax sp_freedll dll_name
Parameters dll_name
is the file name of the DLL being unloaded from XP Server memory.
Examples Unloads the sqlsrvdll.dll DLL:
sp_freedll "sqlsrvdll.dll"
Usage • sp_freedll cannot be executed from within a transaction.
• sp_freedll cannot free the DLL of a system ESP.
• An alternative to unloading a DLL explicitly, using sp_freedll, is to specify

that DLLs always be unloaded after the ESP request that invoked them
terminates. To do this, set the esp unload dll configuration parameter to 1
or start xpserver with the -u option.
• sp_freedll can be used to update an ESP function in a DLL without shutting
down XP Server or Adaptive Server.
• If you use sp_freedll to unload a DLL that is in use, sp_freedll will succeed,
causing the ESP currently using the DLL to fail.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_freedll.
See also System procedures sp_addextendedproc, sp_dropextendedproc,
sp_helpextendedproc

sp_getmessage
Description Retrieves stored message strings from sysmessages and sysusermessages for
print and raiserror statements.
Syntax sp_getmessage message_num, result output [, language]
is the number of the message to be retrieved.
result output
is the variable that receives the returned message text, followed by a space
and the keyword output. The variable must have a datatype of char, unichar,
nchar, varchar, univarchar, or nvarchar.
language
is the language of the message to be retrieved. language must be a valid
language name in syslanguages table. If you include language, the message
with the indicated message_num and language is retrieved. If you do not
include language, then the message for the default session language, as
indicated by the variable @@langid, is retrieved.
Examples Example 1 Retrieves message number 20001 from sysusermessages:
declare @myvar varchar(200)
exec sp_getmessage 20001, @myvar output
Example 2 Retrieves the French language version of message number 20010
from sysusermessages:
declare @myvar varchar(200)
exec sp_getmessage 20010, @myvar output, french
Usage • Any application can use sp_getmessage, and any user can read the
messages stored in sysmessages and sysusermessages.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_getmessage.
See also Commands print, raiserror
System procedures sp_addmessage, sp_dropmessage

sp_grantlogin
sp_grantlogin
Description Windows NT only Assigns Adaptive Server roles or default permissions to
Windows NT users and groups when Integrated Security mode or Mixed mode
(with Named Pipes) is active.
Syntax sp_grantlogin {login_name | group_name}
["role_list" | default]
Parameters login_name
is the network login name of the Windows NT user.
group_name
is the Windows NT group name.
role_list
is a list of the Adaptive Server roles granted. The role list can include one or
more of the following role names: sa_role, sso_role, oper_role. If you specify
more than one role, separate the role names with spaces, not commas.
default
specifies that the login_name or group_name receive default permissions
assigned with the grant statement or sp_role procedure.
Examples Example 1 Assigns the Adaptive Server oper_role to the Windows NT user
“jeanluc”:
sp_grantlogin jeanluc, oper_role
Example 2 Assigns the default value to the Windows NT user “valle”. User
“valle” receives any permissions that were assigned to her via the grant
command or sp_role procedure:
sp_grantlogin valle
Example 3 Assigns the Adaptive Server sa_role and sso_role to all members
of the Windows NT administrators group:
sp_grantlogin Administrators, "sa_role sso_role"
Usage • You must create the Windows NT login name or group before assigning
roles with sp_grantlogin. See your Windows NT documentation for details.
• sp_grantlogin is active only when Adaptive Server is running in Integrated
Security mode or Mixed mode when the connection is Named Pipes. If
Adaptive Server is running under Standard mode or Mixed mode with a
connection other than Named Pipes, use grant and sp_role instead.
• If you do not specify a role_list or default, the procedure automatically
assigns the default value.

• The default value does not indicate an Adaptive Server role. It specifies
that the user or group should receive any permissions that were assigned
to it via the grant command or sp_role procedure.
• Using sp_grantlogin with an existing login_name or group_name
overwrites the user’s or group’s existing roles.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_grantlogin.
See also Commands grant, setuser
System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_displaylogin, sp_droplogin,

sp_locklogin, sp_logininfo, sp_modifylogin, sp_revokelogin, sp_role

sp_ha_admin
sp_ha_admin
Description Performs administrative tasks on Adaptive Servers configured with Sybase
Failover in a high availability system. sp_ha_admin is installed with the
installhavss script on UNIX platforms or the insthasv script on Windows NT.
Syntax sp_ha_admnin [cleansessions | help]
Parameters cleansessions
removes old entries from syssessions. Old syssessions entries are typically
left behind because either Adaptive Server failed to clean up syssessions
during a reboot, or because a client failed to connect to Adaptive Server.
help
displays the syntax for sp_ha_admin.
Examples Example 1 Removes old entries from syssessions left by a client connection
that did not exit correctly:
sp_ha_admin cleansessions
(return status = 0)
Example 2 Displays the syntax for sp_ha_admin:
sp_ha_admin "help"
sp_ha_admin Usage: sp_ha_admin command [, option1 [,
option2]]
sp_ha_admin commands:
sp_ha_admin 'cleansessions'
sp_ha_admin 'help'
(return status = 0)
Usage • sp_ha_admin performs administrative tasks on Adaptive Server that are
configured for Sybase’s Failover in a high availability system.
sp_ha_admin is not installed using the installmaster script; instead, use the
installhavss script that installs and configures for Sybase’s Failover
(insthasv on Windows NT).
• sp_ha_admin returns a 0 if it successfully cleaned up syssessions, and
returns a 1 if it encounters an error.
• sp_ha_admin enters a message in the errorlog if it could not remove any
entries from syssessions (for example, if it could not get a lock on
syssessions).
• To view all the current entries in syssessions, enter:

select * from syssessions
Permissions Only the a System Administrator with the ha_role can execute sp_ha_admin.

sp_help
Description Reports information about a database object (any object listed in sysobjects)
and about system or user-defined datatypes. Column displays
optimistic_index_lock.
Syntax sp_help [objname]
Parameters objname
is the name of any object in sysobjects or any user-defined datatype or
system datatype in systypes. You cannot specify database names. objname
can include tables, views, stored procedures, logs, rules, defaults, triggers,
referential constraints, and check constraints, but refers to tables when you
enable optimistic_index_lock. Use owner names if the object owner is not the
user running the command and is not the Database Owner.
Examples Example 1 Displays a list of objects in sysobjects and displays each object’s
name, owner, and object type. Also displays a list of each user-defined datatype
in systypes, indicating the datatype name, storage type, length, null type,
default name, and rule name. Null type is 0 (null values not allowed) or 1 (null
values allowed):
sp_help
Example 2 Displays information about the publishers table. sp_help also lists
any attributes assigned to the specified table and its indexes, giving the
attribute’s class, name, integer value, character value, and comments. The
above example shows cache binding attributes for the publishers table:
sp_help publishers
Name Owner Object_Type
-------------------------- --------------------------- -----------
publishers dbo user table
(1 row affected)
Data_located_on_segment When_created
------------------------------ --------------------------
default Apr 25 2002 10:28AM
Column_name Type Length Prec Scale Nulls Default_name
Rule_name Access_Rule_name Identity
---------- ---- ------ ----- ----- ----- ----------- -----------
--------------- ------------------------------ --------
pub_id char 4 NULL NULL 0 NULL
pub_idrule NULL 0
pub_name varchar 40 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
city varchar 20 NULL NULL 1 NULL

sp_help
NULL NULL 0
state char 2 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
index_name index_description index_keys
index_max_rows_per_page index_fillfactor index_reservepagegap

index_created
----------- ---------------------------------- -----------------
-------------------------- -------------------- --------------------
pubind clustered, unique located on default pub_id
0 0 0
Apr 25 2002 10:28AM
(1 row affected)
keytype object related_object

object_keys related_keys
---------- ------------ ------------------
--------------------- ---------------------
primary publishers -- none --
pub_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, * *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *
foreign titles publishers
pub_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, pub_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, *
(1 row affected)
Object is not partitioned.
Lock scheme Allpages
The attribute 'exp_row_size' is not applicable to tables with allpages lock
scheme.
The attribute 'concurrency_opt_threshold' is not applicable to tables with
allpages lock scheme.
exp_row_size reservepagegap fillfactor max_rows_per_page identity_gap
------------ -------------- ---------- ----------------- ------------
0 0 0 0 0
-------------------------
0
Example 3 Displays information about a partitioned table (in this example, the
titles table was first altered to have four partitions):
sp_help titles
Name Owner Object_Type
-------------------------- --------------------------- -----------
titles dbo user table
(1 row affected)

------------------------------ --------------------------
default Apr 25 2002 10:28AM
Column_name Type Length Prec Scale Nulls Default_name
---------- ---- ------- ----- ----- ----- ------------
--------------- ------------------------------ --------
title_id tid 6 NULL NULL 0 NULL
title_idrule NULL 0
title varchar 80 NULL NULL 0 NULL
NULL NULL 0
type char 12 NULL NULL 0 typedflt
NULL NULL 0
pub_id char 4 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
price money 8 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
advance money 8 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
total_sales int 4 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
notes varchar 200 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
pubdate datetime 8 NULL NULL 0 datedflt
NULL NULL 0
contract bit 1 NULL NULL 0 NULL
NULL NULL 0
index_name index_description index_keys

index_created
----------- ---------------------------------- -----------------
----------------------- -------------------- -------------------
--------------
titleidind clustered, unique located on default title_id
Apr 25 2002 10:28AM
titleind nonclustered located on default title
Apr 25 2002 10:28AM
(2 rows affected)
keytype object related_object

object_keys related_keys
---------- ------------ ------------------
--------------------- ---------------------

sp_help
foreign roysched titles

title_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, * title_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, *
foreign salesdetail titles
title_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, * title_id, *, *, *, *, *, *,
foreign titleauthor titles
title_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, * title_id, *, *, *, *, *, *,
foreign titles publishers
pub_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, * pub_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, *
primary titles -- none --
title_id, *, *, *, *, *, *, * *, *, *, *, *, *, *, *
(1 row affected)
partitionid firstpage controlpage ptn_data_pages
----------- ----------- ---------- --------------
1 784 785 1
2 713 712 1
3 721 720 1
4 945 944 1
Partitions Average Pages Maximum Pages Minimum Pages Ratio (Max/Avg)
---------- ------------- -------------- ------- ----------
4 1 1 1 1.000000
Lock scheme Allpages
The attribute 'exp_row_size' is not applicable to tables with allpages lock
scheme.
The attribute 'concurrency_opt_threshold' is not applicable to tables with
allpages lock scheme.
exp_row_size reservepagegap fillfactor max_rows_per_page identity_gap
------------ -------------- ---------- ----------------- ------------
0 0 0 0 0
-------------------------
0
Example 4 Displays information about the trigger marytrig owned by user
“mary”. The quotes are needed, because the period is a special character:
sp_help "mary.marytrig"
Name Owner Object_type
------------ ------------------ ----------------
marytrig mary trigger
----------------------- --------------------------
not applicable Mar 20 2002 2:03PM
Example 5 Displays information about the system datatype money:

sp_help money
Type_name Storage_type Length Prec Scale Nulls Defaul_name
--------- ------------ ------- ----- ----- ----- ------------
--------- ---------------- --------
money money 8 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 0
Example 6 Displays information about the user-defined datatype identype.
The report indicates the base type from which the datatype was created,
whether it allows nulls, the names of any rules and defaults bound to the
datatype, and whether it has the IDENTITY property:
sp_help identype
Type_name Storage_type Length Prec Scale Nulls Defaul_name
--------- ------------ ------- ----- ----- ----- ------------
--------- ---------------- --------
identype numeric 4 NULL NULL 1 NULL
NULL NULL 1
Shows a new column, indicating whether optimistic index locking is enabled.
1 indicates that the option is enabled; 0 indicates that it is not.
sp_help "mytable"
------------
exp_row_sizereservepagegapfillfactormax_rows_per_page
------------------------------------------------------
1 0 0 0 0
concurrency_opt_thresholdoptimistic_index_lock
-------------------------------------------------
0 1
Usage • sp_help looks for an object in the current database only.
• sp_help follows the Adaptive Server rules for finding objects:
• If you do not specify an owner name, and you own an object with the
specified name, sp_help reports on that object.
• If you do not specify an owner name, and do not own an object of that
name, but the Database Owner does, sp_help reports on the Database
Owner’s object.

sp_help
• If neither you nor the Database Owner owns an object with the
specified name, sp_help reports an error condition, even if an object
with that name exists in the database for a different owner. Qualify
objects that are owned by database users other than yourself and the
Database Owner with the owner’s name, as shown in Example 4.
• If both you and the Database Owner own objects with the specified
name, and you want to access the Database Owner’s object, specify
the name in the format dbo.objectname.
• sp_help works on temporary tables if you issue it from tempdb.
• Columns with the IDENTITY property have an “Identity” value of 1;

others have an “Identity” value of 0. In example 2, there are no IDENTITY
columns.
• sp_help lists any indexes on a table, including indexes created by defining
unique or primary key constraints in the create table or alter table
statements. It also lists any attributes associated with those indexes.
However, sp_help does not describe any information about the integrity
constraints defined for a table. Use sp_helpconstraint for information
about any integrity constraints.
• sp_help displays the following new settings:
• The locking scheme, which can be set with create table and changed
with alter table
• The expected row size, which can be set with create table and changed
with sp_chgattribute
• The reserve page gap, which can be set with create table and changed
with sp_chgattribute
• The row lock promotion settings, which can be set or changed with
sp_setpglockpromote and dropped with sp_droprowlockpromote
• sp_help includes the report from sp_helpindex, which shows the order of
the keys used to create the index and the space management properties.
• When Component Integration Services is enabled, sp_help displays
information on the storage location of remote objects.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_help.
See also Documents sp_help reports information about SQLJ stored procedures and
SQLJ functions. See Java in Adaptive Server Enterprise for more information
about SQLJ routines.
Commands alter table, create table

System procedures sp_chgattribute, sp_droprowlockpromote,

sp_helpconstraint, sp_helpindex, sp_setpglockpromote

sp_helpartition
sp_helpartition
Description Lists the partition number, first page, control page, and number of data pages
and summary size information for each partition in a partitioned table.
Syntax sp_helpartition [table_name]
is the name of a partitioned table in the current database. If the table name is
not supplied, the owner, tables name, and number of partitions is printed for
all user tables in the database.
Examples Returns information about the partitions in sales:
sp_helpartition sales
partitionid firstpage controlpage ptn_data_pages
----------- ----------- ----------- --------------
1 313 314 4227
2 12802 12801 4285
3 25602 25601 4404
4 38402 38401 4523
5 51202 51201 4347
6 64002 64001 4285
(6 rows affected)
Partitions Average Pages Maximum Pages Minimum Pages Ratio (Max/Avg)
---------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ---------------
6 4345 4523 4227 1.040967
Usage • sp_helpartition lists the partition number, first page, control page, and
number of data pages for each partition in a partitioned table. The number
of pages per partition shows how evenly the data is distributed between
partitions.
The summary information display the number of partitions, the average
number of pages per partition, the minimum and maximum number of
pages, and the ratio between the average number of pages and the
maximum number. This ratio is used during query optimization. If the
ratio is 2 or greater (meaning that the maximum size is twice as large as
the average size), the optimizer chooses a serial query plan rather than a
parallel plan.

• Partitioning a table creates additional page chains. Use the partition clause
of the alter table command to partition a table. Each chain has its own last
page, which is available for concurrent insert operations. This improves
insert performance by reducing page contention. If the table is spread over
multiple physical devices, partitioning improves insert performance by
reducing I/O contention while Adaptive Server is flushing data from cache
to disk.
• Partitioning a table does not affect its performance for update or delete
commands.
• Use the unpartition clause of the alter table command to concatenate all
existing page chains.
• Neither partitioning nor unpartitioning a table moves existing data.
• To change the number of partitions in a table, first use the unpartition clause
of alter table to concatenate its page chains. Then use the partition clause of
alter table to repartition the table.
• sp_helpartition looks only in the current database for the table.
• Use sp_helpsegment to display the number of used and free pages on the
segment on where the partitioned table is stored.
Accuracy of results
• The values reported in the “data_pages” column may be greater than the
actual values. To determine whether the count is inaccurate, run
sp_statistics and sp_helpartition to compare the data page count. The count
provided by sp_statistics is always accurate.
If the page count reported by sp_statistics differs from the sum of the
partition pages reported by sp_helpartition by more then 5 percent, run one
of the following commands to update the partition statistics:
• dbcc checkalloc
• dbcc checkdb
• dbcc checktable
• update all statistics
• update partition statistics
Then, rerun sp_helpartition for an accurate report.

Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpartition.
See also Catalog system procedures sp_statistics

sp_helpartition
Commands alter table, insert

System procedures sp_helpsegment

sp_helpcache
Description Displays information about the objects that are bound to a data cache or the
amount of overhead required for a specified cache size.
Syntax sp_helpcache {cache_name | "cache_size[P|K|M|G]"}
Parameters cache_name
is the name of an existing data cache.
cache_size
specifies the size of the cache, specified by P for pages, K for kilobytes, M
for megabytes, or G for gigabytes. The default is K.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about items bound to pub_cache:
sp_helpcache pub_cache
Example 2 Shows the amount of overhead required to create an 80MB data
cache:
sp_helpcache "80M"
Example 3 Displays information about all caches and all items bound to them:
sp_helpcache
Usage • To see the size, status, and I/O size of all data caches on the server, use
sp_cacheconfig.
• When you configure data caches with sp_cacheconfig, all the memory that
you specify is made available to the data cache. Overhead for managing
the cache is taken from the default data cache. The sp_helpcache displays
the amount of memory required for a cache of the specified size.
• To bind objects to a cache, use sp_bindcache. To unbind a specific object
from a cache, use sp_unbindcache. To unbind all objects that are bound to
a specific cache, use sp_unbindcache_all.
• The procedure sp_cacheconfig configures data caches. The procedure
sp_poolconfig configures memory pools within data caches.
• sp_helpcache computes overhead accurately up to 74GB.
• Although you can still use sp_bindcache on a system tempdb, the binding
of the system tempdb is now non-dynamic. Until you restart the server, the
changes do not take effect, and sp_helpcache reports a status of “P” for
pending, unless you have explicitly bound the system tempdb to the
default data cache, in which case the status as “V” for valid, because by
default the system tempdb is already bound to the default datacache.

sp_helpcache
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpcache.

See also System procedures sp_bindcache, sp_cacheconfig, sp_poolconfig,

sp_helpconfig
Description Reports help information on configuration parameters.
Syntax sp_helpconfig "configname", ["size"]
is the configuration parameter being queried, or a non-unique parameter
fragment.
size
is the size of memory, specified by B (bytes), K (kilobytes), M (megabytes),
G (gigabytes), or P (pages). Used without the type of size specified, size
specifies the number of the entity being configured using this parameter, for
examples, locks, open indexes, and so on. size is ignored if configname is
not a unique parameter name.
Examples Example 1 Returns a report on all configuration options that start with “allow”:
sp_helpconfig "allow"
------------------------------ ------------ -----------
allow backward scans 1 1
allow nested triggers 1 1
allow procedure grouping 1 1
allow remote access 1 1
allow resource limits 0 0
allow sendmsg 0 0
allow sql server async i/o 1 1
allow updates to system tables 0 0
Example 2 Returns a report on how much memory is needed to create a

metadata cache for 421 object descriptors:
sp_helpconfig "open objects", "421"
number of open objects sets the maximum number of database objects that are
open at one time on SQL Server. The default run value is 500.
Minimum Value Maximum Value Default Value Current Value Memory Used
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
100 2147483647 500 500 243
Configuration parameter, 'number of open objects', will consume 207K of

memory if configured at 421.

sp_helpconfig
Example 3 Returns a report on how many database descriptors would fill a

1MB database cache:
sp_helpconfig "open databases", "1M"
number of open databases sets the maximum number of databases that can be
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
5 2147483647 12 12 433
Configuration parameter, 'number of open databases', can be configured to

28 to fit in 1M of memory.
Example 4 Returns a report on how many locks will use 512K of memory:
sp_helpconfig "number of locks", "512K"
number of locks sets the number of available locks. The default run value
is 5000.
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
1000 2147483647 5000 5000 528
Configuration parameter 'number of locks', can be configured to 4848 to fit

in 512K of memory.
Example 5 Returns a report on the status of the allow updates to system tables
configuration parameter:
sp_helpconfig "allow updates to system tables"
allow updates to system tables allows system tables to be updated directly.
The default is 0 (off).
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
0 1 0 0 0

Usage • sp_helpconfig reports help information on configuration parameters, such

as how much memory would be needed if the parameter were set to a
certain value. sp_helpconfig also displays the current setting, the amount
of memory used for that setting, the default value, and the minimum and
maximum settings.
Note The “maximum value” setting refers to the largest number that the
parameter’s datatype can accept, rather than to an actual configurable
value.
In many cases, the maximum allowable values for configuration
parameters are extremely high. The maximum value for your server is
usually limited by available memory and other resources, rather than by
configuration parameter limitations.
• If you use a nonunique parameter fragment for configname, sp_helpconfig

returns a list of matching parameters with their configured values and
current values. See Example 1.
Planning metadata cache configuration
• Use sp_helpconfig when you are planning a metadata cache configuration
for a server.
For example, suppose you were planning to move a database that
contained 2000 user indexes to a different server. To find how much
memory you would need to configure for that server so that it would
accommodate the database’s user indexes, enter the following command:
sp_helpconfig "open indexes", "2000"
number of open indexes sets the maximum number of indexes that can be
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
100 2147483647 500 500 208
Configuration parameter, ’number of open indexes’, will consume 829k of

memory if configured at 2000.
Alternatively, suppose you had 1MB of memory available for the index
cache, and you needed to know how many index descriptors it would
support. Run the following command:
sp_helpconfig "open indexes", "1M"
number of open indexes sets the maximum number of indexes that can be

sp_helpconfig
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
100 2147483647 500 500 208
Configuration parameter ’number of open indexes’, can be configured to

2461 to fit in 1M of memory.
Based on this output, if you have 1MB of memory, you can create an index
descriptor cache that can contain a maximum of 2461 index descriptors.
To create this cache, set the number of open indexes configuration
parameter as follows:
sp_configure "number of open indexes", 2461
Using sp_helpconfig with sybdiagdb (Sybase Technical Support only)
Note Sybase Technical Support may create the sybdiagdb database on your
system for debugging purposes. This database holds diagnostic configuration
data, and is for use by Sybase Technical Support only.
The following configname options have been added to sp_helpconfig for

Sybase Technical Support to use with the sybdiagdb database:
• number of ccbs – the number of configurable action point control blocks
available to aid debugging.
• caps per ccb – the maximum number of configurable action points that can
be configured at any one time within one configurable action point.
• average cap size – the estimated number of bytes of memory required to
store the information associated with a typical configurable action point.
For example:
sp_helpconfig "number of ccbs"
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
0 100 0 0 0
sp_helpconfig "caps per ccb"

------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
5 500 50 50 0

sp_helpconfig "average cap size"

------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -----------
100 10000 200 200 0
Permissions The options specified in “Using sp_helpconfig with sybdiagdb (Sybase

Technical Support only)” on page 272 can be used only by Sybase Technical
Support. Any user can execute sp_helpconfig with other configname options.
See also System procedures sp_configure, sp_countmetadata, sp_monitorconfig

sp_helpconstraint
sp_helpconstraint
Description Reports information about integrity constraints used in the specified tables.
Syntax sp_helpconstraint [objname] [, detail]
Parameters objname
is the name of a table that has one or more integrity constraints defined by a
detail
returns information about the constraint’s user or error messages.
Examples Example 1 Displays the constraint information for the store_employees table
in the pubs3 database. The store_employees table has a foreign key to the stores
table (stor_id) and a self-reference (mgr_id references emp_id):
sp_helpconstraint store_employees
name defn
--------------------------- --------------------------------
store_empl_stor_i_272004000 store_employees FOREIGN KEY
(stor_id) REFERENCES stores(stor_id)
store_empl_mgr_id_288004057 store_employees FOREIGN KEY
(mgr_id) SELF REFERENCES
store_employees(emp_id)
store_empl_2560039432 UNIQUE INDEX( emp_id) :
NONCLUSTERED, FOREIGN REFERENCE
(3 rows affected)
Total Number of Referential Constraints: 2
Details:
-- Number of references made by this table: 2
-- Number of references to this table: 1
-- Number of self references to this table: 1
Formula for Calculation:

Total Number of Referential Constraints
= Number of references made by this table
+ Number of references made to this table
- Number of self references within this table
Example 2 Displays more detailed information about the pubs3..salesdetail
constraints, including the constraint type and any constraint error messages:
sp_helpconstraint titles, detail
name type

defn
msg
------------------------------ ------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
datedflt default value
create default datedflt as getdate()
typedflt default value

create default typedflt as "UNDECIDED"
titles_pub_id_96003373 referential constraint

titles FOREIGN KEY (pub_id) REFERENCES publishers(pub_id)
standard system error message number : 547
roysched_title__144003544 referential constraint

roysched FOREIGN KEY (title_id) REFERENCES titles(title_id)
salesdetai_title__368004342 referential constraint

salesdetail FOREIGN KEY (title_id) REFERENCES titles(title_id)
titleautho_title__432004570 referential constraint

titleauthor FOREIGN KEY (title_id) REFERENCES titles(title_id)
titles_800033162 unique constraint

UNIQUE INDEX ( title_id) : NONCLUSTERED, FOREIGN REFERENCE
(7 rows affected)
Total Number of Referential Constraints: 4
Details:
-- Number of references made by this table: 1
-- Number of references to this table: 3
-- Number of self references to this table: 0
Formula for Calculation:

Total Number of Referential Constraints
= Number of references made by this table
+ Number of references made to this table
- Number of self references within this table.
Example 3 Displays a listing of all tables in the pubs3 database:

sp_helpconstraint
sp_helpconstraint
id name Num_referential_constraints
----------- ------------------------ ---------------------------
80003316 titles 4
16003088 authors 3
176003658 stores 3
256003943 salesdetail 3
208003772 sales 2
336004228 titleauthor 2
896006223 store_employees 2
48003202 publishers 1
128003487 roysched 1
400004456 discounts 1
448004627 au_pix 1
496004798 blurbs 1
(11 rows affected)

Usage • sp_helpconstraint prints the name and definition of the integrity constraint,
and the number of references used by the table. The detail option returns
information about the constraint’s user or error messages.
• Running sp_helpconstraint with no parameters lists all the tables
containing references in the current database, and displays the total
number of references in each table. sp_helpconstraint lists the tables in
descending order, based on the number of references in each table.
• sp_helpconstraint reports only the integrity constraint information about a
table (defined by a create table or alter table statement). It does not report
information about rules, triggers, or indexes created using the create index
statement. Use sp_help to see information about rules, triggers, and
indexes for a table.
• For constraints that do not have user-defined messages, Adaptive Server
reports the system error message associated with the constraint. Query
sysmessages to obtain the actual text of that error message.
• You can use sp_helpconstraint only for tables in the current database.
• If a query exceeds the configured number of auxiliary scan descriptors,
Adaptive Server returns an error message. You can use sp_helpconstraint
to determine the necessary number of scan descriptors. See the System
Administration Guide or more information on the number of aux scan
descriptors configuration parameter.

• A System Security Officer can prevent the source text of constraint

definitions from being displayed to most users who execute
sp_helpconstraint. To restrict select permission on the text column of the
syscomments table to the object owner or a System Administrator, use
sp_configure to set the select on syscomments.text column parameter to 0.
This restriction is required to run Adaptive Server in the evaluated
configuration. See the System Administration Guide for more information
about the evaluated configuration.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpconstraint.
See also Commands alter table, create table
System procedures sp_configure, sp_help, sp_helpdb, sp_monitorconfig

sp_helpdb
sp_helpdb
Description Reports information about a particular database or about all databases.
Displays a column for Asynchronous Log Service (ALS).
Syntax sp_helpdb [dbname]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database on which to report information. Without this
optional parameter, sp_helpdb reports on all databases. dbname can include
wildcard characters to return all databases that match the specified pattern.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about all the databases in Adaptive Server:
sp_helpdb
name db_size owner dbid created status
-------------- -------- ----- ---- -------------- ------------------
master 5.0 MB sa 1 Jan 01, 1900 no options set
model 2.0 MB sa 3 Jan 01, 1900 no options set
pubs2 2.0 MB sa 6 Sep 20, 1995 no options set
sybsystemprocs 16.0 MB sa 4 Sep 20, 1995 trunc log on chkp
tempdb 2.0 MB sa 2 Sep 20, 1995 select into/bulkcopy
Example 2 Issued from within pubs2, displays information about the pubs2
database, and includes segment information:
sp_helpdb pubs2
----- ------- ----- ---- ------------ ----------------------
pubs2 2.0 MB sa 4 Mar 05, 1993 abort tran when log full
device_fragments size usage free kbytes
----------------- ------ ------------ -------------
master 2.0 MB data and log 576
device segment
------------------------------ ------------------------------
master default
master logsegment
master system
name attribute_class attribute int_value char_value comments
------- --------------- ------------- --------- ----------- --------
pubs2 buffer manager cache binding 1 pubs2_cache NULL
Example 3 Not issued from within pubs2, displays information about the
pubs2 database:
sp_helpdb pubs2

----- ------- ----- ---- ------------ ----------------------

pubs2 2.0 MB sa 4 Mar 05, 1993 abort tran when log full
device_fragments size usage free kbytes
----------------- ------ ------------ -------------
master 2.0 MB data and log 576
name attribute_class attribute int_value char_value comments
------- --------------- ------------- --------- ----------- --------
pubs2 buffer manager cache binding 1 pubs2_cache NULL
Example 4 Displays the row lock promotion attributes set for the pubtune
database:
sp_helpdb pubtune
name attribute_class
attribute int_value
char_value
comments
-----------------------------------------------------------
pubtune lock strategy
row lock promotion NULL
PCT = 95, LWM = 300, HWM = 300
Example 5 Shows the advanced log service column in the output for
sp_helpdb.
sp_helpdb "mydb"
------------
--------------------------------------------------
mydb 3.0MB sa 2 June 09, 2002 trunc log on chkpt
attribute
---------
async log serv
See Chapter 2, “Advanced Optmizing Tools” in Performance and Tuning:
Optimizer guide for more information about advanced log service.
Example 6 Displays whether or not a database is a user-created temporary
database under the status column:
sp_helpdb "mytempdb3"
------- ------- ----- ---- ------- -----
mytempdb 32.0 MB sa 7 Dec 12, 2001 select into/bulkcopy/pllsort,

sp_helpdb
trunc
log on chkpt, user created temp
db
Usage • sp_helpdb reports on the specified database when dbname is given. If no

value is supplied for dbname, sp_helpdb reports on all the databases listed
in master.dbo.sysdatabases.
• For log segment disk pieces in a dedicated log database, sp_helpdb issues
"not applicable" for the free space field in its per-disk-piece repor.
sp_helpdb also includes a column titled free pages, which is the value for
the number of free pages the log segment has.
• dbname can include wildcard characters to return all databases that match
the specified pattern. See Chapter 4, “Expressions, Identifiers, and
Wildcard Characters” in Reference Manual: Building Blocks for details
about using wildcard characters.
• Executing sp_helpdb dbname from dbname includes free space and
segment information in the report.
• sp_helpdb displays information about a database’s attributes, giving the
attribute’s class, name, integer value, character value, and comments, if
any attributes are defined. Example 3 shows cache binding attributes for
the pubs2 database.
• sp_helpdb reports if a database is offline.
• sp_helpdb reports row lock promotion thresholds, if any are defined for the
database.
• A database created with the for load option has a status of “don’t recover”
in the output from sp_helpdb.
• When Component Integration Services is enabled, sp_helpdb lists the
default storage location for the specified database or all databases. If there
is no default storage location, the display indicates “NULL”.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpdb.
See also Commands alter database, create database
System procedures sp_configure, sp_dboption, sp_rename

sp_helpdevice
Description Reports information about a particular device or about all Adaptive Server
database devices and dump devices.
Syntax sp_helpdevice [devname]
Parameters devname
is the name of the device about which to report information. If you omit this
parameter, sp_helpdevice reports on all devices.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about all the devices on Adaptive Server:
sp_helpdevice
device_name physical_name description
----------- -------------- -------------------------------------------
diskdump null disk, dump device
master d_master special, default disk, dsync on,physical
disk, 10 MB
status cntrltype device_number low high
------ ---------- ------------- ---- -----
16 2 0 0 20000
3 0 0 0 5120
Example 2 Reports information about the dump device named diskdump:

sp_helpdevice diskdump
Usage • sp_helpdevice displays information on the specified device, when
devname is given, or on all devices in master.dbo.sysdevices, when no
argument is given.
• The sysdevices table contains dump devices and database devices.
Database devices can be designated as default devices, which means that
they can be used for database storage. This can occur when a user issues
create database or alter database and does not specify a database device
name or gives the keyword default. To make a database device a default
database device, execute the system procedure sp_diskdefault.
• Add database devices to the system with disk init. Add dump devices with
sp_addumpdevice.
• The number in the “status” column corresponds to the status description in

the “description” column.

sp_helpdevice
The “cntrltype” column specifies the controller number of the device. The
“cntrltype” is 2 for disk or file dump devices and 3–8 for tape dump
devices. For database devices, the “cntrltype” is usually 0 (unless your
installation has a special type of disk controller).
The “device_number” column is 0 for dump devices, 0 for the master
database device, and between 1 and 255 for other database devices.
sp_helpdevice may report erroneous negative numbers for device numbers
greater than 126.
The “low” and “high” columns represent virtual page numbers, each of
which is unique among all the devices in Adaptive Server.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpdevice.
See also Commands disk init, dump database, dump transaction, load database, load
transaction
System procedures sp_addumpdevice, sp_deviceattr, sp_diskdefault,
sp_dropdevice, sp_logdevice

sp_helpextendedproc
Description Displays extended stored procedures (ESPs) in the current database, along with
their associated DLL files.
Syntax sp_helpextendedproc [esp_name]
Parameters esp_name
is the name of the extended stored procedure. It must be a procedure in the
current database.
Examples Example 1 Lists the xp_cmdshell ESP and the name of the DLL file in which
its function is stored:
use sybsystemprocs
go
sp_helpextendedproc xp_cmdshell
ESP Name DLL Name
----------- ----------
xp_cmdshell sybsyesp
Example 2 Lists all the ESPs in the current database, along with the names of
the DLL files in which their functions are stored:
sp_helpextendedproc
ESP Name DLL Name
----------- ----------
xp_freedl sybsyesp
xp_cmdshell sybsyesp
Usage • If the esp_name is omitted, sp_helpextendedproc lists all the extended
stored procedures in the database.
• The esp_name is case sensitive. It must match the esp_name used to create
the ESP.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_helpextendedproc to see all the
ESPs in the database. All users can execute sp_helpextendedproc to see ESPs
owned by themselves or by the Database Owner.
See also Commands create procedure, drop procedure
Extended system procedure xp_cmdshell

System procedures sp_addextendedproc, sp_dropextendedproc

sp_helpexternlogin
sp_helpexternlogin
Description Component Integration Services only Reports information about external
login names.
Syntax sp_helpexternlogin [remote_server] [, login_name] [, role_name]
is the name of the remote server that has been added to the local server with
sp_addserver.
login_name
is a login account on the local server.
role_name
is the Adaptive Server user’s assigned role.
Examples Example 1 Displays all remote servers, local login names, role names, and
external logins:
sp_helpexternlogin
Example 2 Displays local login names, role names, and external logins for the
server named SSB:
sp_helpexternlogin SSB
Example 3 Displays remote servers, local login names and external logins for
the user named “milo”:
sp_helpexternlogin NULL, milo
Example 4 Displays external logins for remote server SSB where the local
user name is “trixi”:
sp_helpexternlogin SSB, trixi
Example 5 Displays external logins for remote server SSB for local users with
sa_role:
sp_helpexternlogin SSB, NULL, sa_role
Usage • sp_helpexternlogin displays all remote servers, the user’s local login name,
role name, and the user’s external login name.
• Add remote servers with sp_addserver. Add local logins with sp_addlogin.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpexternlogin.
See also System procedures sp_addexternlogin, sp_addlogin, sp_addserver,
sp_dropexternlogin, sp_helpserver

sp_helpgroup
Description Reports information about a particular group or about all groups in the current
database.
Syntax sp_helpgroup [grpname]
Parameters grpname
is the name of a group in the database created with sp_addgroup.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about all groups in the current database:
sp_helpgroup
Group_name Group_id
--------------- --------
hackers 16384
public 0:
Example 2 Displays information about the group “hackers”:
sp_helpgroup hackers
Group_name Group_id Users_in_group Userid
----------- --------- -------------- ------
hackers 16384 ann 4
hackers 16384 judy 3
Usage • To get a report on the default group, “public,” enclose the name “public”
in single or double quotes (“public” is a reserved word).
• If there are no members in the specified group, sp_helpgroup displays the
header, but lists no users, as follows:
Group_name Group_id Users_in_group Userid
----------- --------- -------------- ------
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpgroup.
System procedures sp_addgroup, sp_changegroup, sp_dropgroup,

sp_helprotect, sp_helpuser

sp_helpindex
sp_helpindex
Description Reports information about the indexes created on a table.
Syntax sp_helpindex objname
Parameters objname
is the name of a table in the current database.
Examples Example 1 Displays the types of indexes on the sysobjects table:
sp_helpindex sysobjects
index_name index_description
index_keys
-------------------- --------------------------------------------------
----------------------- ---------------- --------------------
sysobjects clustered, unique located on system
id
0 0 0
ncsysobjects nonclustered, unique located on system
name,uid
0 0 0
Example 2 The index on publ_ix was created with pub_id in ascending order
and pubdate in descending order:
sp_helpindex titles
index_name index_description
index_keys
---------------- ------------------------------------------------
title_id_ix nonclustered, unique located on default
title_id
0 0 0
publ_ix nonclustered located on default
pub_id, pubdate DESC
0 0 8
title_ix clustered, allow duplicate rows located on default
title
0 90 0
Usage • sp_helpindex lists any indexes on a table, including indexes created by

defining unique or primary key constraints defined by a create table or alter
table statement.

• sp_helpindex displays any attributes (for example, cache bindings)

assigned to the indexes on a table.
• sp_helpindex displays:
• The max_rows_per_page setting of the indexes.

• Information about clustered indexes on data-only locked tables
The index ID (indid) of a clustered index in data-only locked tables is
not equal to 1.
• The column order of the keys, to indicate whether they are in
ascending or descending order.
• Space manage property values.
• The key column name followed by the order. Only descending order
is displayed. For example, if there is an index on column a ASC, b
DESC, c ASC, “index_keys” shows “a, b DESC, c”.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpindex.
See also Commands create index, drop index, update statistics
System procedures sp_help, sp_helpkey

sp_helpjava
sp_helpjava
Description Displays information about Java classes and associated JARs that are installed
in the database.
Syntax sp_helpjava ["class" [, java_class_name [, “detail” | “depends” ] ] |
"jar" [, jar_name [, “depends” ] ] ]
Parameters "class" | "jar"
specifies whether to display information about a class or a JAR. Both “class”
and “jar” are keywords, so the quotes are required.
java_class_name
the name of the class about which you want information. The class must be
a system class or a user-defined class that is installed in the database.
detail
specifies that you want to see detailed information about the class.
depends
lists all the database objects that depend on the specified class or classes in
the JAR, including SQLJ functions, SQLJ stored procedures, views,
Transact-SQL stored procedures, and tables.
jar_name
the name of the JAR for which you want to see information. The JAR must
be installed in the database using installjava.
Examples Example 1 Displays the names of all classes and associated JAR files installed
in the database:
sp_helpjava
Example 2 Displays the name of all classes:
sp_helpjava "class"
Example 3 Displays detailed information about the Address class:
sp_helpjava "class", Address, detail
Class
--------------------------------------------------
Address
(1 row affected)
Class Modifiers
--------------------------------------------------
public synchronized
Implemented Interfaces

--------------------------------------------------
java.io.Serializable
Extended Superclass
--------------------------------------------------
java.lang.Object
Constructors
--------------------------------------------------
public Address()
public Address(java.lang.String,java.lang.String)
Methods
--------------------------------------------------
public final native java.lang.Class java.lang.Object.getClass()
public native int java.lang.Object.hashCode()
public boolean java.lang.Object.equals(java.lang.Object)
public java.lang.String java.lang.Object.toString()
public final native void java.lang.Object.notify()
public final native void java.lang.Object.notifyAll()
public final native void java.lang.Object.wait(long) throws
java.lang.InterruptedException
public final void java.lang.Object.wait(long,int) throws
public final void java.lang.Object.wait() throws
public java.lang.String Address.display()
public void Address.removeLeadingBlanks()
Fields
--------------------------------------
public java.lang.String Address.street
public java.lang.String Address.zip
Usage • The depends parameter lists dependencies of a class or classes if the class
is listed in the external name clause of a create statement for a SQLJ
routine or is used as a datatype of a column in the database.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpjava.
See also Documents See Java in Adaptive Server Enterprise for more information
about Java in the database.
Commands remove java
Utilities extractjava, installjava

sp_helpjoins
sp_helpjoins
Description Lists the columns in two tables or views that are likely join candidates.
Syntax sp_helpjoins lefttab, righttab
Parameters lefttab
is the first table or view.
righttab
is the second table or view. The order of the parameters does not matter.
Examples Example 1 Displays a list of columns that are likely join candidates in the sales
and salesdetail tables:
sp_helpjoins sales, salesdetail
a1 a2 b1 b2 c1 c2
d1 d2 e1 e2f2 f1
g1 g2 h1 h2
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
-------- -------- -------- --------
stor_id stor_id ord_num ord_num NULL NULL
NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL
NULL NULL NULL NULL
Example 2 Displays a list of columns that are likely join candidates in the
sysobjects and syscolumns system tables:
sp_helpjoins sysobjects, syscolumns
a1 a2 b1 b2 c1 c2 d1 d2 e1 e2
f1 f2 g1 g2 h1 h2
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
id id NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL
NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL
Usage • The column pairs that sp_helpjoins displays come from either of two
sources. sp_helpjoins checks the syskeys table in the current database to
see if any foreign keys have been defined with sp_foreignkey on the two
tables, then checks to see if any common keys have been defined with
sp_commonkey on the two tables. If sp_helpjoins does not find any foreign
keys or common keys there, it checks for keys with the same user-defined
datatypes. If that fails, it checks for columns with the same name and
datatype.
• sp_helpjoins does not create any joins.

Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpjoins.

See also System procedures sp_commonkey, sp_foreignkey, sp_helpkey,
sp_primarykey

sp_helpkey
sp_helpkey
Description Reports information about a primary, foreign, or common key of a particular
table or view, or about all keys in the current database.
Syntax sp_helpkey [tabname]
Parameters tabname
is the name of a table or view in the current database. If you do not specify
a name, the procedure reports on all keys defined in the current database.
Examples Displays information about the keys defined in the current database. The
“object_keys” and “related_keys” columns refer to the names of the columns
that make up the key:
sp_helpkey
keytype object related_object object_keys related_keys
------- ------- -------------- --------------- --------------
primary authors -- none -- au_id,*,*,*,*,*,*,* *,*,*,*,*,*,*,*
foreign titleauthor authors au_id,*,*,*,*,*,*,* au_id,*,*,*,*,*,
*,*
Usage • sp_helpkey lists information about all primary, foreign, and common key
definitions that reference the table tabname or, if tabname is omitted,
about all the keys in the database. Define these keys with the
sp_primarykey, sp_foreignkey, and sp_commonkey system procedures.
• sp_helpkey does not provide information about the unique or primary key
integrity constraints defined by a create table statement. Use
sp_helpconstraint to determine what constraints are defined for a table.
• Create keys to make explicit a logical relationship that is implicit in your

database design so that applications can use the information.
• If you specify an object name, sp_helpkey follows the Adaptive Server
rules for finding objects:
• If you do not specify an owner name, and you own an object with the
specified name, sp_helpkey reports on that object.
• If you do not specify an owner name, and you do not own an object of
that name, but the Database Owner does, sp_helpkey reports on the
Database Owner’s object.
• If neither you nor the Database Owner owns an object with the
specified name, sp_helpkey reports an error condition, even if an
object with that name exists in the database for a different owner.

• If both you and the Database Owner own objects with the specified
name, and you want to access the Database Owner’s object, specify
the name in the form dbo.objectname.
• Qualify objects that are owned by database users other than yourself and
the Database Owner with the owner’s name, as in “mary.myproc”.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpkey.
See also Commands create trigger
System procedures sp_commonkey, sp_foreignkey, sp_primarykey

sp_helplanguage
sp_helplanguage
Description Reports information about a particular alternate language or about all
languages.
Syntax sp_helplanguage [language]
Parameters language
is the name of the alternate language you want information about.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about the alternate language, “french”:
sp_helplanguage french
langid dateformat datefirst upgrade name
alias
months
shortmonths
days
------ ---------- --------- ----------- -----------------------
----------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
1 dmy 1 0 french
french
janvier,février,mars,avril,mai,juin,juillet,août,septembre,
octobre,novembre,décembre
jan,fév,mar,avr,mai,jui,juil,aoû,sep,oct,nov,déc
lundi,mardi,mercredi,jeudi,vendredi,samedi,dimanche
Example 2 Displays information about all installed alternate languages:
sp_helplanguage
Usage • sp_helplanguage reports on a specified language, when the language is
given, or on all languages in master.dbo.syslanguages, when no language
is supplied.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helplanguage.
See also System procedures sp_addlanguage, sp_droplanguage, sp_setlangalias

sp_helplog
Description Reports the name of the device that contains the first page of the transaction
log.
Syntax sp_helplog
Parameters None.
Examples sp_helplog
In database 'master', the log starts on device 'master'.
Usage • sp_helplog displays the name of the device that contains the first page of
the transaction log in the current database.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helplog.
See also Commands alter database, create database
System procedures sp_helpdevice, sp_logdevice

sp_helpobjectdef
sp_helpobjectdef
Description Component Integration Services only Reports owners, objects, and type
information for remote object definitions.
Syntax sp_helpobjectdef [object_name]
is the name of the object as it is defined in the sysattributes table. The
object_name can be in any of the following forms:
• dbname.owner.object
• dbname..object
• owner.object
• object
dbname and owner are optional. object is required. If owner is not supplied,
the owner defaults to the current user name. If dbname is supplied, it must
be the current database, and owner must be supplied or marked with the
placeholder dbname..object. Enclose a multipart object_name in quotes.
Examples Example 1 Displays all remote object definitions in the current database:
sp_helpobjectdef
Example 2 Displays remote object definitions for the tb1 table owned by the
Database Owner:
sp_helpobjectdef "dbo.tb1"
Usage • If no object_name is supplied, sp_helpobjectdef displays all remote object
definitions.
• A server name is not permitted in the object_name parameter.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpobjectdef.
See also Commands create table, create existing table, drop table
System procedures sp_addobjectdef, sp_dropobjectdef, sp_helpserver

sp_help_qpgroup
Description Reports information on an abstract plan group.
Syntax sp_help_qpgroup [ group [, mode ]]
Parameters group
is the name of an abstract plan group.
mode
is the type of report to print, one of the following:
Mode Information returned
full The number of rows and number of plans in the group, the number of plans that use two or more rows,
the number of rows and plan IDs for the longest plans, and number of hash keys and hash key collision
information. This is the default report mode.
stats All of the information from the “full” report, except hash key information.
hash The number of rows and number of abstract plans in the group, the number of hash keys, and hash-key
collision information.
list The number of rows and number of abstract plans in the group, and the following information for each
query/plan pair: hash key, plan ID, first few characters of the query, and the first few characters of the
plan.
queries The number of rows and number of abstract plans in the group, and the following information for each
query: hash key, plan ID, first few characters of the query.
plans The number of rows and number of abstract plans in the group, and the following information for each
plan: hash key, plan ID, first few characters of the plan.
counts The number of rows and number of abstract plans in the group, and the following information for each
plan: number of rows, number of characters, hash key, plan ID, first few characters of the query.
Examples Example 1 Reports summary information about all abstract plan groups in the
database:
sp_help_qpgroup
Group GID Plans
----------------------- ----------- -----------
ap_stdin 1 0
ap_stdout 2 0
dev_test 3 209
Example 2 Reports on the test_plans group:

sp_help_qpgroup test_plans
Query plans group ’test_plans’, GID 8
Total Rows Total QueryPlans

sp_help_qpgroup
----------- ----------------
6 3
sysqueryplans rows consumption, number of query plans
per row count
Rows Plans
----------- -----------
2 3
Hashkeys
-----------
3
There is no hash key collision in this group.
Usage • When used with an abstract plan group name, and no mode parameter, the
default mode for sp_help_qpgroup is full.
• Hash-key collisions indicate that more than one plan for a particular user
has the same hash-key value. When there are hash key collisions, the query
text of each query with the matching hash key must be compared to the
user’s query text in order to identify the matching query, so performance
is slightly degraded.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_help_qpgroup.
See also System procedures sp_help_qplan

sp_help_qplan
Description Reports information about an abstract plan.
Syntax sp_help_qplan id [, mode ]
Parameters id
is the ID of the abstract plan.
mode
is the type of report to print, one of the following:
mode Information returned
full The plan ID, group ID, and hash key, and the full query and plan text.
brief The same as full, but only prints about 80 characters of the query and
plan, rather than the full query and plan. This is the default mode.
list The hash key, ID, and first 20 characters of the query and plan.
Examples Example 1 Prints the brief abstract plan report:

sp_help_qplan 800005881
gid hashkey id
----------- ----------- -----------
5 2054169974 937054374
query
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
select type, avg(price) from titles group by type
plan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
( plan
( store Worktab1
( i_scan type_price titles )
)
( t_scan ( ...
Example 2 Prints the full abstract plan report:
sp_help_qplan 784005824, full
Usage • If you do not supply a value for the mode parameter, the default is brief.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_help_qplan to see the abstract plan of a query that he
or she owns. Only the System Administrator and the Database Owner can
display an abstract plan owned by another user.
See also System procedures sp_find_qplan, sp_help_qpgroup

sp_helpremotelogin
sp_helpremotelogin
Description Reports information about a particular remote server’s logins or about all
remote server logins.
Syntax sp_helpremotelogin [remoteserver [, remotename]]
is the name of the server about which to report remote login information.
remotename
is the name of a particular remote user on the remote server.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about all the remote users of the remote
server GATEWAY:
sp_helpremotelogin GATEWAY
Example 2 Displays information about all the remote users of all the remote
servers known to the local server:
sp_helpremotelogin
Usage • sp_helpremotelogin reports on the remote logins for the specified server,
when remoteserver is given, or on all servers, when no parameter is
supplied.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpremotelogin.
See also System procedures sp_addremotelogin, sp_dropremotelogin, sp_helpserver

sp_help_resource_limit
Description Reports on resource limits.
Syntax sp_help_resource_limit [name [, appname [, limittime
[, limitday [, scope [, action]]]]]]
Parameters name
is the Adaptive Server login to which the limits apply. For information about
limits that govern a particular login, specify the login name. For information
about limits without regard to login, specify null.
Note If you are not a System Administrator, specify your own login, or a login
of NULL, to display information about the resource limits that apply to you.
appname
is the name of the application to which the limit applies. For information
about limits that govern a particular application, specify the application
name that the client program passes to the Adaptive Server in the login
packet. For information about limits without regard to application, specify
null.
limittime
is the time during which the limit is enforced. For information about limits
in effect at a given time, specify the time, with a value between “00:00” and
“23:59”, using the following form:
"HH:MM"
For information about limits without regard to time, specify null.
limitday
is any day on which the limit is enforced. For information about resource
limits in effect on a given day of the week, specify the full weekday name
for the default server language, as stored in the syslanguages system table of
the master database. For information about limits without regard to the days
on which they are enforced, specify null.
scope
is the scope of the limit. Specify one of the following:
Scope code For help on all limits that govern
1 Queries
2 Query batches (one or more SQL statements sent by the client to the server)
4 Transactions
6 Both query batches and transactions

Scope code For help on all limits that govern

NULL The specified name, appname, limittime, limitday, and action, without regard to their scope
action
is the action to take when the limit is exceeded. Specify one of the following:
Action code For help on all limits that
1 Issue a warning
2 Abort the query batch
3 Abort the transaction
4 Kill the session
NULL Govern the specified name, appname, limittime, limitday, and scope, without regard to the action
they take
Examples Example 1 Lists all resource limits stored in the sysresourcelimits system table:
Example 2 Lists all limits for the user “joe_user”:
sp_help_resource_limit joe_user
Example 3 Lists all limits for the application my_app:
sp_help_resource_limit NULL, my_app
Example 4 Lists all limits enforced at 9:00 a.m.:
sp_help_resource_limit NULL, NULL, "09:00"
Example 5 An alternative way of listing the limits enforced at 9:00 a.m.:
sp_help_resource_limit @limittype = "09:00"
Example 6 Lists all limits enforced on Mondays:
sp_help_resource_limit NULL, NULL, NULL, Monday
Example 7 Lists any limit in effect for “joe_user” on Mondays at 9:00 a.m.:
sp_help_resource_limit joe_user, NULL, "09:00", Monday
Usage • sp_help_resource_limit reports on all resource limits, limits for a given
login or application, limits in effect at a given time or day of the week, or
limits with a given scope or action.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_help_resource_limit to list his or her own resource
limits. Only a System Administrator can execute sp_help_resource_limit to list
limits that apply to other users.

resource limits.
System procedures sp_add_resource_limit, sp_drop_resource_limit,
sp_modify_resource_limit

sp_helprotect
sp_helprotect
Description Reports on permissions for database objects, users, groups, or roles.
Syntax sp_helprotect [name [, username [, "grant"
[,"none"|"granted"|"enabled"|role_name]]]]
Parameters name
is either the name of the table, view, stored procedure, SQLJ stored
procedure, SQLJ function, or the name of a user, user-defined role, or group
in the current database. If you do not provide a name, sp_helprotect reports
on all permissions in the database.
username
is a user’s name in the current database.
grant
displays the privileges granted to name with grant option.
none
ignores roles granted to the user when determining permissions granted.
granted
includes information on all roles granted to the user when determining
permissions granted.
enabled
includes information on all roles activated by the user when determining
permissions granted.
role_name
displays permission information for the specified role only, regardless of
whether this role has been granted to the user.
Examples Example 1 This series of grant and revoke statements, executing sp_helprotect
titles results in this display:
grant select on titles to judy

grant update on titles to judy
revoke update on titles(price) from judy
grant select on publishers to judy
with grant option
grantor grantee type action object column grantable
------- ------ ----- ------ ------ ------ ---------
dbo judy Grant Select titles All FALSE
dbo judy Grant Update titles advance FALSE
dbo judy Grant Update titles notes FALSE
dbo judy Grant Update titles pub_id FALSE
dbo judy Grant Update titles pubdate FALSE

dbo judy Grant Update titles title FALSE

dbo judy Grant Update titles title_id FALSE
dbo judy Grant Update titles total_sales FALSE
dbo judy Grant Update titles type FALSE
dbo judy Grant Select publishers all TRUE
Example 2 Issuing the following grant statement results in sp_helprotect

displaying the following:
grant select, update on titles(price, advance)
to mary
with grant option
go
sp_helprotect titles
------- ------- ------ ------- ------ ------ ---------
dbo mary Grant Select titles advance TRUE
dbo mary Grant Select titles price TRUE
dbo mary Grant Update titles advance TRUE
dbo mary Grant Update titles price TRUE
Example 3 Displays all the permissions that “judy” has in the database:
sp_helprotect judy
Example 4 Displays any permissions that “csmith” has on the sysusers table,
as well as whether “csmith” has with grant option which allows “csmith” to
grant permissions to other users:
sp_helprotect sysusers, csmith, null, doctor, "grant"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dbo doctor Grant Delete sysusers All FALSE
dbo doctor Grant Insert sysusers All FALSE
dbo doctor Grant References sysusers All FALSE
dbo doctor Grant Select sysattributes All FALSE
(1 row affected)
(return status = 0)
Example 5 Displays information about the permissions that the doctor role has
in the database:
sp_helprotect doctor_role

sp_helprotect

-----------------------------------------------------------------
dbo doctor Grant Select sysattributes All FALSE
(1 row affected)
(return status = 0)
Example 6 Displays information on all roles granted to “csmith”:

sp_helprotect sysusers, csmith, null, doctor_role, "granted"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
dbo csmith Grant Update sysusers All FALSE
(1 row affected)
(return status = 0)
Example 7 Displays information on all active roles granted to “rpillai”:

sp_helprotect sysattributes, rpillai, null, intern, "enabled"
--------------- -----------------------------------------------
dbo public Grant Select sysattributes All FALSE
(1 row affected)
(return status = 0)
Example 8 Advises that SQLJ function access is public:

sp_helprotect function_sqlj
Implicit grant to public for SQLJ functions.
Usage • sp_helprotect reports permissions on a database object. If you supply the
username parameter, only that user’s permissions on the database object
are reported. If name is not an object, sp_helprotect checks to see if it is a
user, a group, or a role. If it is, sp_helprotect lists the permissions for the
user, group, or role.
• sp_helprotect looks for objects and users in the current database only.

• If you do not specify an optional value such as granted, enabled, none, or

role_name, Adaptive Server returns information on all roles activated by
the current specified user.
• If the specified user is not the current user, Adaptive Server returns
information on all roles granted to the specified user.
• Displayed information always includes permissions granted to the group
in which the specified user is a member.
• In granting permissions, a System Administrator is treated as the object
owner. If a System Administrator grants permission on another user’s
object, the owner‘s name appears as the grantor in sp_helprotect output.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helprotect to view his or her own permissions. Only a
System Security Officer can execute sp_helprotect to view permissions granted
to other users.
System procedures sp_activeroles, sp_displayroles

sp_helpsegment
sp_helpsegment
Description Reports information about a particular segment or about all segments in the
current database.
Syntax sp_helpsegment [segname]
Parameters segname
is the name of the segment about which you want information. If you omit
this parameter, information about all segments in the current database
appears.
Examples Example 1 Reports information about all segments in the current database:
sp_helpsegment
segment name status
------- ------------------------------ ------
0 system 0
1 default 1
2 logsegment 0
Example 2 Reports information about the segment named order_seg,

including which database tables and indexes use that segment and the total
number of pages, free pages and used pages on the segment:
sp_helpsegment order_seg
segment name status
------- ------------------------------ ------
3 order_seg 0
device size free_pages

---------------------- -------------- -----------
tpcd_data1 25.0MB 8176
table_name index_name indid

---------------------- ---------------------- ------
orders orders 0
total_size total_pages free_pages used_pages

-------------- ----------- ----------- -----------
150.0MB 76800 50312 26488

Example 3 Reports information about the default segment. The keyword

default must be enclosed in quotes:
sp_helpsegment "default"
Example 4 Reports information about the segment on which the transaction
log is stored:
sp_helpsegment logsegment
segment name status
------- ------------------------------ ------
2 logsegment 0
device size free_pages

---------------------- ----------------- -----------
tpcd_log1 20.0MB 10200
table_name index_name indid

---------------------- ------------------------- ------
syslogs syslogs 0
total_size total_pages free_pages used_pages

----------------- ----------- ----------- -----------
20.0MB 10240 10200 40
Usage • sp_helpsegment displays information about the specified segment, when

segname is given, or about all segments in the current database, when no
argument is given.
• When you first create a database, Adaptive Server automatically creates
the system, default, and logsegment segments. Use sp_addsegment to add
segments to the current database.
• If you specify a log segment from a dedicated log database for the segname
parameter, sp_helpsegment reports the number of free pages in the log
segment.
• The system, default, and logsegment segments are numbered 0, 1, and 2,
respectively.
• The “status” column indicates which segment is the default pool of space.
Use sp_placeobject or the on segment_name clause of the create table or
create index command to place objects on specific segments.
• The “indid” column is 0 if the table does not have a clustered index and is
1 if the table has a clustered index.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpsegment.

sp_helpsegment
See also Commands create index, create table

System procedures sp_addsegment, sp_dropsegment, sp_extendsegment,
sp_helpdb, sp_helpdevice, sp_placeobject

sp_helpserver
Description Reports information about a particular remote server or about all remote
servers.
Syntax sp_helpserver [server]
Parameters server
is the name of the remote server about which you want information.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about the remote server GATEWAY:
sp_helpserver GATEWAY
Example 2 Displays information about the local Backup Server:
sp_helpserver SYB_BACKUP
name network_name status id
---------- -------------- ------------------------------------ ---
SYB_BACKUP SYB_BACKUP timeouts, no net password encryption 1
Example 3 Displays information about all the remote servers known to the
local server:
sp_helpserver
Usage • sp_helpserver reports information about all servers in
master.dbo.sysservers or about a particular remote server, when server is
specified.
• When Component Integration Services is installed, sp_helpserver lists the
server class for each server.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpserver.
See also System procedures sp_addserver, sp_dropserver, sp_helpremotelogin,
sp_serveroption

sp_helpsort
sp_helpsort
Description Displays Adaptive Server’s default sort order and character set.
Syntax sp_helpsort
Parameters None.
Examples For Class 1 (single-byte) character sets, sp_helpsort displays the name of the
server’s default sort order, its character set, and a table of its primary sort
values. On a 7-bit terminal, it appears as follows:
sp_helpsort
Sort Order Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Character Set = 1, iso_1
ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1) - Western European 8-bit character set.
Sort Order = 50, bin_iso_1
Binary sort order for the ISO 8859/1 character set (iso_1).
Characters, in Order
-----------------------------------------------------------------
! “ # $ % & ‘ ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ?
@ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _
` a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z { | } ~
! “ # $ % & ‘ ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ?
On an 8-bit terminal, it appears as follows:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Character Set = 1, iso_1
ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1) - Western European 8-bit character set.
Sort Order = 50, bin_iso_1
Binary sort order for the ISO 8859/1 character set (iso_1).
Characters, in Order
-----------------------------------------------------------------
! “ # $ % & ‘ ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ?
¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ | § ¨ © ª ¬ – ® ¯ ° 2 3 ´ µ ¶ · ¸ 1 º 1/4 1/2 3/4 ¿ À
Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï D Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö × Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Y P ß à
á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ñ ò ó ô õ ö ÷ ø ù ú û ü y p ÿ

For a Class 2 (multibyte) character set, the characters are not listed, but a
description of the character set is included. For example:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Character Set = 140, euc_jis
Japanese. Extended Unix Code mapping for JIS-X0201
(hankaku katakana) and JIS-X0208 (double byte) roman,
kana, and kanji.
Class 2 character set
Sort Order = 50, bin_eucjis
Binary sort order for Japanese using the EUC JIS
character set as a basis.
Usage • Binary sort order is the default.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpsort.

sp_helptext
sp_helptext
Description Displays the source text of a compiled object.
Syntax sp_helptext objname [,number]
Parameters objname
is the name of the compiled object for which the source text is to be
displayed. The compiled object must be in the current database.
number
is an integer identifying an individual procedure, when objname represents
a group of procedures. This parameter tells sp_helptext to display the source
text for a specified procedure in the group.
Note Views, defaults, and other non-procedural objects are never grouped; use
number only for groups of procedures.
Examples Example 1 Displays the source text of pub_idrule. Since this rule is in the pubs2
database, execute this command from pubs2:
sp_helptext pub_idrule
# Lines of Text
---------------
1
text
------------------------------------
create rule pub_idrule
as @pub_id in ("1389", "0736", "0877",
"1622", "1756")
or @pub_id like "99[0-9][0-9]"
Example 2 Displays the source text of sp_helptext. Since system procedures

are stored in sybsystemprocs, execute this command from sybsystemprocs:
sp_helptext sp_helptext
Example 3 Displays the source text of the myproc group behavior where you
specify no number argument. The number of the procedure displays beside the
text:
sp_helptext myproc
# Lines of Text
---------------
2

number
text
---------------
1
create procedure myproc; as select 1
2
create procedure myproc;2 as select 2
(2 rows affected)
Example 4 Displays the source text of myproc, specifying a procedure in the
myproc group but displaying no grouping number.
sp_helptext myproc, 2
# Lines of Text
---------------
1
text
----------------
create procedure myproc;2 as select 2
Usage • sp_helptext prints out the number of rows in syscomments (255 characters
long each) that are occupied by the compiled object, followed by the
source text of the compiled object.
• sp_helptext looks for the source text in the syscomments table in the
current database.
• You can encrypt the source text with sp_hidetext.
• When sp_helptext operates on a group of procedures, it prints the number
column from syscomments in addition to the source text.
• A System Security Officer can prevent the source text of compiled objects
from being displayed to most users who execute sp_helptext. To restrict
select permission on the text column of the syscomments table to the object
owner or a System Administrator, use sp_configure to set the select on
syscomments.text column parameter to 0. This restriction is required to run
Adaptive Server in the evaluated configuration. See the System
Administration Guide for more information about the evaluated
configuration.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helptext.
See also System procedures sp_checksource, sp_configure, sp_hidetext

sp_helpthreshold
sp_helpthreshold
Description Reports the segment, free-space value, status, and stored procedure associated
with all thresholds in the current database or all thresholds for a particular
segment.
Syntax sp_helpthreshold [segname]
Parameters segname
is the name of a segment in the current database.
Examples Example 1 Shows all thresholds on the log segment:
sp_helpthreshold logsegment
Example 2 Shows all thresholds on all segments in the current database:
sp_helpthreshold
Example 3 Shows all thresholds on the default segment. Note the use of quotes
around the reserved word “default”:
sp_helpthreshold "default"
Usage • sp_helpthreshold displays threshold information for all segments in the
current database. If you provide the name of a segment, sp_helpthreshold
lists all thresholds in that segment.
• The status column is 1 for the last-chance threshold and 0 for all other
thresholds. Databases that do not store their transaction logs on a separate
segment have no last-chance threshold.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpthreshold.
See also System procedures sp_addthreshold, sp_dropthreshold, sp_helpsegment,
sp_modifythreshold, sp_thresholdaction

sp_helpuser
Description Reports information about a particular user, group, or alias, or about all users,
Syntax sp_helpuser [name_in_db]
Parameters name_in_db
is the user’s name in the current database.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about all users in the current database:
sp_helpuser
Users_name ID_in_db Group_name Login_name
--------- -------- ---------- ----------
ann 4 hackers ann
dbo 1 public sa
guest 2 public NULL
judy 3 hackers judy
Example 2 Displays information about the Database Owner (user name

“dbo”):
sp_helpuser dbo
Users_name ID_in_db Group_name Login_name
---------- -------- ---------- ----------
dbo 1 public sa
Users aliased to user.
Login_name
-------------------------------
andy
christa
howard
linda
Usage • sp_helpuser reports information about all users of the current database. If
you specify a name_in_db, sp_helpuser reports information on the
specified user only.
• If the specified user is not listed in the current database’s sysusers table,
sp_helpuser checks to see if the user is aliased to another user or is a group
name.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_helpuser.
See also System procedures sp_adduser, sp_dropuser, sp_helpgroup

sp_hidetext
sp_hidetext
Description Hides the source text for the specified compiled object.
Syntax sp_hidetext [objname [, tabname [, username]]]
Parameters objname
specifies the compiled object for which to hide the source text.
tabname
specifies the name of the table or view for which to hide the source text.
username
specifies the name of the user who owns the compiled object for which to
hide the source text.
Examples Example 1 Hides the source text of all compiled objects in the current
database:
sp_hidetext
Example 2 Hides the source text of the user-defined stored procedure,
sp_sort_table, that is owned by Mary:
sp_hidetext @objname = "sp_sort_table", @username = "Mary"
Example 3 Hides the source text of the stored procedure pr_phone_list:
sp_hidetext "pr_phone_list"
Example 4 Hides the source text of all check constraints, defaults, and triggers
defined on the table my_tab:
sp_hidetext @tabname = "my_tab"
Example 5 Hides the source text of the view my_vu and all check constraints,
defaults, and triggers defined on the table my_tab:
sp_hidetext "my_vu", "my_tab"
Example 6 Hides the source text of all compiled objects that are owned by
Tom:
sp_hidetext @username = "Tom"
Usage • sp_hidetext hides the source text for the specified compiled object.
Warning! Before executing sp_hidetext, make sure you have a backup of

the source text. The results of executing sp_hidetext are not reversible.
• If you do not provide any parameters, sp_hidetext hides the source text for
all compiled objects in the current database.

Permissions Any user can use sp_hidetext to hide the source text of his or her own compiled
objects. Only a Database Owner or a System Administrator can hide the source
text of compiled objects that are owned by another user or use sp_hidetext with
no parameters.
See also Documents See the Transact-SQL User’s Guide for more information about
hiding source text.
System procedures sp_checksource

sp_import_qpgroup
sp_import_qpgroup
Description Imports abstract plans from a user table into an abstract plan group.
Syntax sp_import_qpgroup tab, usr, group
Parameters tab
is the name of a table from which to copy the plans. You can specify a
database name, but not an owner name, in the form dbname..tablename. The
total length must be 30 characters or less.
usr
is the name of the user whose ID should be assigned to the abstract plans
when they are imported.
group
is the name of the abstract plan group that contains the plans to be imported.
Examples Copies plans from the table moveplans to the new_plans group, giving them the
user ID for the Database Owner:
sp_import_qpgroup moveplans, dbo, new_plans
Usage • sp_import_qpgroup copies plans from a user table to an abstract plan group
in sysqueryplans. With sp_export_qpgroup, it can be used to copy abstract
plan groups between servers and databases, or to copy plans belonging to
one user and assign them the ID of another user.
• sp_import_qpgroup creates the abstract plan group if it does not exist when
the procedure is executed.
• If an abstract plan group exists when sp_import_qpgroup is executed, it
cannot contain any plans for the specified user. sp_import_qpgroup does
not check the query text to determine whether queries already exist in the
group. If you need to import plans for a user into a group where some plans
for the user already exist:
• Use sp_import_qpgroup to import the plans into a new plan group.
• Use sp_copy_all_qplans to copy the plans from the newly-created
group to the destination group. sp_copy_all_qplans does check
queries to be sure that no duplicate plans are created.
• If you no longer need the group you created for the import, drop the
plans in the group with sp_copy_all_qplans, then drop the group with
sp_drop_qpgroup.
• To create an empty table in order to bulk copy abstract plans, use:

select * into load_table

from sysqueryplans
where 1 = 2
sp_import_qpgroup.
System procedures sp_copy_all_qplans, sp_copy_qplan,

sp_drop_all_qplans, sp_drop_qpgroup, sp_export_qpgroup, sp_help_qpgroup

sp_indsuspect
sp_indsuspect
Description Checks user tables for indexes marked as suspect during recovery following a
sort order change.
Syntax sp_indsuspect [tab_name]
Parameters tab_name
is the name of the user table to be checked.
Examples Checks the table newaccts for indexes marked as suspect:
sp_indsuspect newaccts
Usage • sp_indsuspect with no parameter creates a list of all tables in the current
database that have indexes that need to be rebuilt as a result of a sort order
change. With a tab_name parameter, sp_indsuspect checks the specified
table for indexes marked as suspect during recovery following a sort order
change.
• Use sp_indsuspect to list all suspect indexes. The table owner or a System
Administrator can use dbcc reindex to check the integrity of the listed
indexes and to rebuild them if necessary.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_indsuspect.
See also Commands dbcc

sp_ldapadmin
Description Creates an LDAP URL search string, lists an LDAP URL search string, or
verifies an LDAP URL search string or login.
Syntax sp_ldapadmin { set_primary_url, ‘ldapurl’ |
set_secondary_url, { ‘ldapurl’ | null } |
list_urls | check_url, ‘ldapurl’ |
check_login, ‘login_name’ }
ldapurl::=ldap://host:port/node/?attributes?base | one | sub?filter

Parameters set_primary_url, ‘ldapurl’
creates the specified search string ldapurl. Exactly one primary search string
can be created.
set_secondary_url, { ‘ldapurl’ | null }
creates the specified secondary search string ldapurl or no secondary search
string. Exactly one secondary search string can be created.
list_urls
displays LDAP URL search strings.
check_url, ‘ldapurl’
verifies an LDAP URL search string. Can also verify the existence of a user
account, but it does not authenticate the user.
check_login, login_name
verifies a user account for the existing LDAP URL search strings. It does not
authenticate the user.
host
is the host name of the LDAP server.
port
is the port number of the LDAP server.
node
specifies the node in the object hierarchy at which to start the search.
attributes
is a list of attributes to return in the result set. Each LDAP server may
support a different list of attributes.
base | one | sub
qualifies the search criteria. base specifies a search of the base node; one
specifies a search of node and one sublevel below node; and sub specifies a
search of node and all node sublevels.

sp_ldapadmin
filter
specifies the attribute or attributes to be authenticated. The filter can be
simple, such as “uid=*,” or compound, such as “(uid=*)(ou=group).” The
syntax is LDAP server dependent and uses a wildcard (*) to describe the
login name.
Examples Example 1 Creates an LDAP URL search string for the LDAP SunONE
Directory Server.
sp_ldapadmin set_primary_url,'ldap://voyager:389/
ou=People,dc=MyCompany,dc=com??sub?uid=*'
The search string identifies a directory server listening on host name
“voyager,” port number 389 (the default LDAP protocol port), the base node to
begin the search is within organizational unit (ou) “People,” and the domain is
“MyCompany.com.” It returns all attributes that match the filter uid=*.
Adaptive Server replaces the wildcard with the Adaptive Server login name
that is to be authenticated.
Example 2 Creates an LDAP URL search string defined in OpenLDAP 2.0.25
using the criteria described in Example 1.
sp_ldapadmin set_primary_url,'ldap://voyager:389/
dc=MyCompany,dc=com??sub?cn=*'
Example 3 Sets the secondary LDAP URL search string to null, indicating no
failover and no secondary LDAP server.
sp_ldapadmin set_secondary_url, null
Example 4 Creates an LDAP URL search string with a compound filrer.
sp_ldapadmin set_primary_url, 'ldap://voyager:389/
ou=people,dc=siroe,dc=com??sub?(&(uid=*)
(ou=accounting))
Usage • The LDAP vendor determines the syntax of the search string. In all cases,
the search string specifies the attribute name that uniquely identifies the
user in the form “attribute=wildcard” as in “cn=*.”
• The first attribute in a compound filter must define the Relative
Distinguished Name (RDN). For example, “...sub?(uid=*)(ou=group).”
Otherwise, the authentication fails.
• When a search string is added, Adaptive Server verifies that it uses valid
LDAP URL syntax and that it references an existing node. To ensure that
the valid string returns expected values, carefully choose and verify the
search string when configuring Adaptive Server.

• The secondary URL search string enables failover to another LDAP

server. Adaptive Server uses the primary URL search string unless the
LDAP Server is not active or the search string is invalid. In this event,
Adaptive Server uses the secondary URL search string for authentication.
Permissions Only the System Security Officer can execute sp_ldapadmin.

sp_listener
sp_listener
Description Dynamically starts and stops listeners on Adaptive Server on any given port on
a per-engine basis.
Syntax sp_listener “command”, “server_name”, engine | remaining
Or:
sp_listener “command”, “[protocol:]machine:port”, engine
Parameters command
can be any of the following:
• start – starts a listener on the specified ports on each of the specified
engines
• stop – terminates the specified listeners.
• suspend – prevent the listener from accepting any more connections.
• resume – instructs suspended listeners to resume listening again.
• status – report on the state of the listeners specified by the parameters.

The state is one of: active, stopped, or suspended.
server_name
is the name of the Adaptive Server, as specified in the interfaces file.
engine
specifies the number of the engine affected by this command (this parameter
is ignored by Windows NT. engine can be a single-engine number in quotes
(“2”), a list (“3,5,6”), a range (“2-5”), or mix of all (“2,3-5,7”)
remaining
specifies that the command is to take effect on all engines on which it can be
meaningfully applied (that is, where the listener is in a state in which the
command is can take effect).
protocol
the type of protocol. This can be one of: tcp, tli, ssltcp, ssltli, winsock,
sslnlwnsck, sslwinsock.
machine:port
the machine name and port number (as specified in the interfaces file) to
which the listener connects.
Examples Example 1 Create tcp listeners on engines 0-6 for port number 4226:
sp_listener "start", "goldie:4226", "0-6"

Example 2 Create listeners for all master entries in the interfaces file for server
orion:
sp_listener "start", "orion", "remaining"
Example 3 Start listeners on engines 1, 3 and 5 for each master entry in the
interfaces file corresponding to server orion:
sp_listener "start", "orion", "1,3,5"
Example 4 Start tcp listeners on port 4226 on machine goldie for all engines
not already listening to this port:
sp_listener "start", "goldie:4226", "remaining"
Example 5 Stop the listener on port number 4226 on engine number 2:
sp_listener "stop", "tcp:goldie:4226", "2"
Example 6 Stop all listeners on port number 4226 for all engines. Because this
command includes the remaining parameter, it will not fail if some engines are
not listening to the port:
sp_listener "stop", "tcp:goldie:4226", "remaining"
Example 7 Suspend NT winsock listener on port 4226:
sp_listener "suspend", "winsock:clouds:4226"
Example 8 Resume NT winsock listener on port 4227:
sp_listener "suspend", "winsock:clouds:4226"
Example 9 Resume all active listeners on port number 4226:
sp_listener "resume", "tcp:goldie:4226", "remaining"
Usage • sp_listener uses either of two syntaxes, described in the syntax section,
above. The first syntax affects all Adaptive Server master ports listed in
the interfaces file. The second allows you to manage listeners not listed in
the interfaces file.
• The semantics for sp_listener is atomic: if a command cannot be completed
successfully, it is aborted.
• You can issue the status parameter by itself. The status parameter displays
the state of all the listeners in the interfaces file.
• A listener can be in one of the following states: stopped, suspended, or
active. sp_listener allows you to move listeners between these states. A
request to move to a non-permissible state results in failure (For example,
requesting to stop a non existent listener). Use sp_listener “status” to
determine the state of a listener.

sp_listener
• You can specify engines in the engine list as: an engine number (a single
interger in quotes), a range of engine numbers (“3-6”), a comma separated
list of engines (“2,5,9”), or combinations of the previous two (“2,5,3-
6,9”).
• The remaining parameter specifies that, for the command you are running
(start, stop, resume, and so on), the command runs successfully for all
listeners that are in a state that allow the change (for example, moving
states from start to stop). For example, if you attempt to start listeners on
engines one through six, but engines one, four, and five are unavailable,
sp_listener... “remaining” starts listeners on engines two, three, and six,
disregarding the offline engines. You cannot specify an engine number if
you include the remaining parameter.
• The maximum number of listeners is 32. If you create an Adaptive Server
with two master ports in the interfaces file, you can start at most 30 more
listeners on other ports. Apart from the first listener, each supplementary
listener consumes resources similar to a user connection, so in a setup
where 25 user connections are configured, starting three listeners at startup
(corresponding to three master entries) leaves room for 30 user
connections.

sp_listsuspect_db
Description Lists all databases that currently have offline pages because of corruption
Syntax sp_listsuspect_db
Parameters None.
Examples Lists the databases that have suspect pages:

sp_listsuspect_db
Usage • sp_listsuspect_db lists the database name, number of suspect pages, and
number of objects containing suspect pages.
• Use sp_listsuspect_page to identify the suspect pages.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_listsuspect_db.
See also System procedures sp_listsuspect_page, sp_setsuspect_granularity,
sp_setsuspect_threshold

sp_listsuspect_object
Description Lists all indexes in a database that are currently offline because of corruption
Syntax sp_listsuspect_object [dbname]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database.
Examples Example 1 Lists the suspect indexes in the current database:
Example 2 Lists the suspect indexes in the pubs2 database:
sp_listsuspect_object pubs2
Usage • If an index on a data-only-locked table has suspect pages, the entire index
is taken offline during recovery. Offline indexes are not considered by the
query optimizer.
• Use the system procedure sp_forceonline_object to bring an offline index
online for repair.
• Indexes on allpages-locked tables are not taken completely offline during
recovery; only individual pages of these indexes are taken offline. These
pages can be brought online with sp_forceonline_object.
• sp_listsuspect_object lists the database name, object ID, object name,
index ID, and access status for every suspect index in the specified
database or, if dbname is omitted, in the current user database.
• A value of SA_ONLY in the access column means that the index has been
forced online for System Administrator use only. A value of
BLOCK_ALL means that the index is offline for everyone.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_listsuspect_object.
recovery fault isolation.
System procedures sp_forceonline_object

sp_listsuspect_page
Description Lists all pages in a database that are currently offline because of corruption
Syntax sp_listsuspect_page [dbname]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database.
Examples Example 1 Lists the suspect pages in the current database:
sp_listsuspect_page
Example 2 Lists the suspect pages in the pubs2 database:
sp_listsuspect_page pubs2
Usage • sp_listsuspect_page lists the database name, page ID, object, index ID, and
access status for every suspect page in the specified database or, if dbname
is omitted, in the current user database.
• A value of SA_ONLY in the “access” column indicates that the page has
been forced online for System Administrator use only. A value of
BLOCK_ALL indicates that the page is offline for everyone.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_listsuspect_page.
See also System procedures sp_listsuspect_db, sp_setsuspect_granularity,

sp_lock
sp_lock
Description Reports information about processes that currently hold locks.
Syntax sp_lock [spid1 [, spid2]]
Parameters spid1
is the Adaptive Server process ID number from the master.dbo.sysprocesses
table. Run sp_who to get the spid of the locking process.
spid2
is another Adaptive Server process ID number to check for locks.
Examples Example 1 This example shows the lock status of serial processes with spids
7, 18, and 23 and two families of processes. The family with fid 1 has the
coordinating processes with spid 1 and worker processes with spids 8, 9, and
10. The family with fid 11 has the coordinating processes with spid 11 and
worker processes with spids 12, 13, and 14:
sp_lock
The class column will display the cursor name for locks associated with a
cursor for the current user and the cursor id for other users.

--- ---- ------------- ---------- ----- ------- -------------- -------
0 7 Sh_intent 480004741 0 master Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 18 Ex_intent 16003088 0 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 18 Ex_page 16003088 587 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 18 Ex_page-blk 16003088 634 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 18 Update_page 16003088 1114 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 18 Update_page-blk 16003088 634 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 23 Sh_intent 16003088 0 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 23 Sh_intent 176003658 0 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
0 23 Ex_intent 208003772 0 pubtune Non Cursor Lock NULL
1 1 Sh_intent 176003658 0 tpcd Non Cursor Lock Sync-pt
duration request
1 1 Sh_intent-blk 208003772 0 tpcd Non Cursor Lock Sync-pt
duration request
1 8 Sh_page 176003658 41571 tpcd Non Cursor Lock NULL

11 11 Sh_intent 176003658 0 tpcd Non Cursor Lock Sync-pt

duration request
Example 2 Displays information about the locks currently held by spid 7.

sp_lock 7
The class column will display the cursor name for locks associated with a
cursor for the current user and the cursor id for other users.
--- ---- --------- --------- ---- ------ ---------------- ----------
0 7 Sh_intent 480004741 0 master Non Cursor Lock NULL
Usage • sp_lock with no parameters reports information on all processes that

currently hold locks.
• The only user control over locking is through the use of the holdlock
keyword in the select statement.
• Use the object_name system function to derive a table’s name from its ID
number.
• sp_lock output is ordered by fid and then spid.
• The loid column identifies unique lock owner ID of the blocking

transaction. Even loid values indicate that a local transaction owns the
lock. Odd values indicate that an external transaction owns the lock.
• The locktype column indicates whether the lock is a shared lock (“Sh”
prefix), an exclusive lock (“Ex” prefix) or an update lock, and whether the
lock is held on a table (“table” or “intent”) or on a page (“page”).
A “blk” suffix in the “locktype” column indicates that this process is
blocking another process that needs to acquire a lock. As soon as this
process completes, the other process(es) moves forward. A “demand”
suffix in the “locktype” column indicates that the process is attempting to
acquire an exclusive lock. See the Performance and Tuning Guide for
more information about lock types.
• The class column indicates whether a lock is associated with a cursor. It
displays one of the following:
• “Non Cursor Lock” indicates that the lock is not associated with a
cursor.

sp_lock
• “Cursor Id number” indicates that the lock is associated with the

cursor ID number for that Adaptive Server process ID.
• A cursor name indicates that the lock is associated with the cursor
cursor_name that is owned by the current user executing sp_lock.
• The fid column identifies the family (including the coordinating process
and its worker processes) to which a lock belongs. Values for fid are:
• A zero value indicates that the task represented by the spid is executed
serially. It is not participating in parallel execution.
• A nonzero value indicates that the task (spid) holding the lock is a
member of a family of processes (identified by fid) executing a
statement in parallel. If the value is equal to the spid, it indicates that
the task is the coordinating process in a family executing a query in
parallel.
• The context column identifies the context of the lock. Worker processes in
the same family have the same context value. Legal values for “context”
are as follows:
• “NULL” means that the task holding this lock is either a query
executing serially, or is a query executing in parallel in transaction
isolation level 1.
• “Sync-pt duration request” means that the task holding the lock will
hold the lock until the query is complete.
A lock’s context may be “Sync-pt duration request” if the lock is a
table lock held as part of a parallel query, if the lock is held by a
worker process at transaction isolation level 3, or if the lock is held by
a worker process in a parallel query and must be held for the duration
of the transaction.
• “Ind pg” indicates locks on index pages (allpages-locked tables only)
• “Inf key” indicates an infinity key lock (for certain range queries at
transaction isolation level 3 on data-only-locked tables)
• “Range” indicates a range lock (for range queries at transaction
isolation level 3 on data-only-locked tables)
These new values may appear in combination with “Fam dur” (which
replaces “Sync pt duration”) and with each other, as applicable.
• The row column displays the row number for row-level locks.
• sp_lock output also displays the following lock types:

• “Sh_row” indicates shared row locks

• “Update_row” indicates update row locks
• “Ex_row” indicates exclusive row locks
Permissions Any user can execute sp_lock.
See also Commands kill, select
System procedures sp_familylock, sp_who

sp_locklogin
sp_locklogin
Description Locks an Adaptive Server account so that the user cannot log in or displays a
list of all locked accounts.
Syntax sp_locklogin [loginame, "{lock | unlock}"]
Parameters loginame
is the name of the account to be locked or unlocked.
lock | unlock
specifies whether to lock or unlock the account.
Examples Example 1 Locks the login account for the user “charles”:
sp_locklogin charles, "lock"
Example 2 Displays a list of all locked accounts:
sp_locklogin
Usage • Locking an Adaptive Server login account prevents that user from logging
in. Use sp_locklogin instead of sp_droplogin for the following reasons:
• You cannot drop a login who is a user in any database, and you cannot
drop a user from a database if the user owns any objects in that
database or has granted any permissions on objects to other users.
• Adaptive Server may reuse the dropped login account’s server user ID
(suid) when the next login account is created. This occurs only when
the dropped login holds the highest suid in syslogins; however, it could
compromise accountability if execution of sp_droplogin is not being
audited. In addition, it is possible that the user with the reused suid
will actually be able to access database objects that were authorized
for the old suid.
• You cannot drop the last remaining System Security Officer’s or
System Administrator’s login account.
• sp_locklogin with no parameters returns a list of all the locked accounts.
• You can lock an account that is currently logged in. The user receives a
warning that his or her account has been locked, but is not locked out of
the account until he or she logs out.
• A locked account can be specified as a Database Owner and can own
objects in any database.
• Locking an account that is already locked or unlocking an unlocked
account has no effect.

• When locking a System Security Officer’s login account, sp_locklogin

verifies that at least one other unlocked System Security Officer’s account
exists. Similarly, sp_locklogin verifies that there is always an unlocked
System Administrator’s account. An attempt to lock the last remaining
unlocked System Administrator or System Security Officer account
causes sp_locklogin to return an error message and fail.
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_locklogin.
See also System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_droplogin, sp_modifylogin,
sp_password

sp_logdevice
sp_logdevice
Description Moves the transaction log of a database with log and data on the same device
to a separate database device.
Syntax sp_logdevice dbname, devname
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database whose syslogs table, which contains the
transaction log, to put on a specific logical device.
devname
is the logical name of the device on which to put the syslogs table. This
device must be a database device associated with the database (named in
create database or alter database). Run sp_helpdb for a report on the
database’s devices.
Examples Example 1 Creates the database products and puts the table products.syslogs on
the database device logs:
create database products on default = "10M", logs = "2M"
go
sp_logdevice products, logs
go
Example 2 For the database test with log and data on the same device, places
the log for test on the log device logdev:
alter database test log on logdev
go
sp_logdevice test, logdev
go
Usage • The sp_logdevice procedure affects only future allocations of space for
syslogs. This creates a window of vulnerability during which the first
pages of your log remain on the same device as your data. Therefore, the
preferred method of placing a transaction log on a separate device is the
use of the log on option to create database, which immediately places the
entire transaction log on a separate device.
• Place transaction logs on separate database devices, for both recovery and
performance reasons.
A very small, noncritical database could keep its log together with the rest
of the database. Such databases use dump database to back up the database
and log and dump transaction with truncate_only to truncate the log.

• dbcc checkalloc and sp_helplog show some pages for syslogs still allocated
on the database device until after the next dump transaction. After that, the
transaction log is completely transferred to the device named when you
executed sp_logdevice.
• The size of the device required for the transaction log varies, depending on
the amount of update activity and the frequency of transaction log dumps.
As a rule, allocate to the log device 10 percent to 25 percent of the space
you allocate to the database itself.
• Use sp_logdevice only for a database with log and data on the same device.
Do not use sp_logdevice for a database with log and data on separate
devices.
• To increase the amount of storage allocated to the transaction log use alter
database. If you used the log on option to create database to place a
transaction log on a separate device, use the following to increase the size
of the log segment. If you did not use log on, execute sp_logdevice:
sp_extendsegment segname, devname
The device or segment on which you put syslogs is used only for the
syslogs table. To increase the amount of storage space allocated for the rest
of the database, specify any device other than the log device when you
issue the alter database command.
• Use the disk init command to format a new database device for databases
or transaction logs.
Permissions Only the Database Owner or a System Administrator can execute sp_logdevice.
See also Documents See the System Administration Guide for more information.
Commands alter database, create database, dbcc, disk init, dump database,
dump transaction, select
System procedures sp_extendsegment, sp_helpdevice, sp_helplog

sp_loginconfig
sp_loginconfig
Description Windows NT only Displays the value of one or all integrated security
parameters.
Syntax sp_loginconfig ["parameter_name"]
Parameters parameter_name
is the name of the integrated security parameter you want to examine. Values
are:
• login mode
• default account
• default domain
• set host
• key _
• key $
• key @
• key #
Examples Example 1 Displays the values of all integrated security parameters:

sp_loginconfig
name config_item
---------------------- ----------------------
login mode standard
default account NULL
default domain NULL
set host false
key _ domain separator
key $ space
key @ space
key # -
Example 2 Displays the value of the login mode security parameter:

sp_loginconfig "login mode"
name config_item
---------------------- ----------------------
login mode standard

Usage • The values of integrated security parameters are stored in the Windows NT
Registry. See the chapter on login security in Configuration Guide for
Windows NT for instructions on changing the parameters.
• sp_loginconfig displays the config_item values that were in effect when you
started Adaptive Server. If you changed the Registry values after starting
Adaptive Server, those values are not reflected in the sp_loginconfig
output.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_loginconfig.
See also System procedures sp_revokelogin

sp_logininfo
sp_logininfo
Description Windows NT only Displays all roles granted to Windows NT users and
groups with sp_grantlogin.
Syntax sp_logininfo ["login_name" | "group_name"]
group_name
Examples Example 1 Displays the permissions granted to the Windows NT user
“regularjoe”:
sp_logininfo regularjoe
account name mapped login name type privilege
--------------- ------------------ --------------- --------------
HAZE\regularjoe HAZE_regularjoe user 'oper_role'
Example 2 Displays all permissions that were granted to Windows NT users

and groups with sp_grantlogin:
sp_logininfo
account name mapped login name type privilege
--------------- ------------------- ------------ ------------
BUILTIN\Administrators BUILTIN\Administrators group
’sa_role sso_role oper_role sybase_ts_role navigator_role
replication_role’
HAZE\regularjoe HAZE_regularjoe user 'oper_role'
PCSRE\randy PCSRE_alexander user 'default'
Usage • sp_logininfo displays all roles granted to Windows NT users and groups
with sp_grantlogin.
• You can omit the domain name and domain separator (\) when specifying
the Windows NT user name or group name.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_logininfo.
See also Commands grant, setuser
System procedures sp_displaylogin, sp_grantlogin, sp_revokelogin, sp_role,
sp_who

sp_logiosize
Description Changes the log I/O size used by Adaptive Server to a different memory pool
when doing I/O for the transaction log of the current database.
Syntax sp_logiosize ["default" | "size" | "all"]
Parameters default
sets the log I/O size for the current database to Adaptive Server’s default
value (two logical pages), if a memory pool that is two logical pages is
available in the cache. Otherwise, Adaptive Server sets the log I/O size to
one logical page. Since default is a keyword, the quotes are required when
specifying this parameter.
size
is the size to set the log I/O for the current database. Values are multiples of
the logical page size, up to four times the amount. You must enclose the
value in quotes.
all
displays the log I/O size configured for all databases grouped by the cache
name.
Examples Example 1 Displays the log I/O size configured for the current database:
sp_logiosize
The transaction log for database 'master' will use I/O size of 2 Kbytes.
Example 2 Changes the log I/O size of the current database to use the 8K
memory pool. If the database’s transaction log is bound to a cache that does not
have an 8K memory pool, Adaptive Server returns an error message indicating
that such a pool does not exist, and the current log I/O size does not change:
sp_logiosize "8"
Example 3 Changes the log I/O size of the current database to Adaptive
Server’s default value (one logical page size). If a memory pool the size of the
logical page size does not exist in the cache used by the transaction log,
Adaptive Server uses the 2K memory pool:
sp_logiosize "default"
Example 4 Displays the log I/O size configured for all databases:
sp_logiosize "all"
Cache name: default data cache
Data base Log I/O Size
------------------------------ ------------
master 2 Kb

sp_logiosize
tempdb 2 Kb
model 2 Kb
sybsystemprocs 2 Kb
pubs3 2 Kb
pubtune 2 Kb
dbccdb 2 Kb
sybsyntax 2 Kb
Usage • sp_logiosize displays or changes the log I/O size for the current database.
Any user can execute sp_logiosize to display the configured log I/O size.
Only a System Administrator can change the log I/O size.
• If you specify sp_logiosize with no parameters, Adaptive Server displays
the log I/O size of the current database.
• When you change the log I/O size, it takes effect immediately. Adaptive
Server records the new I/O size for the database in the sysattributes table.
• Any value you specify for sp_logiosize must correspond to an existing
memory pool configured for the cache used by the database’s transaction
log. Specify these pools using the sp_poolconfig system procedure.
Adaptive Server defines the default log I/O size of a database as two
logical pages, if a memory pool the size of two logical pages is available
in the cache. Otherwise, Adaptive Server sets the log I/O size to one
logical page (a memory pool of one logical page is always present in any
cache). For most work loads, a log I/O size of two logical pages performs
much better than one of one logical page, so each cache used by a
transaction log should have a memory pool the size of a logical page. See
the System Administration Guide and the Performance and Tuning Guide
for more information about configuring caches and memory pools.
• If the transaction logs for one or more databases are bound to a cache of
type logonly, any memory pools in that cache that have I/O sizes larger than
the log I/O size defined for those databases will not be used.
For example, on a 2K server, assume that only two databases have their
transaction logs bound to a “log only” cache containing 2K, 4K, and 8K
memory pools. By default, sp_logiosize sets the log I/O size for these
parameters at 4K, and the 8K pool is not used. Therefore, to avoid wasting
cache space, be cautious when configuring the log I/O size.

• During recovery, only the logical page size memory pool of the default
cache is active, regardless of the log I/O size configured for a database.
Transactions logs are read into this pool of the default cache, and all
transactions that must be rolled back, or rolled forward, read data pages
into the default data cache.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_logiosize to change the log I/O
size for the current database. Any user can execute sp_logiosize to display the
log I/O size values.
See also System procedures sp_cacheconfig, sp_poolconfig

sp_modifylogin
sp_modifylogin
Description Modifies the default database, default language, default role activation, login
script, full name, the password expiration interval, the minimum password
length, and the maximum number of failed logins allowed for a specified
Adaptive Server login account.
Syntax sp_modifylogin {loginame | “all overrides”}, option, value
Parameters loginame
is the login account to be modified.
"all overrides"
removes the system overrides that were set using the "passwd expiration",
"min passwd length", or "max failed_logins" parameters. To remove all the
login-specific values, specify:
sp_modifylogin "all overrides", "option", "-1"
option
specifies the name of the option to be changed. The options are:
Option Definition
defdb The “home” database to which the user is connected when he or she logs in.
deflanguage The official name of the user’s default language.
fullname The user’s full name.
"add default role" The role or roles to be activated by default at login.
"drop default role" The role or roles to be dropped from the list of roles activated by default at login. This option
affects only user-defined roles, not system roles.
"passwd expiration" The password expiration interval in days. It can be anyvalue between 0 and 32767, inclusive.
"min passwd length" The minimum password length required for the specified login. It can be any value between
0 and 30, inclusive. 0 specifies that no password is required. The default is 6.
"max failed_logins" The number of allowable failed login attempts for the specified login. It can be any value
between 0 and 32767, inclusive.
login script Name of the stored prodecure to run automatically when user logs in.
value
is the value of the option you specified for the option parameter. The value
parameter is a character datatype; therefore, quotes are required for positive
and negative numeric values.
Examples Example 1 Changes the default database for “sarah” to pubs2:
sp_modifylogin sarah, defdb, "pubs2"
Example 2 Sets the default language for “claire” to French:

sp_modifylogin claire, deflanguage, "french"

Example 3 Changes the full name of user “clemens” to “Samuel Clemens”:
sp_modifylogin clemens, fullname, "Samuel Clemens"
Example 4 Adds the specialist role to the list of roles activated by default when
user csmith logs in:
sp_modifylogin csmith, "add default role", specialist_role
Example 5 Drops the intern role from the list of roles activated by default when
user “hpillai” logs in:
sp_modifylogin hpillai, "drop default role", intern_role
Example 6 Changes the maximum number of failed login attempts for the
login “joe” to 40:
sp_modifylogin "joe", "max failed_logins", "40"
Example 7 Changes the overrides for maximum failed login attempts of all
logins to 3:
sp_modifylogin "all overrides", "max failed_logins", "3"
Example 8 Removes the overrides for maximum failed logins option for all
logins:
sp_modifylogin "all overrides", "max failed_logins", "-1"
Example 9 Runs the proc_p1 script when Bob1 logs in to Adaptive Server:
sp_modifylogin Bob1, 'login script', proc_p1
Usage • Set a default database, language, or full name either with sp_modifylogin or
with sp_addlogin when first adding the user’s login to Adaptive Server.
• If you do not specify a default database, the user’s default is master.
• If you do not specify a language, the user’s default language is set to
the server’s default language.
• If you do not specify a full name, that column in syslogins remains
blank.
• If there are any login triggers associated with the login in question, they
are listed after the Auto Login Script line. For more information, see
in “Row-level access control” in Chapter 11, “Managing User
Permissions” of the System Administration Guide.

sp_modifylogin
• You cannot use double quotes in the script name for the login script option.
For example, Adaptive Server issues an error message it you specify a
login script named "script"name".
• For more information about password expiration interval, minimum
password length, and maximum number of failed logins, see
“User-Defined Login Security” in the System Administration Guide.
Changing a user’s default database
• After sp_modifylogin is executed to change the user’s default database, the
user is connected to the new defdb the next time he or she logs in.
However, the user cannot access the database until the Database Owner
gives the user access through sp_adduser or sp_addalias, or unless there is
a “guest” user in the database’s sysusers table. If the user does not have
access to the database by any of these means, she or he is connected to
master and an error message appears.
• If a user’s default database is dropped, or if the user is dropped from the

database, the user is connected to master on his or her next login, and an
error message appears.
• If a user’s default language is dropped from the server, the server-wide
default language is used as the initial language setting, and a message
appears.
Changing a user’s role activation
• Use sp_modifylogin to set a role to be activated by default at login or to
drop a role from those activated by default at login.
Permissions A user can use sp_modifylogin to change their default database, default
language, and full name. Only a System Administrator or System Security
Officer can execute sp_modifylogin to change the default database, default
language, or full name of another user. Only a System Security Officer can
execute sp_modifylogin to activate another user’s roles by default at login,
change the password expiration interval, the minimum password length, the
maximum number of failed logins allowed, and the login script associated with
a specified login.
See also System procedures sp_activeroles, sp_addalias, sp_addlogin, sp_adduser,
sp_displaylogin, sp_displayroles, sp_helprotect,
Commands alter role, create procedure, create role, drop role, grant, revoke,
set role

Description Changes a resource limit by specifying a new limit value, or the action to take
when the limit is exceeded, or both.
Syntax sp_modify_resource_limit {name, appname }
rangename , limittype , limitvalue , enforced , action , scope
Parameters name
is the Adaptive Server login to which the limit applies. You must specify
either a name or an appname or both. To modify a limit that applies to all
users of a particular application, specify a name of null.
appname
is the name of the application to which the limit applies. You must specify
either a name or an appname or both. If the limit applies to all applications
used by name, specify an appname of null. If the limit governs a particular
application, specify the application name that the client program passes to
the Adaptive Server in the login packet.
rangename
is the time range during which the limit is enforced. You cannot modify this
value, but you must specify a non-null value to uniquely identify the
resource limit.
limittype
is the type of resource to which the limit applies. You cannot modify this
value, but you must specify a non-null value to uniquely identify the
resource limit. The value must be one of the following:
Limit type Description
row_count Limits the number of rows a query can return
elapsed_time Limits the number of seconds in wall-clock time that a query batch or transaction can run
io_cost Limits either the actual cost, or the optimizer’s cost estimate, for processing a query
tempdb_space Limits the number of pages a tempdb database can have during a single session
limit_value
is the maximum amount of the server resource that the login or application
can use before Adaptive Server enforces the limit. This must be a positive
integer less than or equal to 231 or null to retain the existing value. The
following table indicates what value to specify for each limit type:
row_count The maximum number of rows a query can return before the limit is enforced
elapsed_time The maximum number of seconds in wall-clock time that a query batch or transaction
can run before the limit is enforced


io_cost A unitless measure derived from optimizer’s costing formula
tempdb_space The number of pages used in tempdb per session.
enforced
You cannot modify this value. Use null as a placeholder.
action
is the action to take when the limit is exceeded. The following codes apply
to all limit types:
Action code Description
1 Issues a warning
2 Aborts the query batch
3 Aborts the transaction
4 Kills the session
null Retains the existing value
scope
is the scope of the limit. You cannot modify this value. You can use null as a
placeholder.
Examples Example 1 Modifies a resource limit that applies to all applications used by
“robin” during the weekends time range. The limit issues a warning when a
query is expected to return more than 3000 rows:
sp_modify_resource_limit robin, NULL, weekends, row_count, 3000, NULL,
1, NULL
Example 2 Modifies a resource limit that applies to the acctg application on
all days of the week and at all times of the day. The limit aborts the query batch
when estimated query processing time exceeds 45 seconds:
sp_modify_resource_limit NULL, acctg, "at all times", elapsed_time,
45, 2, 2, 6
Usage • You cannot change the login or application to which a limit applies or
specify a new time range, limit type, enforcement time, or scope.
• The modification of a resource limit causes the limits for each session for
that login and/or application to be rebound at the beginning of the next
query batch for that session.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_modify_resource_limit.
See also Documents For more information, see the System Administration Guide.

System procedures sp_add_resource_limit, sp_drop_resource_limit,


Description Changes the start day, start time, end day, and/or end time associated with a
named time range.
Syntax sp_modify_time_range name, startday, endday, starttime, endtime
Parameters name
is the name of the time range. This must be the name of a time range stored
in the systimeranges system table of the master database.
startday
is the day of the week on which the time range begins. This must be the full
system table of the master database, or null to keep the existing startday.
endday
is the day of the week on which the time range ends. This must be the full
system table of the master database, or null to keep the existing end day. The
endday can fall either earlier or later in the week than the startday, or it can
be the same day as the startday.
starttime
is time of day at which the time range begins. Specify the starttime in terms
of a twenty-four hour clock, with a value between 00:00 and 23:59. Use the
following form, or null to keep the existing starttime:
"HH:MM"
endtime
is the time of day at which the time range ends. Specify the endtime in terms
of a twenty-four hour clock, with a value between 00:00 (midnight) and
23:59. Use the following form, or null to keep the existing endtime:
"HH:MM"
The endtime must occur later in the day than the starttime, unless endtime is
00:00.
Note For time ranges that span the entire day, specify a start time of “00:00”
and an end time of “23:59”.
Examples Example 1 Changes the end day of the business_hours time range from Friday
to Saturday. Retains the existing start day, start time, and end time:
sp_modify_time_range business_hours, NULL, Saturday, NULL, NULL

Example 2 Specifies a new end day and end time for the before_hours time
range:
sp_modify_time_range before_hours, Monday, Saturday, NULL, "08:00"
Usage • You cannot modify the “at all times” time range.
• It is possible to modify a time range so that it overlaps with one or more
other time ranges.
• The modification of time ranges through the system stored procedures
does not affect the active time ranges for sessions currently in progress.
• Changes to a resource limit that has a transaction as its scope does not
affect any transactions currently in progress.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_modify_time_range.
System procedures sp_add_resource_limit, sp_add_time_range,
sp_drop_time_range

sp_modifystats
sp_modifystats
Description Allows the System Administrator to modify the density values of a column—
or columns—in sysstatistics
Syntax sp_modifystats [database].[owner].table_name,
{“column_group” | “all”},
MODIFY_DENSITY,
{range | total},
{absolute | factor},
“value”
Or,
sp_modifystats [database].[owner].table_name,
column_name,
REMOVE_SKEW_FROM_DENSITY
is the name of the table to change. Specify the database name if the table is
in another database, and specify the owner’s name if more than one table of
that name exists in the database. The default value for owner is the current
user, and the default value for database is the current database.
column_group
an ordered list of column names. To change a statistic for multiple columns
(such as a density value), list the columns in the order used to create the
statistic. Separate the column names with commas. For example, if your
table has a density statistic on columns a1, a2, a3, a4:
• “a1” modifies column a1.
• “a1,a2,a3” modifies the column group a1,a2,a3,
• You can also use a wildcard character , %, with the column_group
parameter to represent a range of characters. For example, “a1,%,a3”
modifies the groups a1,a2,a3 and a1, a4, a3, and so on; “a1,%” modifies
the groups a1,a2 and a1,a2,a3, and so on, but not a1; “a1%” modifies the
groups a1,a2 and a1,a2,a3, and so on, as well as a1.
all
modifies all column group for this table. Because “all” is a keyword, it
requires quotes.

MODIFY_DENSITY
allows you to modify either the range or total density of a column or column
group to the granularity specified in the value parameter. Range cell density
represents the average number of duplicates of all values that are
represented by range cells in a histogram. See the Performance and Tuning
Guide for more information.
range
modifies the range cell density.
total
modifies the total cell density.
absolute
ignore the current value and use the number specified by the value
parameter.
factor
multiply the current statistical value by the value parameter.
value
is either the specified density value or a multiple for the current density.
Must be between zero and one, inclusive, if absolute is specified.
column_name
is the name of a column in that table.
REMOVE_SKEW_FROM_DENSITY
allows the System Administrator to change the total density of a column to
be equal to the range density, which is useful when data skew is present.
Total density represents the average number of duplicates for all values,
those in both frequency and range cells. Total density is used to estimate the
number of matching rows for joins and for search arguments whose value is
not known when the query is optimized. See the Performance and Tuning
Guide for more information.
REMOVE_SKEW_FROM_DENSITY also updates the total density of any
composite column statistics for which this column is the leading attribute.
Most commonly, a composite index for which this column is the leading
attribute would produce these composite column statistics, but they can also
be produced when you issue a composite update statistics command.
Examples Example 1 Changes the range density for column group c00, c01 in table tab_1
to 0.50000000:
sp_modifystats "tab_1", "c00, c01", MODIFY_DENSITY, range, absolute, "0.5"

sp_modifystats
Example 2 The total density for column group c00, c01 in tab_1 is multiplied
by .5. That is, divided in half:
sp_modifystats "tab_1", "c00,c01", MODIFY_DENSITY, total, factor, "0.5"
Example 3 The total density for all the columns in table tab_1 is multiplied
by .5.
sp_modifystats "tab_1", "all", MODIFY_DENSITY, total, factor, "0.5"
Example 4 Total density for all column groups starting with c12 is changed to
equal the range density.
sp_modifystats "tab_1", "c12" REMOVE_SKEW_FROM_DENSITY
Usage • Allows the System Administrator to modify the density values of a
column—or columns—in sysstatistics.
• Use optdiag to view a table’s statistics. See the Performance and
Tuning Guide for more information about table density and using
optdiag.
• Any modification you make to the statistics with sp_modifystats is

overwritten when you run update statistics. To make sure you are
using the most recent statistical modifications, you should run
sp_modifystats after you run update statistics.
• Because sp_modifystats modifies information stored in the

sysstatistics table, you should make a backup of statistics before
execute running sp_modifystats in a production system.
Permissions No one has default use of sp_modifystats. A person with sso_role must specify
the permissions on sp_modifystats.
Tables used sysstatistics
See also Command update statistics

sp_modifythreshold
Description Modifies a threshold by associating it with a different threshold procedure,
free-space level, or segment name. You cannot use sp_modifythreshold to
change the amount of free space or the segment name for the last-chance
threshold.
Syntax sp_modifythreshold dbname, segname, free_space
[, new_proc_name] [, new_free_space] [, new_segname]
Parameters dbname
is the database for which to change the threshold. This must be the name of
the current database.
segname
is the segment for which to monitor free space. Use quotes when specifying
the “default” segment.
free_space
is the number of free pages at which the threshold is crossed. When free
new_proc_name
is the new stored procedure to execute when the threshold is crossed. The
procedure can be located in any database on the current Adaptive Server or
on an Open Server. Thresholds cannot execute procedures on remote
Adaptive Servers.
new_free_space
is the new number of free pages to associate with the threshold. When free
new_segname
is the new segment for which to monitor free space. Use quotes when
specifying the “default” segment.
Examples Example 1 Modifies a threshold on the “default” segment of the mydb database
to execute when free space on the segment falls below 175 pages instead of 200
pages. NULL is a placeholder indicating that the procedure name is not being
changed:
sp_modifythreshold mydb, "default", 200, NULL, 175
Example 2 Modifies a threshold on the data_seg segment of mydb so that it
executes the new_proc procedure:
sp_modifythreshold mydb, data_seg, 250, new_proc

sp_modifythreshold
Usage Crossing a threshold

• When a threshold is crossed, Adaptive Server executes the associated
stored procedure. Adaptive Server uses the following search path for the
threshold procedure:
• If the procedure name does not specify a database, Adaptive Server
looks in the database in which the threshold was crossed.
• If the procedure is not found in this database and the procedure name
begins with “sp_”, Adaptive Server looks in the sybsystemprocs
database.
If the procedure is not found in either database, Adaptive Server sends an
error message to the error log.
• Adaptive Server uses a hysteresis value, the global variable
@@thresh_hysteresis, to determine how sensitive thresholds are to
variations in free space. Once a threshold executes its procedure, it is
deactivated. The threshold remains inactive until the amount of free space
in the segment rises to @@thresh_hysteresis pages above the threshold.
This prevents thresholds from executing their procedures repeatedly in
response to minor fluctuations in free space.
The last-chance threshold
• By default, Adaptive Server monitors the free space on the segment where
the log resides and executes sp_thresholdaction when the amount of free
space is less than that required to permit a successful dump of the
transaction log. This amount of free space, the last-chance threshold, is
calculated by Adaptive Server and cannot be changed by users.
• If the last-chance threshold is crossed before a transaction is logged,
Adaptive Server suspends the transaction until log space is freed. Use
sp_dboption to change this behavior for a particular database. Setting the
abort tran on log full option to true causes Adaptive Server to roll back all
transactions that have not yet been logged when the last-chance threshold
is crossed.
• You cannot use sp_modifythreshold to change the free-space value or
segment name associated with the last-chance threshold.
• Only databases that store their logs on a separate segment can have a
last-chance threshold. Use sp_logdevice to move the transaction log to a
separate device.

Other thresholds
• Each database can have up to 256 thresholds, including the last-chance
threshold.
• Each threshold must be at least 2 times @@thresh_hysteresis pages from
the next closest threshold.
• Use sp_helpthreshold for information about existing thresholds.
• Use sp_dropthreshold to drop a threshold from a segment.
Creating threshold procedures
• Any user with create procedure permission can create a threshold
procedure in a database. Usually, a System Administrator creates
sp_thresholdaction in the master database, and Database Owners create
threshold procedures in user databases.
• sp_modifythreshold does not verify that the specified procedure exists. It is
possible to associate a threshold with a procedure that does not yet exist.
• sp_modifythreshold checks to ensure that the user modifying the threshold
procedure has been directly granted the “sa_role”. All system roles active
when the threshold procedure is modified are entered in systhresholds as
valid roles for the user writing the procedure. However, only directly
granted system roles are activated when the threshold fires. Indirectly
granted system roles and user-defined roles are not activated.
• Adaptive Server passes four parameters to a threshold procedure:
• @dbname, varchar(30), which identifies the database
• @segment_name, varchar(30), which identifies the segment
• @space_left, int, which indicates the number of free pages associated
with the threshold
• @status, int, which has a value of 1 for last-chance thresholds and 0
for other thresholds
These parameters are passed by position rather than by name; your
threshold procedure can use other names for them, but the procedure must
declare them in the order shown and with the correct datatypes.
• It is not necessary to create a different procedure for each threshold. To
minimize maintenance, create a single threshold procedure in the
sybsystemprocs database that can be executed by all thresholds.
• Include print and raiserror statements in the threshold procedure to send

output to the error log.

sp_modifythreshold
Executing threshold procedures

• Tasks that are initiated when a threshold is crossed execute as background
tasks. These tasks do not have an associated terminal or user session. If
you execute sp_who while these tasks are running, the status column
shows “background”.
• Adaptive Server executes the threshold procedure with the permissions of
the user who modified the threshold, at the time he or she executed
sp_modifythreshold, minus any permissions that have since been revoked.
• Each threshold procedure uses one user connection, for as long as it takes
to execute the procedure.
Disabling free-space accounting
Warning! System procedures cannot provide accurate information about space

allocation when free-space accounting is disabled.
• Use the no free space acctg option of sp_dboption to disable free-space

accounting on non-log segments.
• You cannot disable free-space accounting on log segments.
sp_modifythreshold.
Commands create procedure, dump transaction
System procedures sp_addthreshold, sp_dboption, sp_dropthreshold,
sp_helpthreshold, sp_thresholdaction

sp_monitor
Description Displays statistics about Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_monitor
Parameters None.
Examples Reports information about how busy Adaptive Server has been:
sp_monitor
last_run current_run seconds
------------------- ------------------- ---------
Jan 29 1987 10:11AM Jan 29 1987 10:17AM 314
cpu_busy io_busy idle

--------------- --------- --------------
4250(215)-68% 67(1)-0% 109(100)-31%
packets_received packets_sent packet_errors

---------------- ------------ ------------
781(15) 10110(9596) 0(0)
total_read total_write total_errors connections

----------- ------------------------- -----------
394(67) 5392(53) 0(0) 15(1)
Usage • Adaptive Server keeps track of how much work it has done in a series of
global variables. sp_monitor displays the current values of these global
variables and how much they have changed since the last time the
procedure executed.
• For each column, the statistic appears in the form
number(number)-number% or number(number).
• The first number refers to the number of seconds (for cpu_busy,
io_busy, and idle) or the total number (for the other columns) since
Adaptive Server restarted.
• The number in parentheses refers to the number of seconds or the total
number since the last time sp_monitor was run. The percent sign
indicates the percentage of time since sp_monitor was last run.

sp_monitor
For example, if the report shows cpu_busy as “4250(215)-68%”, it means

that the CPU has been busy for 4250 seconds since Adaptive Server was
last started, 215 seconds since sp_monitor last ran, and 68 percent of the
total time since sp_monitor was last run.
For the total_read column, the value 394(67) means there have been 394
disk reads since Adaptive Server was last started, 67 of them since the last
time sp_monitor was run.
• Table 1-16 describes the columns in the sp_monitor report, the equivalent
global variables, if any, and their meanings. With the exception of last_run,
current_run and seconds, these column headings are also the names of
global variables—except that all global variables are preceded by @@.
There is also a difference in the units of the numbers reported by the global
variables—the numbers reported by the global variables are not
milliseconds of CPU time, but machine ticks.
Table 1-16: Columns in the sp_monitor report
Column Equivalent
heading variable Meaning
last_run Clock time at which the sp_monitor procedure last ran.
current_run Current clock time.
seconds Number of seconds since sp_monitor last ran.
cpu_busy @@cpu_busy Number of seconds in CPU time that Adaptive Server’s CPU was doing
Adaptive Server work.
io_busy @@io_busy Number of seconds in CPU time that Adaptive Server has spent doing
input and output operations.
idle @@idle Number of seconds in CPU time that Adaptive Server has been idle.
packets_received @@pack_received Number of input packets read by Adaptive Server.
packets_sent @@pack_sent Number of output packets written by Adaptive Server.
packet_errors @@packet_errors Number of errors detected by Adaptive Server while reading and writing
packets.
total_read @@total_read Number of disk reads by Adaptive Server.
total_write @@total_write Number of disk writes by Adaptive Server.
total_errors @@total_errors Number of errors detected by Adaptive Server while reading and writing.
connections @@connections Number of logins or attempted logins to Adaptive Server.
• The first time sp_monitor runs after Adaptive Server start-up, the number
in parentheses is meaningless.

• Adaptive Server’s housekeeper task uses the server’s idle cycles to write
changed pages from cache to disk. This process affects the values of the
cpu_busy, io_busy, and idle columns reported by sp_monitor. To disable the
housekeeper task and eliminate these effects, set the housekeeper free write
percent configuration parameter to 0:
sp_configure "housekeeper free write percent", 0
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_monitor.

sp_monitorconfig
sp_monitorconfig
Description Displays cache usage statistics regarding metadata descriptors for indexes,
objects, and databases. sp_monitorconfig also reports statistics on auxiliary scan
descriptors used for referential integrity queries, and usage statistics for
transaction descriptors and DTX participants.
Syntax sp_monitorconfig "configname" [ , “result_tbl_name”]
is either all, or part of the configuration parameter name whose monitoring
information is being queried. Valid configuration parameters are listed in the
“Usage” section. Specifying all displays descriptor help information for all
indexes, objects, databases, and auxiliary scan descriptors in the server.
“result_tbl_name”
is the name of the table you create, in which to save the stored procedure
results. This is an optional parameter.
Examples Example 1
sp_monitorconfig "open"
------------------------------ ------------ -----------
curread change w/ open cursors 1 1
number of open databases 12 12
number of open indexes 500 500
number of open objects 500 500
open index hash spinlock ratio 100 100
open index spinlock ratio 100 100
open object spinlock ratio 100 100
sp_monitorconfig "all"
-------------
Usage information at date and time: Oct 25 2002 10:36AM.
Name num_free num_active pct_act Max_Used Reu
sed
----------------------- ----------- ----------- ------- ----------- ------
additional network memory 0 0 0.00 0 NA
audit queue size 100 0 0.00 0 NA
heap memory per user 4096 0 0.00 0 No
max cis remote connection 0 0 0.00 0 NA
max memory 12404 21388 63.29 21388 NA
max number network listen 3 2 40.00 2 NA

max online engines 4 1 20.00 1 NA

memory per worker process 1024 0 0.00 0 NA
number of alarms 31 9 22.50 9 NA
number of aux scan descri 200 0 0.00 0 NA
number of devices 9 1 10.00 1 NA
number of dtx participant 500 0 0.00 0 NA
number of java sockets 0 0 0.00 0 NA
number of large i/o buffers 6 0 0.00 0 NA
number of locks 4673 327 6.54 408 NA
number of mailboxes 30 0 0.00 0 NA
number of messages 64 0 0.00 0 NA
number of open databases 6 6 50.00 6 No
number of open indexes 492 8 1.60 8 No
number of open objects 482 18 3.60 18 No
number of remote connections 20 0 0.00 0 NA
number of remote logins 20 0 0.00 0 NA
number of remote sites 10 0 0.00 0 NA
number of sort buffers 500 0 0.00 9 NA
number of user connection 23 2 8.00 2 NA
number of user processes 0 0 0.00 0 NA
partition groups 1024 0 0.00 0 NA
permission cache entries 15 0 0.00 0 NA
procedure cache size 2567 704 21.52 810 No
size of global fixed heap 150 0 0.00 0 NA
size of process object heap 1500 0 0.00 0 NA
size of shared class heap 1536 0 0.00 0 NA
size of unilib cache 0 0 0.00 0 NA
txn to pss ratio 16 0 0.00 0 NA
(return status = 0)
Example 2 Shows 283 active object metadata descriptors, with 217 free. The
maximum used at a peak period since Adaptive Server was last started is 300:
sp_monitorconfig "open objects"
Usage information at date and time: Apr 22 2002 2:49PM.
Name num_free num_active pct_act Max_Used Reused
-------------- -------- ---------- ------- -------- ------
number of open 217 283 56.60 300 No
You can then reset the size to 330, for example, to accommodate the 300
maximum used metadata descriptors, plus space for 10 percent more:
sp_configure "number of open objects", 330
Example 3 Shows the maximum number of index metadata descriptors, which
is 44:

sp_monitorconfig
sp_monitorconfig "open indexes"

-------------- -------- ---------- -------- -------- ------
number of open 556 44 7.33 44 No
You can reset the size to 100, the minimum acceptable value:
sp_configure "number of open indexes", 100
Example 4 Shows the number of active scan descriptors as 30, though
Adaptive Server is configured to use 200. Use the number of aux scan
descriptors configuration parameter to reset the value to at least 32. A safe
setting is 36, to accommodate the 32 scan descriptors, plus space for 10 percent
more:
sp_monitorconfig "aux scan descriptors"
-------------- -------- ---------- -------- -------- ------
number of aux s 170 30 15.00 32 No
Example 5 Adaptive Server is configured for five open databases, all of which
have been used in the current session.
sp_monitorconfig "number of open databases"
-------------- -------- ---------- -------- -------- ------
number of open 0 5 100.00 5 Yes
However, as indicated by the Reused column, an additional database needs to
be opened. If all 5 databases are in use, an error may result, unless the
descriptor for a database that is not in use can be reused. To prevent an error,
reset number of open databases to a higher value.
Example 6 Only 10.2 percent of the transaction descriptors are currently being
used. However, the maximum number of transaction descriptors used at a peak
period since Adaptive Server was last started is 523:
sp_monitorconfig "txn to pss ratio"
-------------- -------- ---------- -------- -------- ------
number of open 784 80 10.20 523 NA

Example 7 Using the optional parameter result_tbl_name to create a user

table, saves the sp_monitorconfig result to this table:
create table sample_table(
Name varchar(35), Num_free int,
Num_active int, Pct_act char(6),
Max_Used int, Reuse_cnt int,
Date varchar(30))
The name of the table created becomes the second parameter of
sp_monitorconfig:
sp_monitorconfig "number of alarms", sample_table
--------------
(return status = 0)
select * from sample_table
---------------
Name Num_free Num_active Pct_act Max_Used Reuse_cnt Date
------------ -------- ---------- ------- -------- --------- -------
number of alarms 29 11 27.50 11 -1 Dec 4 2002 10:20AM
(1 row affected)
sp_monitorconfig "number of devices", sample_table

---------------------
(return status = 0)
select * from sample_table
-----------------
Name Num_free Num_active Pct_act MaxUsed Reuse_cnt Date
------------ --------- ---------- ------- ------- -------- -------
number of alarms 29 11 27.50 11 -1 Dec 4 2002 10:20AM
number of devices 9 1 10.00 1 -1 Dec 4 2002 10:20AM
(2 rows affected)
The result set saved to the table accumulates until you delete or truncate the
table.
Note If sample_table is in another database, you must provide its fully

qualified name in quotes.

sp_monitorconfig
Usage • sp_monitorconfig displays cache usage statistics regarding metadata

descriptors for indexes, objects, and databases, such as the number of
metadata descriptors currently in use by the server.
• sp_monitorconfig also reports the number of auxiliary scan descriptors in
use. A scan descriptor manages a single scan of a table when queries are
run on the table.
• sp_monitorconfig monitors the following resources:
additional network memory
audit queue size
heap memory per user
max cis remote connection
max memory
max number network listeners
memory per worker process
max online engines
number of alarms
number of aux scan descriptors
number of devices
number of dtx participants
number of java sockets
number of large i/o buffers
number of locks
number of mailboxes
number of messages
number of open databases
number of open indexes
number of open objects
number of remote connections
number of remote logins
number of remote sites
number of sort buffers
number of user connections
number of worker processes
partition groups
permission cache entries
procedure cache size
size of global fixed heap
size of process object heap
size of shared class heap
size of unilib cache
txn to pss ratio

• The columns in the sp_monitorconfig output provide the following

information:
• num_free – specifies the number of available metadata or auxiliary
scan descriptors not currently used.
• num_active – specifies the number of metadata or auxiliary scan
descriptors installed in cache (that is, active).
• pct_active – specifies the percentage of cached or active metadata or
auxiliary scan descriptors.
• Max_Used – specifies the maximum number of metadata or auxiliary
scan descriptors that have been in use since the server was started.
• Reused – specifies whether a metadata descriptor was reused in order
to accommodate an increase in indexes, objects, or databases in the
server. The returned value is Yes, No or NA (for configuration
parameters that do not support the reuse mechanism, such as the
number of aux scan descriptors).
• Use the value in the Max_Used column as a basis for determining an
appropriate number of descriptors; be sure to add about 10 percent for the
final setting. For example, if the maximum number of index metadata
descriptors used is 142, you might set the number of open indexes
configuration parameter to 157.
• If the Reused column states Yes, reset the configuration parameter to a
higher value. When descriptors need to be reused, there can be
performance problems, particularly with open databases. An open
database contains a substantial amount of metadata information, which
means that to fill up an open database, Adaptive Server needs to access the
metadata on the disk many times; the server can also have a spinlock
contention problem. To check for spinlock contention, use the system
procedure sp_sysmon. For more information, see the Performance and
Tuning Guide. To find the current number of indexes, objects, or
databases, use sp_countmetadata.
• To get an accurate reading, run sp_monitorconfig during a normal Adaptive
Server peak time period. You can run sp_monitorconfig several times
during the peak period to ensure that you are actually finding the
maximum number of descriptors used.
• result_tbl_name creates a table using the following syntax. All the result
information is saved in this table, which returns no standard output.
create table table_name(
Name varchar(35), Num_free int,

sp_monitorconfig
Num_active int, Pct_act char(6),

Max_Used int, Reuse_cnt int,
Date varchar(30))
• Some configuration parameter, such as number of sort buffers and txn to
pss ratio, are dependent on the number of configured user connections,
while other configuration parameters, such as max number of network
listeners, are per engine.
• The output of sp_monitorconfig uses the number of user connections and
online engines to calculate the values for the columns num_free,
num_active, pct_act and max_used.
• The updates on the internal monitor counters are done without using
synchronization methods because of performance reasons. For this reason,
a multi-engine Adaptive Server under heavy load might report numbers in
the sp_monitorconfig output that are not a completely accurate.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_monitorconfig.
See also System procedures sp_configure, sp_countmetadata, sp_helpconfig,
sp_helpconstraint, sp_sysmon

sp_object_stats
Description Shows lock contention, lock wait-time, and deadlock statistics for tables and
indexes.
Syntax sp_object_stats interval [, top_n
[, dbname, objname [, rpt_option ]]]
Parameters interval
specifies the time period for the sample. It must be in HH:MM:SS form, for
example “00:20:00”.
top_n
the number of objects to report, in order of contention. The default is 10.
dbname
the name of the database to report on. If no database name is given,
contention on objects in all databases is reported.
objname
the name of a table to report on. If a table name is specified, the database
name must also be specified.
rpt_option
must be either rpt_locks or rpt_objlist.
Examples Example 1 Reports lock statistics on the top 10 objects server-wide:
sp_object_stats "00:20:00"
Example 2 Reports only on tables in the pubtune database, and lists the five
tables that experienced the highest contention:
sp_object_stats "00:20:00", 5, pubtune
Example 3 Shows only the names of the tables that had the highest locking
activity, even if contention and deadlocking does not take place:
sp_object_stats "00:15:00", @rpt_option = "rpt_objlist"
Usage • sp_object_stats reports on the shared, update, and exclusive locks acquired
on tables during a specified sample period. The following reports shows
the titles tables:
Object Name: pubtune..titles (dbid=7,
objid=208003772,lockscheme=Datapages)
Page Locks SH_PAGE UP_PAGE EX_PAGE$

---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Grants: 94488 4052 4828

sp_object_stats
Waits: 532 500 776

Deadlocks: 4 0 24
Wait-time: 20603764 ms 14265708 ms 2831556 ms
Contention: 0.56% 10.98% 13.79%
*** Consider altering pubtune..titles to Datarows locking.

• Table 1-17 shows the meaning of the values.
Table 1-17: Output of sp_object_stats
Output row Value
Grants The number of times the lock was granted immediately.
Waits The number of times the task needing a lock had to wait.
Deadlocks The number of deadlocks that occurred.
Wait-times The total number of milliseconds that all tasks spent waiting for a lock.
Contention The percentage of times that a task had to wait or encountered a deadlock.
• sp_object_stats recommends changing the locking scheme when total

contention on a table is more than 15 percent, as follows:
• If the table uses allpages locking, it recommends changing to
datapages locking.
• If the table uses datapages locking, it recommends changing to
datarows locking.
• rpt_option specifies the report type:
• rpt_locks reports grants, waits, deadlocks and wait times for the tables
with the highest contention. rpt_locks is the default.
• rpt_objlist reports only the names of the objects that had the highest
level of lock activity.
• sp_object_stats creates a table named tempdb..syslkstats. This table is not
dropped when the stored procedure completes, so it can be queried by a
System Administrator using Transact-SQL.
• Only one user at a time should execute sp_object_stats. If more than one
user tries to run sp_object_stats simultaneously, the second command may
be blocked, or the results may be invalid.
• The tempdb..syslkstats table is dropped and re-created each time
sp_object_stats is executed.
• The structure of tempdb..syslkstats is described in Table 1-18.

Table 1-18: Columns in the tempdb..syslkstats table

Column name Datatype Description
dbid smallint Database ID
objid int Object ID
lockscheme smallint Integer values 1–3: Allpages = 1, Datapages = 2, Datarows = 3
page_type smallint Data page = 0, or index page = 1
stat_name char(30) The statistics represented by this row
stat_value float The number of grants, waits or deadlocks, or the total wait time
The values in the stat_name column are composed of three parts:

• The first part is “ex” for exclusive lock, “sh” for shared lock, or “up”
for update lock.
• The second part is “pg” for page locks, or “row” for row locks.
• The third part is “grants” for locks granted immediately, “waits” for
locks that had to wait for other locks to be released, “deadlocks” for
deadlocks, and “waittime” for the time waited to acquire the lock.
• If you specify a table name, sp_object_stats displays all tables by that
name. If more than one user owns a table with the specified name, output
for these tables displays the object ID, but not the owner name.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_object_stats.
See also Commands alter table

sp_passthru
sp_passthru
Description Component Integration Services only Allows the user to pass a SQL
command buffer to a remote server.
Syntax sp_passthru server, command, errcode, errmsg, rowcount
[, arg1, arg2, ... argn]
Parameters server
is the name of a remote server to which the SQL command buffer will be
passed. The class of this server must be a supported, non-local server class.
command
is the SQL command buffer. It can hold up to 255 characters.
errcode
is the error code returned by the remote server, if any. If no error occurred at
the remote server, the value returned is 0.
errmsg
is the error message returned by the remote server. It can hold up to 255
characters. This parameter is set only if errcode is a nonzero number;
otherwise NULL is returned.
rowcount
is the number of rows affected by the last command in the command buffer.
If the command was an insert, delete, or update, this value represents the
number of rows affected even though none were returned. If the last
command was a query, this value represents the number of rows returned
from the external server.
arg1 … argn
receives the results from the last row returned by the last command in the
command buffer. You can specify up to 250 arg parameters. All must be
declared as output parameters.
Examples Returns the date from the Oracle server in the output parameter @oradate. If
an Oracle error occurs, the error code is placed in @errcode and the
corresponding message is placed in @errmsg. The @rowcount parameter will
be set to 1:
sp_passthru ORACLE, "select date from dual", @errcode output,
@errmsg output, @rowcount output, @oradate output

Usage • sp_passthru allows the user to pass a SQL command buffer to a remote
server. The syntax of the SQL statement or statements being passed is
assumed to be the syntax native to the class of server receiving the buffer.
No translation or interpretation is performed. Results from the remote
server are optionally placed in output parameters.
Use sp_passthru only when Component Integration Services is installed
and configured.
• You can include multiple commands in the command buffer. For some
server classes, the commands must be separated by semicolons. See the
Component Integration Services User’s Guide for a more complete
discussion of query buffer handling in passthru mode.
Return Parameters
• The output parameters arg1 ... argn will be set to the values of
corresponding columns from the last row returned by the last command in
the command buffer. The position of the parameter determines which
column’s value the parameter will contain. arg1 receives values from
column 1, arg2 receives values from column 2, and so on.
• If there are fewer optional parameters than there are returned columns, the
excess columns are ignored. If there are more parameters than columns,
the remaining parameters are set to NULL.
• An attempt is made to convert each column to the datatype of the output
parameter. If the datatypes are similar enough to permit implicit
conversion, the attempt will succeed. For information on implicit
conversion, see “Datatype conversion functions” on page 58 in Chapter 2,
“Transact-SQL Functions” of Reference Manual: Building Blocks. See the
Component Integration Services User’s Guide for information on which
datatype represents the datatypes from each server class when in passthru
mode.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_passthru.
See also System procedures sp_autoconnect, sp_remotesql

sp_password
sp_password
Description Adds or changes a password for an Adaptive Server login account.
Syntax sp_password caller_passwd, new_passwd [, loginame, @immediate]
Parameters caller_passwd
is your password. When you are changing your own password, this is your
old password. When a System Security Officer is using sp_password to
change another user’s password, caller_passwd is the System Security
Officer’s password.
new_passwd
is the new password for the user, or for loginame. It must be at least 6 bytes
long. Enclose passwords that include characters besides A-Z, a-z, or 0-9 in
quotation marks. Also enclose passwords that begin with 0-9 in quotes.
loginame
the login name of the user whose account password is being changed by the
System Security Officer.
@immediate
specifies whether a password immediately takes effect on users who are
logged in. The values are:
• 0 – users who are logged in keep their old passwords until they
reconnect
• 1 – the password changes immediately in the syslogins table, and users
who are logged in get their passwords updated while they are still
logged in.
Examples Example 1 Changes your password from password from “3blindmice” to
“2mediumhot.” (Enclose the passwords in quotes because they begin with
numerals.):
sp_password "3blindmice", "2mediumhot"
Example 2 A System Security Officer whose password is “2tomato” has
changed Victoria’s password to “sesame1”:
sp_password "2tomato", sesame1, victoria
Example 3 Changes your password from NULL to “16tons.” Notice that
NULL is not enclosed in quotes (NULL is not a permissible new password):
sp_password null, "16tons"
Example 4
PRODUCTION...sp_password figaro, lilacs

Changes your password on the PRODUCTION server from “figaro” to

“lilacs.”
Usage • Any user can change his or her password with sp_password.
• New passwords must be at least 6 characters long. They cannot be NULL.
• The encrypted text of caller_passwd must match the existing encrypted
password of the caller. If it does not, sp_password returns an error message
and fails. master.dbo.syslogins lists passwords in encrypted form.
• If a client program requires users to have the same password on remote
servers as on the local server, users must change their passwords on all the
remote servers before changing their local passwords. Execute
sp_password as a remote procedure call on each remote server. See
Example 4.
• You can set the systemwide password expiration configuration parameter to
establish a password expiration interval that forces all Adaptive Server
login accounts to change passwords on a regular basis. See the System
Administration Guide for more information.
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_password to change another
user’s password. Any user can execute sp_password to change his or her own
password.
See also System procedures sp_addlogin, sp_adduser

sp_placeobject
sp_placeobject
Description Puts future space allocations for a table or index on a particular segment.
Syntax sp_placeobject segname, objname
Parameters segname
is the name of the segment on which to locate the table or index.
objname
is the name of the table or index for which to place subsequent space
allocation on the segment segname. Specify index names in the form
“tablename.indexname”
Examples Example 1 This places all subsequent space allocation for the table authors on
the segment named “segment3”:
sp_placeobject segment3, authors
Example 2 This command places all subsequent space allocation for the
employee table’s index named employee_nc on the segment named indexes:
sp_placeobject indexes, 'employee.employee_nc'
Usage • You cannot change the location of future space allocations for system
tables.
• Placing a table or an index on a particular segment does not affect the
location of any existing table or index data. It affects only future space
allocation. Changing the segment used by a table or an index can spread
the data among multiple segments.
• If you use sp_placeobject with a clustered index, the table moves with the
index.
• You can specify a segment when you create a table or an index with create
table or create index. If you do not specify a segment, the data goes on the
default segment.
• When sp_placeobject splits a table or an index across more than one disk
fragment, the diagnostic command dbcc displays messages about the data
that resides on the fragments that were in use for storage before
sp_placeobject executed. Ignore those messages.
• You cannot use sp_placeobject on a partitioned table.

Permissions Only the table owner, Database Owner, or System Administrator can execute
sp_placeobject.
See also Commands alter table, dbcc

System procedures sp_addsegment, sp_dropsegment, sp_extendsegment,

sp_helpindex, sp_helpsegment

sp_plan_dbccdb
sp_plan_dbccdb
Description Recommends suitable sizes for new dbccdb and dbccalt databases, lists suitable
devices for dbccdb and dbccalt, and suggests a cache size and a suitable number
of worker processes for the target database.
Syntax sp_plan_dbccdb [dbname]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the target database. If dbname is not specified,
sp_plan_dbccdb makes recommendations for all databases in
master..sysdatabases.
Examples Example 1 Returns configuration recommendations for creating a dbccdb

database suitable for checking the master database. The dbccdb database
already existed at the time this command was run, so the size of the existing
database is provided for comparison:
sp_plan_dbccdb master
Recommended size for dbccdb is 4MB.
dbccdb database already exists with size 8MB.
Recommended values for workspace size, cache size and process count are:
dbname scan ws text ws cache process count
master 64K 64K 640K 1
Example 2 Returns configuration recommendations for creating a dbccdb

database suitable for checking all databases in the server. No dbccdb database
existed at the time this command was run:
sp_plan_dbccdb
Recommended minimum size for dbccdb is 4MB.
master 64K 64K 640K 1
tempdb 64K 64K 640K 1
model 64K 64K 640K 1
sybsystemprocs 272K 80K 640K 1
dbccdb 128K 64K 640K 1
Example 3 Returns configuration recommendations for creating a dbccdb

database suitable for checking pubs2:
sp_plan_dbccdb pubs2
Recommended size for dbccdb is 4MB.
Recommended devices for dbccdb are:

Logical Device Name Device Size Physical Device Name

sprocdev 28672 /remote/sybase/devices/srv_sprocs_dat
tun_dat 8192 /remote/sybase/devices/srv_tun_dat
tun_log 4096 /remote/sybase/devices/srv_tun_log
pubs2 64K 64K 640K 1
Usage • sp_plan_dbccdb recommends suitable sizes for creating new dbccdb and
dbccalt databases, lists suitable devices for the new database, and suggests
cache size and a suitable number of worker processes for the target
database.
• If you specify dbccdb, sp_plan_dbccdb recommends values for dbccalt, the
alternate database. If you specify dbccalt, sp_plan_dbccdb recommends
values for dbccdb.
• sp_plan_dbccdb does not report values for existing dbccdb and dbccalt
databases. To gather configuration parameters for an existing dbccdb or
dbccalt database, use sp_dbcc_evaluatedb.
• For information on the dbcc stored procedures for maintaining dbccdb and
for generating reports from dbccdb, see Chapter 4, “dbcc Stored
Procedures.”
Permissions Only the System Administrator or Database Owner can execute
sp_plan_dbccdb. Only the System Administrator can execute sp_plan_dbccdb
without specifying a database name.
System procedures sp_dbcc_evaluatedb

sp_poolconfig
sp_poolconfig
Description Creates, drops, resizes, and provides information about memory pools within
data caches.
Syntax To create a memory pool in an existing cache, or to change pool size:
sp_poolconfig cache_name [, "mem_size [P|K|M|G]", "config_poolK"
[, "affected_poolK"]]
To change a pool’s wash size:
sp_poolconfig cache_name, "io_size ", "wash=size[P|K|M|G]"
To change a pool’s asynchronous prefetch percentage:
sp_poolconfig cache_name, "io_size ",
"local async prefetch limit=percent "
is the name of an existing data cache.
mem_size
is the size of the memory pool to be created or the new total size for an
existing pool, if a pool already exists with the specified I/O size. The
minimum size of a pool is 512K. Specify size units with P for pages, K for
kilobytes, M for megabytes, or G for gigabytes. The default is kilobytes.
config_pool
is the I/O size performed in the memory pool where the memory is to be
allocated or removed.
Valid I/O sizes are multiples of the logical page size, up to four times the
amount.
affected_pool
is the size of I/O performed in the memory pool where the memory is to be
deallocated. If affected_pool is not specified, the memory is taken from the
logical page size memory pool.
io_size
is the size of I/O performed in the memory pool where the wash size is to be
reconfigured. The combination of cache name and I/O size uniquely
identifies a memory pool.
wash=size
Changes the wash size (the point in the cache at which Adaptive Server
writes dirty pages to disk) for a memory pool.

local async prefetch limit=percent

sets the percentage of buffers in the pool that can be used to hold buffers that
have been read into cache by asynchronous prefetch, but that have not yet
been used.
Examples Example 1 Creates a 16K pool in the data cache pub_cache with 10MB of
space. All space is taken from the default 2K memory pool:
sp_poolconfig pub_cache, "10M", "16K"
Example 2 Moves 16MB of space to the 32K pool from the 64K pool of
pub_cache:
sp_poolconfig pub_cache, "16M", "32K", "64K"
Example 3 Reports the current configuration of pub_cache:
sp_poolconfig "pub_cache"
Example 4 Removes the 16K memory pool from pub_cache, placing all of the
memory assigned to it in the 2K pool:
sp_poolconfig pub_cache, "0K", "16K"
Example 5 Changes the wash size of the 2K pool in pubs_cache to 508K:
sp_poolconfig pub_cache, "2K", "wash=508K"
Example 6 Changes the asynchronous prefetch limit for the 2K pool to 15
percent:
sp_poolconfig pub_cache, "2K", "local async prefetch limit=15"
Usage • When you create a data cache with sp_cacheconfig, all space is allocated
to the logical page size memory pool. sp_poolconfig divides the data cache
into additional pools with larger I/O sizes.
• If no large I/O memory pools exist in a cache, Adaptive Server performs
I/O in 2K units, the size of a data page, for all of the objects bound to the
cache. You can often enhance performance by configuring pools that
perform large I/O. A 16K memory pool reads and writes eight data pages
in a single I/O operation.
• The combination of cache name and I/O size must be unique. In other
words, you can have only one pool of a given I/O size in a particular data
cache.
• Only one sp_poolconfig command can be active on a single cache at one
time. If a second sp_poolconfig command is issued before the first one
completes, it sleeps until the first command completes.
• Figure 1-3 shows a data cache on a server that uses 2K logical pages with:

sp_poolconfig
• The default data cache with a 2K pool and a 16K pool

• A user cache with a 2K pool and a 16K pool
• A log cache with a 2K pool and a 4K pool
Figure 1-3: Data cache with default and user-defined caches
User_table_Cache Default DataCache

2K pool
16K pool
C a c h e
2K pool
16K pool
D a t a
Log_Cache
2K pool
4K pool
• You can create pools with I/O sizes up to 16K in the default data cache.
• The minimum size of a memory pool is 512K. You cannot reduce the size
of any memory pool in any cache to less than 512K by transferring
memory to another pool.
• Two circumstances can create pool less than 512K:
• If you attempt to delete a pool by setting its size to zero, and some of
the pages are in use, sp_poolconfig reduces the pool size as much as
possible, and prints a warning message. The status for the pool is set
to “Unavailable/deleted”.

• If you attempt to move buffers to create a new pool, and enough

buffers cannot be moved to the new pool, sp_poolconfig moves as
many buffers as it can, and the cache status is set to “Unavailable/too
small.”
In both of these cases, you can retry to command at a later time. The pool
will also be deleted or be changed to the desired size when the server is
restarted.
• You can create memory pools while Adaptive Server is active; no restart
is needed for them to take effect. However, Adaptive Server can move
only “free” buffers (buffers that are not in use or that do not contain
changes that have not been written to disk). When you configure a pool or
change its size, Adaptive Server moves as much memory as possible to the
pool and prints an informational message showing the requested size and
the actual size of the pool. After a restart of Adaptive Server, all pools are
created at the configured size.
• The following commands perform only 2K I/O: create database, alter
database, some dbcc commands, disk init, and drop table. dbcc checktable
can perform large I/O, and dbcc checkdb performs large I/O on tables and
2K I/O on indexes. Also, recovery uses only the 2K memory pool: all
pages are read into and changed in the 2K pool of the default cache. Be
sure that your default 2K pool is large enough for these activities.
• Most Adaptive Servers perform best with I/O configured for transactions
logs that is twice the logical page size. Adaptive Server uses the default
I/O size of twice the logical page size if the default cache or a cache with
a transaction log bound to it is configured with a memory pool twice the
logical page size. Otherwise, it uses the logical page size memory pool.
• You can increase the default log I/O size for a database using the
sp_logiosize system procedure. However, the I/O size you specify must
have memory pools of the same size in the cache bound to the transaction
log. If not, Adaptive Server uses the logical page size memory pools.
Wash percentage
• The default value for the wash size is computed as follows:
• If the pool size is less than 300MB, the default wash size is set to 20
percent of the buffers in the pool
• If the pool size is greater than 300MB, the default wash size is 20
percent of the number of buffers in 300MB
• The minimum setting for the wash size is 10 buffers, and the maximum
setting is 80 percent of the size of the pool.

sp_poolconfig
• Each memory pool contains a wash area at the least recently used (LRU)
end of the chain of buffers in that pool. Once dirty pages (pages that have
been changed while in cache) move into the wash area, Adaptive Server
initiates asynchronous writes on these pages. The wash area must be large
enough so that pages can be written to disk before they reach the LRU end
of the pool. Performance suffers when Adaptive Server needs to wait for
clean buffers.
The default percentage, placing 20 percent of the buffers in the wash area,
is sufficient for most applications. If you are using an extremely large
memory pool, and your applications have a very high data modification
rate, you may want to increase the size to 1 or 2 percent of the pool.
Contact Sybase Technical Support for more information about choosing
an effective wash size.
Local asynchronous prefetch percentage
• The default value for a pool’s asynchronous prefetch percentage is set by
the configuration parameter global async prefetch limit. The pool limit
always overrides the global limit.
• To disable prefetch in a pool (if the global limit is a nonzero number), set
the pool’s limit to 0.
• See the Performance and Tuning Guide for information on the
performance impact of changes to the asynchronous prefetch limit.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_poolconfig to reconfigure
memory pools within data caches. Any user can use sp_poolconfig to get
information about memory pools.
See also System procedures sp_cacheconfig, sp_helpcache, sp_logiosize,

sp_primarykey
Description Defines a primary key on a table or view.
Syntax sp_primarykey tabname, col1 [, col2, col3, ..., col8]
Parameters tabname
is the name of the table or view on which to define the primary key.
col1
is the name of the first column that makes up the primary key. The primary
key can consist of from one to eight columns.
Examples Example 1 Defines the au_id field as the primary key of the table authors:
sp_primarykey authors, au_id
Example 2 Defines the combination of the fields lastname and firstname as the
primary key of the table employees:
sp_primarykey employees, lastname, firstname
Usage • Executing sp_primarykey adds the key to the syskeys table. Only the owner
of a table or view can define its primary key. sp_primarykey does not
enforce referential integrity constraints; use the primary key clause of the
create table or alter table command to enforce a primary key relationship.
• Define keys with sp_primarykey, sp_commonkey, and sp_foreignkey to

make explicit a logical relationship that is implicit in your database design.
An application program can use the information.
• A table or view can have only one primary key. To display a report on the
keys that have been defined, execute sp_helpkey.
• The installation process runs sp_primarykey on the appropriate columns of
the system tables.
Permissions Only the owner of the specified table or view can execute sp_primarykey.
System procedures sp_commonkey, sp_dropkey, sp_foreignkey,
sp_helpjoins, sp_helpkey

sp_processmail
sp_processmail
Description Windows NT only Reads, processes, sends, and deletes messages in the
Adaptive Server message inbox, using the xp_findnextmsg, xp_readmail,
xp_sendmail, and xp_deletemail system extended stored procedures (ESPs).
Syntax sp_processmail [subject] [, originator [, dbuser
[, dbname [, filetype [, separator]]]]]
Parameters subject
is the subject header of the message. If you specify a subject but not an
originator, sp_processmail processes all unread messages in the inbox that
has the specified subject header. If you specify both subject and originator,
sp_processmail processes all unread messages with the specified subject
header sent by the specified originator. If you do not specify either subject
or originator, sp_processmail processes all the unread messages in the
originator
is the sender of an incoming message. If you specify an originator and do
not specify a subject, sp_processmail processes all unread messages in the
inbox sent by the specified originator.
dbuser
specifies the Adaptive Server login name to use for the user context for
executing the query in the message. The default is “guest.”
dbname
specifies the database name to use for the database context for executing the
query in the message. The default is “master.”
filetype
specifies the file extension of the attached file that contains the results of the
query. The default is “.txt”.
separator
specifies the character to use as a column separator in the query results. It is
the same as the /s option of isql. The default is the tab character.
Examples Example 1 Processes all unread messages in the Adaptive Server inbox with
the subject header “SQL Report” submitted by mail user “janet”, processes the
received queries in the salesdb database as user “sa”, and returns the query
results to “janet” in a .res file attached to the mail message. The columns in the
returned results are separated by semicolons:
sp_processmail @subject="SQL REPORT", @originator="janet", @dbuser="sa",
@dbname="salesdb", @filetype="res", @separator=";"

Example 2 Processes all unread messages in the Adaptive Server inbox as user
“sa” in the master database and returns the query results in .txt files, which are
attached to the mail messages. The columns in the returned results are
separated by tab characters:
sp_processmail @dbuser="sa"
Usage • sp_processmail reads, processes, sends, and deletes messages in the
Adaptive Server message inbox, using the xp_findnextmsg, xp_readmail,
xp_sendmail, and xp_deletemail system ESPs.
• sp_processmail sends outgoing mail to the originator of the incoming mail

message being processed.
• sp_processmail uses the default parameters when invoking the ESPs,
except for the dbuser, dbname, attachname, and separator parameters to
xp_sendmail, which can be overridden by the parameters to
sp_processmail.
• sp_processmail processes all messages as Adaptive Server queries. It reads

messages from the Adaptive Server inbox and returns query results to the
sender of the message and all its cc’d and bcc’d recipients in an attachment
to an Adaptive Server message. sp_processmail generates a name for the
attached file consisting of “syb” followed by five random digits, followed
by the extension specified by the filetype parameter; for example,
“syb84840.txt.”
• sp_processmail deletes messages from the inbox after processing them.
• The subject and originator parameters specify which messages should be

processed. If neither of these parameters is supplied, sp_processmail
processes all the unread messages in the Adaptive Server message inbox.
• sp_processmail does not process attachments to incoming mail. The query
must be in the body of the incoming message.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_processmail.
See also Extended stored procedures xp_deletemail, xp_findnextmsg, xp_readmail,
xp_sendmail, xp_startmail
Utility isql

sp_procxmode
sp_procxmode
Description Displays or changes the transaction modes associated with stored procedures.
Syntax sp_procxmode [procname [, tranmode]]
Parameters procname
is the name of the stored procedure whose transaction mode you are
examining or changing.
tranmode
is the new transaction mode for the stored procedure. Values are "chained",
"unchained", and "anymode".
Examples Example 1 Displays the transaction mode for all stored procedures in the
current database:
sp_procxmode
procedure name user name transaction mode
------------------ --------- ----------------
byroyalty dbo Unchained
discount_proc dbo Unchained
history_proc dbo Unchained
insert_sales_proc dbo Unchained
insert_detail_proc dbo Unchained
storeid_proc dbo Unchained
storename_proc dbo Unchained
title_proc dbo Unchained
titleid_proc dbo Unchained
Example 2 Displays the transaction mode of the stored procedure byroyalty:

sp_procxmode byroyalty
procedure name transaction mode
------------------------------ ----------------
byroyalty Unchained
Example 3 Changes the transaction mode for the stored procedure byroyalty in
the pubs2 database from “unchained” to “chained”:
sp_procxmode byroyalty, "chained"
Usage • To change the transaction mode of a stored procedure, you must be the
owner of the stored procedure, the owner of the database containing the
stored procedure, or the System Administrator. The Database Owner or
System Administrator can change the mode of another user’s stored
procedure by qualifying it with the database and user name. For example:

sp_procxmode "otherdb.otheruser.newproc", "chained"

• To use sp_procxmode, turn off chained transaction mode using the chained
option of the set command. By default, this option is turned off.
• When you use sp_procxmode with no parameters, it reports the transaction
modes of every stored procedure in the current database.
• To examine a stored procedure’s transaction mode (without changing it),
enter:
sp_procxmode procname
• To change a stored procedure’s transaction mode, enter:
sp_procxmode procname, tranmode
• When you create a stored procedure, Adaptive Server tags it with the
current session’s transaction mode. This means:
• You can execute “chained” stored procedures only in sessions using
chained transaction mode.
• You can execute “unchained” stored procedures only in sessions
using unchained transaction mode.
To execute a particular stored procedure in either chained or unchained
sessions, set its transaction mode to “anymode”.
• If you attempt to run a stored procedure under the wrong transaction mode,
Adaptive Server returns a warning message, but the current transaction, if
any, is not affected.
Permissions Only a System Administrator, the Database Owner, or the owner of a procedure
can execute sp_procxmode to change the transaction mode. Any user can
execute sp_procxmode to display the transaction mode.
See also Commands begin transaction, commit, save transaction, set

sp_recompile
sp_recompile
Description Causes each stored procedure and trigger that uses the named table to be
recompiled the next time it runs.
Syntax sp_recompile objname
Parameters objname
is the name of a table in the current database.
Examples Recompiles each trigger and stored procedure that uses the table titles the next
time the trigger or stored procedure is run:
sp_recompile titles
Usage • The queries used by stored procedures and triggers are optimized only
once, when they are compiled. As you add indexes or make other changes
to your database that affect its statistics, your compiled stored procedures
and triggers may lose efficiency. By recompiling the stored procedures and
triggers that act on a table, you can optimize the queries for maximum
efficiency.
• sp_recompile looks for objname only in the current database and
recompiles triggers and stored procedures only in the current database.
sp_recompile does not affect objects in other databases that depend on the
table.
• You cannot use sp_recompile on system tables.
• In Adaptive Server versions 12.5 and earlier, sp_recompile could influence
adhoc queries that you execute. Adaptive Server would return a schema
change error (error number 540), and abort the adhoc query. sp_recompile
no longer affects such adhoc queries, and you no longer see error 540.
Note sp_recompile could still influence adhoc queries that started

execution before sp_recompile was run (a concurrent execution).
Permissions Any user can execute sp_recompile.

See also Commands create index, update statistics

sp_remap
Description Remaps a stored procedure, trigger, rule, default, or view from releases later
than 4.8 and prior to 10.0 to be compatible with releases 10.0 and later. Use
sp_remap on pre-existing objects that the upgrade procedure failed to remap.
Syntax sp_remap objname
Parameters objname
is the name of a stored procedure, trigger, rule, default, or view in the current
database.
Examples Example 1 Remaps a stored procedure called myproc:
sp_remap myproc
Example 2 Remaps a rule called default_date. Execute a use my_db statement
to open the my_db database before running this procedure:
sp_remap "my_db..default_date"
Usage • If sp_remap fails to remap an object, drop the object from the database and
re-create it. Before running sp_remap on an object, it is a good idea to copy
its definition into an operating system file with the defncopy utility. See the
Utility Guide for more information about defncopy.
• sp_remap can cause your transaction log to fill rapidly. Before running
sp_remap, use the dump transaction command to dump the transaction log,
as needed.
• You can use sp_remap only on objects in the current database.
• sp_remap makes no changes to objects that were successfully upgraded to
the current release.
Permissions Only a System Administrator or the owner of an object can execute sp_remap.
See also Commands dump transaction
System procedures sp_helptext
Utility programs defncopy

sp_remoteoption
sp_remoteoption
Description Displays or changes remote login options.
Syntax sp_remoteoption [remoteserver [, loginame
[, remotename [, optname [, optvalue]]]]]
is the name of the server that will be executing RPCs on this server.
Note This manual page uses the term “local server” to refer to the server that
is executing the remote procedures that are run from a “remote server.”
loginame
is the login name that identifies the local login for the remoteserver,
loginame, remotename combination.
remotename
is the remote user name that identifies the remote login for the remoteserver,
loginame, remotename combination.
optname
is the name of the option to change. Currently, there is only one option,
trusted, which means that the local server accepts remote logins from other
servers without user-access verification for the particular remote login. The
default is to use password verification. Adaptive Server understands any
unique string that is part of the option name. Use quotes around the option
name if it includes embedded blanks.
optvalue
is either true or false. true turns the option on, false turns it off.
Examples Example 1 Displays a list of the remote login options:
sp_remoteoption
Settable remote login options.
remotelogin_option
------------------------
trusted
Example 2 Defines the remote login from the remote server GATEWAY to be
trusted; that is, the password is not checked:
sp_remoteoption GATEWAY, churchy, pogo, trusted, true
Example 3 Defines the remote login “pogo” from the remote server
GATEWAY as a login that is not trusted; that is, the password is checked:

sp_remoteoption GATEWAY, churchy, pogo, trusted, false

Example 4 Defines all logins from GATEWAY that map to login “albert” on
the local server to be trusted:
sp_remoteoption GATEWAY, albert, NULL, trusted, true
Usage • To display a list of the remote login options, execute sp_remoteoption with
no parameters.
• If you have used sp_addremotelogin to map all users from a remote server
to the same local name, specify trusted for those users. For example, if all
users from server GOODSRV that are mapped to “albert” are trusted,
specify:
sp_remoteoption GOODSRV, albert, NULL, trusted, true
If the logins are not specified as trusted, they cannot execute RPCs on the
local server unless they specify local server passwords when they log into
the remote server. When they use Open Client Client-Library, users can
specify a password for server-to-server connections with the routine
ct_remote_pwd. isql and bcp do not permit users to specify a password for
RPC connections.
If users are logged into the remote server using “unified login”, the logins
must also be trusted on the local server, or they must specify passwords for
the server when they log into the remote server.
See the System Administration Guide for more information about setting
up servers for remote procedure calls and for using “unified login.”
Permissions Only a System Security Officer can execute sp_remoteoption.
See also System procedures sp_addremotelogin, sp_dropremotelogin,
sp_helpremotelogin
Utility isql

sp_remotesql
sp_remotesql
Description Component Integration Services only Establishes a connection to a remote
server, passes a query buffer to the remote server from the client, and relays the
results back to the client.
Syntax sp_remotesql server, query
[, query2, ... , query254]
Parameters server_name
is the name of a remote server defined with sp_addserver.
query
is a query buffer a with maximum length of 255 characters.
query2 … query254
is a query buffer with a maximum length of 255 characters. If supplied, these
arguments are concatenated with the contents of query1 into a single query
buffer.
Examples Example 1 Passes the query buffer to FREDS_SERVER, which interprets
select @@version and returns the result to the client. Adaptive Server does not
interpret the result:
sp_remotesql FREDS_SERVER, "select @@version"
Example 2 Illustrates the use of sp_remotesql in a stored procedure. This
example and example 1 return the same information to the client:
create procedure freds_version
as
exec sp_remotesql FREDS_SERVER, "select @@version"
go
exec freds_version
go
Example 3 The server concatenates two query buffers into a single buffer, and
passes the complete insert statement to the server DCO_SERVER for
processing. The syntax for the insert statement is a format that DCO_SERVER
understands. The returned information is not interpreted by the server. This
example also examines the value returned in @@error.
sp_remotesql DCO_SERVER,
"insert into remote_table
(numbercol,intcol, floatcol,datecol )",
"values (109.26,75, 100E5,'10-AUG-85')"
select @@error
Example 4 Illustrates the use of local variables as parameters to sp_remotesql:

declare @servname varchar(30)

declare @querybuf varchar(200)
select @servname = "DCO_SERV"
select @querybuf = "select table_name
from all_tables
where owner = 'SYS'"
exec sp_remotesql @servname, @querybuf
Usage • sp_remotesql establishes a connection to a remote server, passes a query
buffer to the remote server from the client, and relays the results back to
the client. The local server does not intercept results.
• You can use sp_remotesql within another stored procedure.
• The query buffer parameters must be a character expression with a
maximum length of 255 characters. If you use a query buffer that is not
char or varchar, you will receive datatype conversion errors.
• sp_remotesql sets the global variable @@error to the value of the last
error message returned from the remote server if the severity of the
message is greater than 10.
• If sp_remotesql is issued from within a transaction, Adaptive Server
verifies that a transaction has been started on the remote server before
passing the query buffer for execution. When the transaction terminates,
the remote server is directed to commit the transaction. The work
performed by the contents of the query buffer is part of the unit of work
defined by the transaction.
If transaction control statements are part of the query buffer, it is the
responsibility of the client to ensure that the transaction commit and
rollback occur as expected. Mixing Transact-SQL with transaction control
commands in the query buffer can cause unpredictable results.
• The local server manages the connection to the remote server. Embedding
connect to or disconnect commands in the query buffer causes results that
require interpretation by the remote server. This is not required or
recommended. Typically, the result is a syntax error.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_remotesql.
See also Commands connect to...disconnect
System procedures sp_addserver, sp_autoconnect, sp_passthru

sp_rename
sp_rename
Description Changes the name of a user-created object or user-defined datatype in the
current database.
Syntax sp_rename objname, newname [,“index” | “column”]
Parameters objname
is the original name of the user-created object (table, view, column, stored
procedure, index, trigger, default, rule, check constraint, referential
constraint, or user-defined datatype). If the object to be renamed is a column
in a table, objname must be in the form “table.column”. If the object is an
index, objname must be in the form “table.indexname”.
newname
is the new name of the object or datatype. The name must conform to the
rules for identifiers and must be unique to the current database.
index
specifies that the object you are renaming is an index, not a column. This
argument allows you to rename an index that has the same name as a
column, without dropping and re-creating the index.
column
specifies that the object you are renaming is a column, not an index. This
argument is part of the same option as the index argument.
Examples Example 1 Renames the titles table to books:
sp_rename titles, books
Example 2 Renames the title column in the books table to bookname:
sp_rename "books.title", bookname
Example 3 Renames the titleind index in the books table to titleindex:
sp_rename "books.titleind", titleindex
Example 4 Renames the user-defined datatype tid to bookid:
sp_rename tid, bookid
Example 5 renames the title_id index in the titles table to isbn.
sp_rename "titles.title_id", isbn, "index"
Usage • sp_rename changes the name of a user-created object or datatype. You can
change only the name of an object or datatype in the database in which you
issue sp_rename.

• When you are renaming a column or index, do not specify the table name
in newname. See Examples 2, 3, and 5.
• If a column and an index have the same name, use the [,“index” |
“column”] argument, which specifies whether to rename the index or the
column. In the following sample, assume that both an index and a column
named idx exist:
sp_rename "t.idx", new_idx, "column"
-------------
Column name has been changed. (Return status = 0)
sp_rename "t.idx", new_idx, "index"
-------------
Index name has been changed. (Return status = 0)
• You can change the name of a an object referenced by a view. For example,
if a view references the new_sales table and you rename new_sales to
old_sales, the view will reference old_sales.
• You cannot change the names of system objects and system datatypes.
Warning! Procedures, triggers, and views that depend on an object whose

name has been changed work until they are dropped and re-created. Also,
the old object name appears in query results until the user changes and
re-creates the procedure, trigger, or view. Change the definitions of any
dependent objects when you execute sp_rename. Find dependent objects
with sp_depends.
Permissions Only the Database Owner or a System Administrator can use the setuser
command to assume another database user’s identity to rename objects owned
by other users. All users can execute sp_rename to rename their own objects.
See also System procedures sp_depends, sp_rename

sp_renamedb
sp_renamedb
Description Changes the name of a user database.
Syntax sp_renamedb dbname, newname
Parameters dbname
is the original name of the database.
newname
is the new name of the database. Database names must conform to the rules
for identifiers and must be unique.
Examples Example 1 Renames the accounting database to financial:
sp_renamedb accounting, financial
Example 2 Renames the database named work, which is a Transact-SQL
reserved word, to workdb. This example shows how sp_dboption is used to
place the work database in single-user mode before renaming it and restore it to
multi-user mode afterward:
sp_dboption work, single, true
go
use work
go
checkpoint
go
sp_renamedb work, workdb
go
use master
go
sp_dboption workdb, single, false
go
use workdb
go
checkpoint
go
Usage • sp_renamedb changes the name of a database. You cannot rename system
databases or databases with external referential integrity constraints.
• The System Administrator must place a database in single-user mode with
sp_dboption before renaming it and must restore it to multi-user mode
afterward.

• sp_renamedb fails if any table in the database references, or is referenced

by, a table in another database. Use the following query to determine
which tables and external databases have foreign key constraints on
primary key tables in the current database:
select object_name(tableid), db_name(frgndbid)
from sysreferences
where frgndbid is not null
Use the following query to determine which tables and external databases
have primary key constraints for foreign key tables in the current database:
select object_name(reftabid), db_name(pmrydbid)
from sysreferences
where pmrydbid is not null
Use alter table to drop the cross-database constraints in these tables. Then,
rerun sp_renamedb.
• When you change a database name:
• Drop all stored procedures, triggers, and views that include the
database name
• Change the source text of the dropped objects to reflect the new
database name
• Re-create the dropped objects
• Change all applications and SQL source scripts that reference the
database, either in a use database_name command or as part of a fully
qualified identifier (in the form dbname.[owner].objectname)
• If you use scripts to run dbcc commands or dump database and dump
transaction commands on your databases, be sure to update those scripts.
Warning! Procedures, triggers, and views that depend on a database

whose name has been changed work until they are re-created. Change the
definitions of any dependent objects when you execute sp_renamedb. Find
dependent objects with sp_depends.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_renamedb.

See also Commands create database
System procedures sp_changedbowner, sp_dboption, sp_depends,

sp_helpdb, sp_rename

sp_rename_qpgroup
sp_rename_qpgroup
Description Renames an abstract plan group.
Syntax sp_rename_qpgroup old_name, new_name
Parameters old_name
is the current name of the abstract plan group.
new_name
is the new name for the group. The specified new_name cannot be the name
of an existing abstract plan group in the database.
Examples sp_rename_qpgroup dev_plans, prod_plans
Changes the name of the group from dev_plans to prod_plans.
Usage • Use sp_rename_qpgroup to rename an abstract plan group. You cannot use
the name of an existing plan group for the new name.
• sp_rename_qpgroup does not affect the contents of the renamed group. IDs
of existing abstract plans are not changed.
• You cannot rename the default abstract plan groups, ap_stdin and
ap_stdout.
• sp_rename_qpgroup cannot be run in a transaction.

sp_rename_qpgroup.
See also System procedures sp_help_qpgroup

sp_reportstats
Description Reports statistics on system usage.
Syntax sp_reportstats [loginame]
Parameters loginame
is the login name of the user to show accounting totals for.
Examples Example 1 Displays a report of current accounting totals for all Adaptive
Server users:
sp_reportstats
------ ----------- ----- ------------ ----- -------------
julie jun 19 1993 10000 24.9962% 5000 24.325%
jason jun 19 1993 10002 25.0013% 5321 25.8866%
ken jun 19 1993 10001 24.9987% 5123 24.9234%
kathy jun 19 1993 10003 25.0038% 5111 24.865%
Total CPU Total I/O

--------- ---------
40006 20555
Example 2 Displays a report of current accounting totals for user “kathy”:

sp_reportstats kathy
------ ----------- ----- ------------ ----- -------------
kathy Jul 24 1993 498 49.8998% 48392 9.1829%
Total CPU Total I/O

--------- ----------
998 98392
Usage • sp_reportstats prints out the current accounting totals for all logins, as well
as each login’s individual statistics and percentage of the overall statistics.
sp_reportstats accepts one parameter, the login name of the account to
report. With no parameters, sp_reportstats reports on all accounts.
• sp_reportstats does not report statistics for any process with a system user
ID (suid) of 0 or 1. This includes deadlock detection, checkpoint,
housekeeper, network, auditing, mirror handlers, and all users with
sa_role.

sp_reportstats
• The units reported for “CPU” are machine clock ticks, not Adaptive Server
clock ticks.
• The “probe” user exists for the two-phase commit probe process, which
uses a challenge-and-response mechanism to access Adaptive Server.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_reportstats.
See also System procedures sp_clearstats, sp_configure

sp_revokelogin
Description Windows NT only Revokes Adaptive Server roles and default permissions
from Windows NT users and groups when Integrated Security mode or Mixed
mode (with Named Pipes) is active.
Syntax sp_revokelogin {login_name | group_name}
group_name
Examples Example 1 Revokes all permissions from the Windows NT user named
“jeanluc”:
sp_revokelogin jeanluc
Example 2 Revokes all roles from the Windows NT Administrators group:
sp_revokelogin Administrators
Usage • Use sp_revokelogin only when Adaptive Server is running in Integrated
Security mode or Mixed mode, when the connection is Named Pipes. If
Adaptive Server is running in Standard mode, or in Mixed mode using a
connection other than Named Pipes, use the revoke command.
• If you revoke a user’s roles and default privileges with sp_revokelogin, that
user can no longer log into Adaptive Server over a trusted connection.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_revokelogin.
See also Commands grant, revoke, setuser
System procedures sp_droplogin, sp_dropuser, sp_logininfo

sp_role
sp_role
Description Grants or revokes roles to an Adaptive Server login account.
Syntax sp_role {"grant" | "revoke"}, rolename, loginame
Parameters grant | revoke
specifies whether to grant the role to or revoke the role from loginame.
rolename
is the role to be granted or revoked.
loginame
is the login account to or from which the role is to be granted or revoked.
Examples Grants the System Administrator role to the login account named “alexander”:
sp_role "grant", sa_role, alexander
Usage • sp_role grants or revokes roles to an Adaptive Server login account.
• When you grant a role to a user, it takes effect the next time the user logs
into Adaptive Server. Alternatively, the user can enable the role
immediately by using the set role command. For example, the command
enables the System Administrator role for the user:
set role sa_role on
• You cannot revoke a role from a user while the user is logged in.
• When users log in, all roles that have been granted to them are active (on).
To turn a role off, use the set command. For example, to deactivate the
System Administrator role, use the command:
set role "sa_role" off
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_role to grant the System
Administrator role to other users. Only a System Security Officer can execute
sp_role to grant any role other than “sa” to other users.
See also Commands grant, revoke, set
Functions proc_role
System procedures sp_displaylogin

sp_sendmsg
Description Sends a message to a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port.
Syntax sp_sendmsg ip_address, port_number, message
Parameters ip_address
is the IP address of the machine where the UDP application is running.
port_number
is the port number of the UDP port.
message
is the message to send. It can be up to 255 characters in length.
Examples sp_sendmsg "120.10.20.5", 3456, "Hello World"
Usage • sp_sendmsg is not supported on Windows NT.
• To enable the use of UDP messaging, a System Security Officer must set
the configuration parameter allow sendmsg to 1.
• No security checks are performed with sp_sendmsg. Sybase strongly
recommends caution when using sp_sendmsg to send sensitive
information across the network. By enabling this functionality, the user
accepts any security problems which result from its use.
• This sample C program listens on a port that you specify and echoes the
messages it receives. For example, to receive the sp_sendmsg calls for
Example 1, use:
updmon 3456
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <arpa/inet.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
main(argc, argv)
int argc; char *argv[];
{
struct sockaddr_in sadr;
int portnum,sck,dummy,msglen;
char msg[256];
if (argc < 2) {
printf(“Usage: udpmon <udp portnum>\n”);

sp_sendmsg
exit(1);
}
if ((portnum=atoi(argv[1])) < 1) {
printf(“Invalid udp portnum\n”);
exit(1);
}
if ((sck=socket(AF_INET,SOCK_DGRAM,IPPROTO_UDP)) < 0) {
printf(“Couldn’t create socket\n”);
exit(1);
}
sadr.sin_family = AF_INET;
sadr.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(“0.0.0.0”);
sadr.sin_port = portnum;
if (bind(sck,&sadr,sizeof(sadr)) < 0) {
printf(“Couldn’t bind requested udp port\n”);
exit(1);
}
for (;;)
{
if((msglen=recvfrom(sck,msg,sizeof(msg),0,NULL,&dummy))
< 0)
printf(“Couldn’t recvfrom() from udp port\n”);
printf(“%.*s\n”, msglen, msg);
}
}
Permissions Any user can execute sp_sendmsg.
See also Function syb_sendmsg

sp_serveroption
Description Displays or changes remote server options.
Syntax sp_serveroption [server, optname, optvalue]
Parameters server
is the name of the remote server for which to set the option.
optname
is the name of the option to be set or unset. Table 1-19 lists the option names.
Table 1-19: sp_serveroption options
Option Meaning
mutual authentication Valid for “rpc security model B” only – this option specifies that the local server
authenticates the remote server by retrieving the credential of the remote server and
verifying it with the security mechanism. With this service, the credentials of both
servers are authenticated and verified.
external engine auto start Specifies that EJB Server starts up each time Adaptive Server starts up. The default
is true; starting Adaptive Server also starts up EJB Server.
net password encryption Specifies whether to initiate connections with a remote server with the client side
password encryption handshake or with the normal (unencrypted password)
handshake sequence. The default is false, no network encryption.
readonly Component Integration Services only – specifies that access to the server named is
read only.
rpc security model A The default model for handling RPCs. This model does not support mutual
authentication, message integrity, or message confidentiality between the local server
and the remote server.
rpc security model B This model results in a single, secure physical connection established between the
local and remote servers. Logical connections for each RPC that is executed are
multiplexed over the single, secure, physical connection. This model supports mutual
authentication, message confidentiality via encryption, and message integrity.
security mechanism Valid for “rpc security model B” only – this option specifies the security mechanism
for the remote server. You must set this option to true to use security model B.
server cost Component Integration Services only – specifies the cost of a single exchange
under the user’s control, on a per-server basis. See Chapter 2, “Understanding
Component Integration Services” in Understanding CIS for more information.
server login Component Integration Services only – To fully support remote logins,
Client-Library provides connection properties that enable CIS to request a server
connection. This connection is recognized at the receiving server as a server
connection (as opposed to an ordinary client connection), allowing the remote server
to validate the connection through the use of sysremotelogins as if the connection
were made by a site handler.

sp_serveroption
Option Meaning
timeouts When unset (false), disables the normal timeout code used by the local server, so the
site connection handler does not automatically drop the physical connection after one
minute with no logical connection. The default is true.
use message confidentiality Valid for “rpc security model B” only – this option specifies that messages are
encrypted when sent to the remote server, and results from the remote server are
encrypted.
use message integrity Valid for “rpc security model B” only – this option specifies that messages between
the servers are checked for tampering.
Adaptive Server accepts any unique string that is part of the option name.
Use quotes around the option name if it includes embedded blanks.
optvalue
is true (on) or false (off) for all options except the security mechanism option.
For the security mechanism option, specify the name of the security
mechanism. To see the names of the security mechanisms available on a
server, execute:
select * from syssecmechs
Examples Example 1 Displays a list of the server options:
sp_serveroption
Settable server options.
------------------------
mutual authentication
net password encryption
readonly
rpc security model A
rpc security model B
security mechanism
timeouts
use message confidentiality
use message integrity
timeouts
net password encryption
Example 2 Tells the server not to time out inactive physical connections with
the remote server GATEWAY:
sp_serveroption GATEWAY, "timeouts", false
Example 3 Specifies that when connecting to the remote server GATEWAY,
GATEWAY sends back an encryption key to encrypt the password to send to it:

sp_serveroption GATEWAY, "net password encryption", true

Example 4 Specifies that the EJB Server SYB_EJB starts up each time
Adaptive Server starts up:
sp_serveroption SYB_EJB, "external engine auto start", true
Example 5 Specifies that the security model for RPCs for the server “TEST3”
is security model B.
sp_serveroption TEST3, "rpc security model B", true
Example 6 Specifies that the security model to use for RPCs for “TEST3” is
DCE:
sp_serveroption TEST3, "security mechanism", dce
Example 7 Specifies that the local server will check the authenticity of the
remote server “TEST3”. With security model B, the remote server will check
the authenticity of the local server, whether or not this option is set:
sp_serveroption TEST3, "mutual authentication", true
Example 8 Disables automatic startup, where SYB_EJB is the logical name
of the EJB Server:
sp_serveroption 'SYB_EJB', 'external engine auto start', 'false'
To enable automatic startup, enter:
sp_serveroption 'SYB_EJB', 'external engine auto start', 'true'
See “Starting EJB Server automatically” in Chapter 2, “Getting Started” of the
EJB Server User’s Guide for more information about using external engine auto
start.
Usage • To display a list of server options that can be set by the user, use
sp_serveroption with no parameters.
• Once timeouts is set to false, the site handlers will continue to run until one
of the two servers is shut down.
• The net password encryption option allows clients to specify whether to
send passwords in plain text or encrypted form over the network when
initiating a remote procedure call. If net password encryption is true, the
initial login packet is sent without passwords, and the client indicates to
the remote server that encryption is desired. The remote server sends back
an encryption key, which the client uses to encrypt its passwords. The
client then encrypts its passwords, and the remote server uses the key to
authenticate them when they arrive.

sp_serveroption
• To set network password encryption for a particular isql session, you can
use a command line option for isql. For more information, see the Utility
Programs manual for your platform.
• You cannot use the net password encryption option when connecting to a
pre-release 10.0 SQL Server.
• The options security mechanism, mutual authentication, use message
confidentiality, and use message integrity do not apply to security model A.
• To use security model B, both the local server and the remote server must
use model B and both must use the same security mechanism.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_serveroption to set the timeouts
option. Any user can execute sp_serveroption with no parameters to display a
list of options.
Only a System Security Officer can set the net password encryption, security
mechanism, mutual authentication, use message confidentiality, and use
message integrity options.
See also Documents Se the System Administration Guide for more information on
server options.
System procedures sp_helpserver, sp_password
Utility isql

sp_setlangalias
Description Assigns or changes the alias for an alternate language.
Syntax sp_setlangalias language, alias
Parameters language
is the official language name of the alternate language.
alias
is the new local alias for the alternate language.
Examples sp_setlangalias french, français
This command assigns the alias name “français” for the official language name
“french”.
Usage • alias replaces the current value of syslanguages.alias for the official name.
• The set language command can use the new alias in place of the official
language name.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_setlangalias.
System procedures sp_addlanguage, sp_droplanguage, sp_helplanguage

sp_setpglockpromote
sp_setpglockpromote
Description Sets or changes the lock promotion thresholds for a database, for a table, or for
Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_setpglockpromote {"database" | "table"}, objname, new_lwm,
new_hwm, new_pct
sp_setpglockpromote server, NULL, new_lwm, new_hwm, new_pct
Parameters server
sets server-wide values for the lock promotion thresholds.
"database" | "table"
specifies whether to set the lock promotion thresholds for a database or
table. “database” and “table” are Transact-SQL keywords, so the quotes are
required.
objname
is either the name of the table or database for which you are setting the lock
promotion thresholds or null, if you are setting server-wide values.
new_lwm
specifies the value to set for the low watermark (LWM) threshold. The
LWM must be less than or equal to the high watermark (HWM). The
minimum value for LWM is 2. This parameter can be null.
new_hwm
specifies the value to set for the lock promotion HWM threshold. The HWM
must be greater than or equal to the LWM. The maximum HWM is
2,147,483,647. This parameter can be null.
new_pct
specifies the value to set for the lock promotion percentage (PCT) threshold.
PCT must be between 1 and 100. This parameter can be null.
Examples Example 1 Sets the server-wide lock promotion LWM to 200, the HWM to
300, and the PCT to 50:
sp_setpglockpromote "server", NULL, 200, 300, 50
Example 2 Sets lock promotion thresholds for the master database:
sp_setpglockpromote "database", master, 1000, 1100, 45
Example 3 Sets lock promotion thresholds for the titles table in the pubs2
database. This command must be issued from the pubs2 database:
sp_setpglockpromote "table", "pubs2..titles", 500, 700, 10

Example 4 Changes the HWM threshold to 1600 for the master database. The
thresholds were previously set with sp_setpglockpromote. This command must
be issued from the master database:
sp_setpglockpromote "database", master, @new_hwm=1600
Usage • sp_setpglockpromote configures the lock promotion values for a table, for
a database, or for Adaptive Server.
Adaptive Server acquires page locks on a table until the number of locks
exceeds the lock promotion threshold. sp_setpglockpromote changes the
lock promotion thresholds for an object, a database, or the server. If
Adaptive Server is successful in acquiring a table lock, the page locks are
released.
When the number of locks on a table exceeds the HWM threshold,
Adaptive Server attempts to escalate to a table lock. When the number of
locks on a table is below the LWM, Adaptive Server does not attempt to
escalate to a table lock. When the number of locks on a table is between
the HWM and LWM and the number of locks exceeds the PCT threshold,
Adaptive Server attempts to escalate to a table lock.
• Lock promotion thresholds for a table override the database or server-wide
settings. Lock promotion thresholds for a database override the
server-wide settings.
• Lock promotion thresholds for Adaptive Server do not need initialization,
but you must initialize database and table lock promotion thresholds by
specifying LWM, HWM, and PCT with sp_setpglockpromote, which
creates a row for the object in sysattributes when it is first run for a
database or table. Once the thresholds have been initialized, then they can
be modified individually, as in Example 4.
• For a table or a database, sp_setpglockpromote sets LWM, HWM, and PCT
in a single transaction. If sp_setpglockpromote encounters an error while
updating any of the values, then all changes are aborted and the transaction
is rolled back. For server-wide changes, one or more thresholds may fail
to be updated while others are successfully updated. Adaptive Server
returns an error message if any values fail to be updated.
• To view the server-wide settings for the lock promotion thresholds, use
sp_configure "lock promotion" to see all three threshold values. To view
lock promotion settings for a database, use sp_helpdb. To view lock
promotion settings for a table, use sp_help.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_setpglockpromote.
See also System procedures sp_configure, sp_dropglockpromote, sp_help, sp_helpdb

sp_setpsexe
sp_setpsexe
Description Sets custom execution attributes for a session while the session is active.
Syntax sp_setpsexe spid, exeattr, value
Parameters spid
is the ID of the session for which to set execution variables. Use sp_who to
see spids.
exeattr
identifies the execution attribute to be set. Values are priority and
enginegroup.
value
is the new value of exeattr. Values for each attribute are as follows:
• If exeattr is priority, value is HIGH, MEDIUM, or LOW.
• If exeattr is enginegroup, value is the name of an existing engine group.
Examples This example sets the priority of the process with an ID of 1 to HIGH:
sp_setpsexe 1, "priority", "HIGH"
Usage • Execution attribute values specified with sp_setpsexe are valid for the
current session only and do not apply after the session terminates.
• Use sp_setpsexe with caution or it can result in degraded performance.
Changing attributes “on the fly”, using sp_setpsexe, can help if the process
is not getting CPU time; however, if the performance problem is due to
something else, such as locks, changing execution attributes could make
the problem worse.
• Because you can only set execution attributes for sessions, sp_setpsexe
cannot be set for a worker process spid.
• Except for the housekeeper spid, you cannot set execution attributes for
system spids.
• sp_setpsexe does not work if there are no online engines in the associated
engine group.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_setpsexe without restriction. Any
user can execute sp_setpsexe to lower the priority of a process owned by that
user.
See also System procedures sp_addexeclass, sp_bindexeclass, sp_dropexeclass,
sp_showexeclass

sp_set_qplan
Description Changes the text of the abstract plan of an existing plan without changing the
associated query.
Syntax sp_set_qplan id, plan
Parameters id
is the ID of the abstract plan.
plan
is a new abstract plan.
Examples sp_set_qplan 563789159,
"( g_join (scan t1) (scan t2))"
Usage • Use sp_set_qplan to change the abstract plan of an existing plan. You can
specify a maximum of 255 characters for a plan. If the abstract plan is
longer than 255 characters, you can drop the old plan with sp_drop_qplan
and then use create plan to create a new plan for the query.
• When you change a plan with sp_set_qplan, plans are not checked for
valid abstract plan syntax. Also, the plan is not checked for compatibility
with the SQL text. All plans modified with sp_set_qplan should be
immediately checked for correctness by running the query for the
specified ID.
• To find the ID of a plan, use sp_help_qpgroup, sp_help_qplan, or
sp_find_qplan. Plan IDs are also returned by create plan and are included
in showplan output.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_set_qplan to change the text for a plan that he or she
owns. Only the System Administrator or the Database Owner can change the
text for a plan that belongs to another user.
System procedures sp_drop_qpgroup, sp_drop_qplan, sp_find_qplan,

sp_help_qplan

sp_setrowlockpromote
sp_setrowlockpromote
Description Sets or changes row-lock promotion thresholds for a datarows-locked table, for
all datarows-locked tables in a database, or for all datarows-locked tables on a
server.
Syntax sp_setrowlockpromote "server", NULL, new_lwm, new_hwm, new_pct
sp_setrowlockpromote {"database" | "table"}, objname, new_lwm,
new_hwm, new_pct
Parameters server
sets server-wide values for the row lock promotion thresholds.
"database" | "table"
specifies whether to set the row-lock promotion thresholds for a database or
table.
objname
is either the name of the table or database for which you are setting the
row-lock promotion thresholds or null, if you are setting server-wide values.
new_lwm
specifies the value to set for the low watermark (LWM) threshold. The
LWM must be less than or equal to the high watermark (HWM). The
minimum value for LWM is 2. This parameter can be null.
new_hwm
specifies the value to set for the high watermark (HWM) threshold. The
HWM must be greater than or equal to the LWM. The maximum HWM is
2,147,483,647. This parameter can be null.
new_pct
specifies the value to set for the lock promotion percentage (PCT) threshold.
PCT must be between 1 and 100. This parameter can be null.
Examples Example 1 Sets row lock promotion values for all datarows-locked tables in
the engdb database:
sp_setrowlockpromote "database", engdb, 400, 400,95
Example 2 Sets row lock promotion values for the sales table:
sp_setrowlockpromote "table", sales, 250, 250, 100
Usage • sp_setrowlockpromote sets or changes row-lock promotion thresholds for
a table, a database, or Adaptive Server.
Adaptive Server acquires row locks on a datarows-locked table until the
number of locks exceeds the lock promotion threshold. If Adaptive Server
is successful in acquiring a table lock, the row locks are released.

When the number of row locks on a table exceeds the HWM, Adaptive
Server attempts to escalate to a table lock. When the number of row locks
on a table is below the LWM, Adaptive Server does not attempt to escalate
to a table lock. When the number of row locks on a table is between the
HWM and LWM, and the number of row locks exceeds the PCT threshold
as a percentage of the number of rows in a table, Adaptive Server attempts
to escalate to a table lock.
• Lock promotion is always two-tiered, that is, row locks are promoted to
table locks. Adaptive Server does not promote from row locks to page
locks.
• Lock promotion thresholds for a table override the database or server-wide
settings. Lock promotion thresholds for a database override the
server-wide settings.
• To change the lock promotion thresholds for a database, you must be using
the master database. To change the lock promotion thresholds for a table
in a database, you must be using the database where the table resides.
• Server-wide row lock promotion thresholds can also be set with
sp_configure. When you use sp_setrowlockpromote to change the values
server-wide, it changes the configuration parameters, and saves the
configuration file. When you first install Adaptive Server, the server-wide
row lock promotion thresholds set by the configuration parameters are:
row lock promotion HWM 200
row lock promotion LWM 200
row lock promotion PCT 100
See the System Administration Guide for more information.

• The system procedure sp_sysmon reports on row lock promotions.
• Database-level row lock promotion thresholds are stored in the
master..sysattributes table. If you dump a database, and load it only another
server, you must set the row lock promotion thresholds on the new server.
Object-level row lock promotion thresholds are stored in the sysattributes
table in the user database, and are included in the dump.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_setrowlockpromote.
See also System procedures sp_configure, sp_droprowlockpromote, sp_sysmon

sp_setsuspect_granularity
Description Displays or sets the recovery fault isolation mode for a user database, which
governs how recovery behaves when it detects data corruption.
Syntax sp_setsuspect_granularity [dbname
[, "database" | "page" [, "read_only"]]]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database for which to display or set the recovery fault
isolation mode. For displaying, the default is the current database. For
setting, you must be in the master database and specify the target dbname.
database
marks the entire database suspect, which makes it inaccessible, if the
recovery process detects that any of its data is suspect.
page
marks only the corrupt pages suspect, making them inaccessible, if recovery
detects corrupt data in the database. The rest of the data is accessible.
read_only
if specified, marks the entire database read only if recovery marks any pages
suspect.
Examples Example 1 Displays the recovery fault isolation mode for the current database:
DB Name Cur. Suspect Gran. Cfg. Suspect Gran. Online mode
------- ------------------ ------------------ -----------
pubs2 database database read/write
Example 2 Displays the current and configured recovery fault isolation mode
for the pubs2 database:
sp_setsuspect_granularity pubs2
Example 3 The next time recovery runs in the pubs2 database, if any corrupt
pages are detected, only the suspect pages will be taken offline and the rest of
the database will be brought online:
sp_setsuspect_granularity pubs2, "page"
DB Name Cur. Suspect Gran. Cfg. Suspect Gran.
------------- ------------------ -----------------
pubs2 database database
sp_setsuspect_granularity: The new values will become effective
during the next recovery of the database ’pubs2’.

pages are detected, only the suspect pages will be taken offline and the rest of
the database will be brought online in read only mode:
sp_setsuspect_granularity pubs2, "page", "read_only"
data is detected, the entire database will be marked suspect and taken offline:
sp_setsuspect_granularity pubs2, "database"
Usage • sp_setsuspect_granularity displays and sets the recovery fault isolation
mode. This mode governs whether recovery marks an entire database or
only the corrupt pages suspect when it detects that any data that it requires
has been corrupted. Se the System Administration Guide for more
information.
• The default recovery fault isolation mode of a user database is “database”.
You can set the recovery fault isolation mode only for a user database, not
for a system database.
• You must be in the master database to set the recovery fault isolation
mode.
• Data marked suspect due to corruption persists across Adaptive Server
start-ups. When certain pages have been marked suspect, they remain
offline after you reboot the server.
• When part or all of a database is marked suspect, the suspect data is not
accessible to users unless a System Administrator has made the suspect
data accessible with the sp_forceonline_dband sp_forceonline_page
procedures.
• General database corruption, such as a corrupt database log or the
unavailability of another resource not specific to a page, causes the entire
database to be marked suspect, even if the recovery fault isolation mode is
“page”.
• If you do not specify page or database, Adaptive Server displays the
current and configured settings. The current setting is the one that was in
effect the last time recovery was executed in the database. The configured
setting is the one that will be in effect the next time recovery is executed
in the database.

• If the database comes online in read_only mode, no user can modify any
of its data, including data that is unaffected by the suspect pages and is thus
online. However, the system administrator can make the database
writeable using the sp_dboption system procedure to set read only to false.
In this case, users could then modify the online data, but the suspect data
would remain inaccessible.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_setsuspect_granularity to set the
recovery fault isolation mode. Any user can execute sp_setsuspect_granularity
to display the settings.
See also Commands dump database, dump transaction, load database
System procedures sp_dboption, sp_forceonline_db, sp_forceonline_page,
sp_listsuspect_db, sp_listsuspect_page, sp_setsuspect_threshold

Description Displays or sets the maximum number of suspect pages that Adaptive Server
allows in a database before marking the entire database suspect.
Syntax sp_setsuspect_threshold [dbname [, threshold]]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database for which you want to display or set the suspect
escalation threshold. The default is the current database.
threshold
indicates the maximum number of suspect data pages that recovery will
allow before marking the entire database suspect. The default is 20 pages.
The minimum is 0.
Examples Example 1 Sets the maximum number of suspect pages to 5. If there are more
than 5 suspect pages, recovery will mark the entire database suspect:
sp_setsuspect_threshold pubs2, 5
Example 2 Displays the current and configured settings for the suspect
escalation threshold for the pubs2 database:
sp_setsuspect_threshold pubs2
Example 3 Displays the current and configured settings for the recovery fault
isolation threshold for the current user database:
Usage • You must be in the master database to set the suspect escalation threshold
with sp_setsuspect_threshold.
• If you do not specify the number of pages, Adaptive Server displays the
current and configured settings. The current setting is the one that was in
effect the last time recovery was executed in the database. The configured
setting is the one that will be in effect the next time recovery is executed
in the database.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_setsuspect_threshold to set the
escalation threshold. Any user can execute sp_setsuspect_threshold to display
the current settings.
See also System procedures sp_forceonline_db, sp_forceonline_page,
sp_listsuspect_db, sp_listsuspect_page, sp_setsuspect_granularity

sp_showcontrolinfo
sp_showcontrolinfo
Description Displays information about engine group assignments, bound client
Syntax sp_showcontrolinfo [object_type, object_name, spid ]
Parameters object_type
is AP for application, LG for login, PR for stored procedure, EG for engine
group, or PS for process. If you do not specify an object_type or specify an
object_type of null, sp_showcontrolinfo displays information about all types.
object_name
is the name of the application, login, stored procedure, or engine group. Do
not specify an object_name if you specify PS as the object_type. If you do
not specify an object_name (or specify an object_name of null),
sp_showcontrolinfo displays information about all object names.
spid
is the Adaptive Server process ID. Specify an spid only if you specify PS as
the object_type. If you do not specify an spid (or specify an spid of null),
sp_showcontrolinfo displays information for all spids. Use sp_who to see
spids.
Examples Example 1 Shows all user-assigned execution class-to-object bindings:

sp_showcontrolinfo
Example 2 Displays the execution class of the isql application:
sp_showcontrolinfo 'AP', 'isql'
Example 3 Displays the execution class for all processes assigned to engine
groups:
sp_showcontrolinfo 'PS'
Example 4 Displays the execution class for spid 7:
sp_showcontrolinfo 'PS', null, 7
Usage • When used with no parameters, sp_showcontrolinfo displays information
about all user-assigned engine group assignments, bound client
applications, logins, and stored procedures. When used with the
object_type parameter, sp_showcontrolinfo provides information on an
individual basis about application, login, or stored procedure bindings to
an execution class, engine group compositions, and session-level attribute
bindings. See the Performance and Tuning Guide for more information.

• Unless object_type is PR, execute sp_showcontrolinfo from the master

database. If object_type is PR, execute sp_showcontrolinfo from the
database in which the procedure resides.
• If object_type is null, sp_showcontrolinfo displays execution class
information for objects that match the other parameters.
• If object_name is null, sp_showcontrolinfo displays the binding information
for all applications, logins, and stored procedures.
• If spid is null, sp_showcontrolinfo displays execution class information for
objects that match the other parameters.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_showcontrolinfo.
See also System procedures sp_addexeclass, sp_bindexeclass, sp_clearpsexe,
sp_dropengine, sp_dropexeclass, sp_showexeclass, sp_showpsexe,
sp_unbindexeclass, sp_who
Utility isql

sp_showexeclass
sp_showexeclass
Description Displays the execution class attributes and the engines in any engine group
associated with the specified execution class.
Syntax sp_showexeclass [execlassname]
Parameters execlassname
is the name of an execution class.
Examples Example 1 Displays the priority and engine group attribute values for all
execution classes:
sp_showexeclass
classname priority engine_group engines
--------- ---------- ------------- -----------
EC1 HIGH ANYENGINE ALL
EC2 MEDIUM ANYENGINE ALL
EC3 LOW LASTONLINE 0
Example 2 Displays the attribute values of execution class EC1:

sp_showexeclass ’EC1’
classname priority engine_group engines
----------- ---------- ---------------------- -----------
EC1 HIGH ANYENGINE ALL
Usage • sp_showexeclass displays the execution class attributes and the engines in
any engine group associated with execlassname. See the Performance and
Tuning Guide for more information.
• If execlassname is NULL or absent, sp_showexeclass displays the priority
and engine group attribute values for all execution classes, including the
attribute values of the system-defined classes EC1, EC2, and EC3.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_showexeclass.
sp_showcontrolinfo, sp_unbindexeclass

sp_showplan
Description Displays the showplan output for any user connection for the current SQL
statement or for a previous statement in the same batch.
Syntax sp_showplan spid, batch_id output, context_id output, stmt_num output
To display the showplan output for the current SQL statement without
specifying the batch_id, context_id, or stmt_num:
sp_showplan spid, null, null, null
Parameters spid
is the process ID for any user connection. Use sp_who to see spids.
batch_id
is a unique, nonnegative number for a batch
context_id
is a unique number for every procedure (or trigger) executed in a batch.
stmt_num
is the number of the current statement within a batch. The stmt_num must be
a positive number.
Examples Example 1 Displays the query plan for the current statement running in the
user session with a spid value of 99, as well as values for the batch_id,
context_id, and statement_id parameters. These values can be used to retrieve
query plans in subsequent iterations of sp_showplan for the user session with a
spid of 99:
declare @batch int
declare @context int
declare @statement int
exec sp_showplan 99, @batch output, @context output,
@statement output
Example 2 Displays the showplan output for the current statement running in
the user session with a spid value of 99:
sp_showplan 99, null, null, null
Usage • sp_showplan displays the showplan output for a currently executing SQL
statement or for a previous statement in the same batch.
• To see the query plan for the previous statement within the same batch,
execute sp_showplan again with the same parameter values, but subtract 1
from the statement number. Using this method, you can view all the
statements in the statement batch back to query number one.

sp_showplan
• sp_showplan can be run independently of Adaptive Server Monitor™

Server.
• If the context_id is greater than 0 for a SQL batch, the current statement is
embedded in a stored procedure (or trigger) called from the original SQL
batch. Select the sysprocesses row with the same spid value to display the
procedure ID and statement ID.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_showplan.

sp_showpsexe
Description Displays execution class, current priority, and affinity for all client sessions
running on Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_showpsexe [spid]
Parameters spid
is the Adaptive Server session ID for which you want a report. The spid must
belong to the application or login executing sp_showpsexe. Use sp_who to
list spids.
Examples Example 1 Displays execution class, current priority, and affinity for all
current client sessions:
sp_showpsexe
spid appl_name login_name
exec_class current_priority task_affinity
----- ----------- ----------- ---------- ---------------- -------------
1 isql sa EC1 HIGH NONE
5 NULL NULL LOW NULL
7 ctisql sa EC2 MEDIUM NONE
8 ctisql sa EC2 MEDIUM NONE
Example 2 Displays the application name, login name, current priority, and
engine affinity of the process with spid 5:
sp_showpsexe 5
Usage • sp_showpsexe displays execution class, current priority, and affinity for all
sessions (objects with an spid). For more information, see the Performance
and Tuning Guide.
• If the spid is NULL or absent, sp_showpsexe reports on all sessions
currently running on Adaptive Server.
• sp_showpsexe does not report information for the following system
processes: deadlock, checkpoint, network, auditing, and mirror handlers.
It does display information for the housekeeper spid.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_showpsexe.
See also System procedures sp_addengine, sp_addexeclass, sp_bindexeclass,
sp_clearpsexe, sp_dropengine, sp_dropexeclass, sp_showcontrolinfo,
sp_showexeclass, sp_unbindexeclass

sp_spaceused
sp_spaceused
Description Displays estimates of the number of rows, the number of data pages, the size
of indexes, and the space used by a specified table or by all tables in the current
database.
Syntax sp_spaceused [objname [,1] ]
Parameters objname
is the name of the table on which to report. If omitted, a summary of space
used in the current database appears.
1
prints separate information on the table’s indexes and text/image storage.
Examples Example 1 Reports on the amount of space allocated (reserved) for the titles
table, the amount used for data, the amount used for index(es), and the
available (unused) space:
sp_spaceused titles
name rowtotal reserved data index_size unused
---------- --------- --------- ------- ---------- ----------
titles 18 46 KB 6 KB 4 KB 36 KB
Example 2 In addition to information on the titles table, prints information for

each index on the table:
sp_spaceused titles, 1
index_name size reserved unused
-------------------- ---------- ---------- ----------
titleidind 2 KB 32 KB 24 KB
titleind 2 KB 16 KB 14 KB

---------- -------- --------- ------- ---------- ----------
titles 18 46 KB 6 KB 4 KB 36 KB
Example 3 Displays the space taken up by the text/image page storage

separately from the space used by the table. The object name for text/image
storage is “t” plus the table name:
sp_spaceused blurbs,1
index_name size reserved unused
-------------------- ---------- ---------- ----------
blurbs 0 KB 14 KB 12 KB
tblurbs 14 KB 16 KB 2 KB


---------- -------- ----------- ------- ---------- ----------
blurbs 6 30 KB 2 KB 14 KB 14 KB
Example 4 Prints a summary of space used in the current database:

sp_spaceused
database_name database_size
--------------- ---------------------------
master 5 MB
reserved data index_size unused
--------- --------- ----------- --------
2176 KB 1374 KB 72 KB 730 KB
Example 5 Reports on the amount of space reserved and the amount of space
available for the transaction log:
sp_spaceused syslogs
---------- --------- --------- ------- ---------- ----------
syslogs Not avail. 32 KB 32 KB 0 KB 0 KB
Usage • sp_spaceused displays estimates of the number of data pages, space used
by a specified table or by all tables in the current database, and the number
of rows in the tables. sp_spaceused computes the rowtotal value using the
rowcnt built-in function. This function uses a value for the average number
of rows per data page based on a value in the allocation pages for the
object. This method is very fast, but the results are estimates, and update
and insert activity change actual values. The update statistics command,
dbcc checktable, and dbcc checkdb update the rows-per-page estimate, so
rowtotal is most accurate after one of these commands executes. Always
use select count(*) if you need exact row counts.
• sp_spaceused reports on the amount of space affected by tables, clustered
indexes, and nonclustered indexes.
• The amount of space allocated (reserved) reported by sp_spaceused is a
total of the data, index size, and available (unused) space.
• Space used by text and image columns, which are stored as separate
database objects, is reported separately in the index_size column and is
included in the summary line for a table. The object name for text/image
storage in the index_size column is “t” plus the table name.

sp_spaceused
• When used on syslogs, sp_spaceused reports rowtotal as “Not available”.

See Example 5.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_spaceused.
See also Catalog stored procedures sp_statistics
Commands create index, create table, drop index, drop table

System procedures sp_helpindex

sp_ssladmin
Description Adds, deletes, or displays a list of server certificates for Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_ssladmin [addcert, certificate_path [, password | NULL]]
sp_ssladmin [dropcert, certificate_path]
sp_ssladmin [lscert]
sp_ssladmin [help]
Parameters addcert
adds a certificate for the local server in the certificates file.
certificate_path
specifies the absolute path to the certificates file on the local server.
password
the password that is used to encrypt the private key when adding a new
server certificate to the certificates file.
NULL
used to require an attended atart-up of Adaptive Server by requesting the
password during start-up from the command line.
dropcert
deletes the certficate from the certificate file.
lscert
lists the certificates in the certificate file.
help
displays online help for sp_ssladmin.
Examples Example 1 This adds an entry for the local server, Server1.crt, in the
certificates file in the absolute path to /sybase/ASE-12_5/certificates
(x:\sybase\ASE-12_5\certificates on Windows). The private key is encrypted
with the password “mypassword”. The password should be the one specified
when you created the private key:
sp_ssladmin addcert, "/sybase/ASE-12_5/certificates/Server1.crt",
"mypassword"
Example 2 Deletes the certificate, Server1.crt from the certificates file located
in /sybase/ASE-12_5/certificates (x:\sybase\ASE-12_5\certificates on
Windows):
sp_ssladmin dropcert , "/sybase/ASE-12_5/certificates/Server1.crt"
Example 3 Lists of all server certificates on the local server:

sp_ssladmin
sp_ssladmin lscert
go
certificate_path
----------------------------------------
/sybase/ASE-12_5/certificates/Server1.crt
Usage • The Adaptive Server listener must present to the client a certificate. The
common name in the certificate must match the common name used by the
client in the interfaces file. If they do not match, the server authentication
and login fail.
• When NULL is specified as the password, dataserver must be started with
a -y flag. This flag prompts the administrator for the private-key password
at the command line.
• The use of NULL as the password is intended to protect passwords during
the intitial configuration of SSL, before the SSL encrypted session begins.
After restarting Adaptive Server with an SSL connection established, use
sp_ssladmin again, this time using the actual password. The password is
then encrypted and stored by Adaptive Server. Any subsequent starts of
Adaptive Server from the command line would use the encrypted
password; you do not have to specify the password on the command line
during start up.
• You can specify “localhost” as the hostname in the interfaces file (sql.ini
on Windows) to prevent clients from connecting remotely. Only a local
connection can be established, and the password is never transmitted over
a network connection.
Permissions You must have the System Security Officer role to use sp_ssladmin.

sp_syntax
Description Displays the syntax of Transact-SQL statements, system procedures, utilities,
and other routines for Adaptive Server, depending on which products and
corresponding sp_syntax scripts exist on your server.
Syntax sp_syntax word [, mod][, language]
Parameters word
is the name or partial name of a command or routine; for example, “help”,
to list all system procedures providing help. To include spaces or
Transact-SQL reserved words, enclose the word in quotes.
mod
is the name or partial name of one of the modules such as “Transact-SQL”
or “Utility”. Each sp_syntax installation script adds different modules. Use
sp_syntax without any parameters to see which modules exist on your
server.
language
is the language of the syntax description to be retrieved. language must be a
valid language name in the syslanguages table.
Examples Example 1 Displays all sp_syntax modules available on your server:
sp_syntax
sp_syntax provides syntax help for Sybase products.
These modules are installed on this Server:
Module
--------------------
OpenVMS
Transact-SQL
UNIX Utility
System Procedure
Usage: sp_syntax command [, module [, language]]

Example 2 Displays the syntax and functional description of all routines
containing the word or word fragment “disk”. Since “disk” is a Transact-SQL
reserved word, enclose it in quotes:
sp_syntax "disk"

sp_syntax
Usage • The text for sp_syntax is in the database sybsyntax. Load sp_syntax and the
sybsyntax database onto Adaptive Server with the installation script
described in configuration documentation for your platform. If you cannot
access sp_syntax, see your System Administrator for information about
installing it on your server.
• You can use wildcard characters within the command name you are
searching for. However, if you are looking for a command or function that
contains the literal “_”, you may get unexpected results, since the
underscore wildcard character represents any single character.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_syntax.
Tables used sybsyntax..sybsyntax
See also System procedures sp_helpdb

sp_sysmon
Description Displays performance information.
Syntax sp_sysmon begin_sample
sp_sysmon { end_sample | interval } [, section [, applmon] ]
sp_sysmon { end_sample | interval } [, applmon ]
Parameters begin_sample
starts sampling. You cannot specify a section when you specify
begin_sample.
end_sample
ends sampling and prints the report.
interval
specifies the time period for the sample. It must be in HH:MM:SS form, for
example “00:20:00”.
section
is the abbreviation for one of the sections printed by sp_sysmon. Table 1-20
lists the values and corresponding names of the report sections.

sp_sysmon
Table 1-20: sp_sysmon report sections

Report section Parameter
Application Management appmgmt
Data Cache Management dcache
Disk I/O Management diskio
ESP Management esp
Index Management indexmgmt
Kernel Utilization kernel
Lock Management locks
Memory Management memory
Metadata Cache Management mdcache
Monitor Access to Executing SQL monaccess
Network I/O Management netio
Parallel Query Management parallel
Procedure Cache Management pcache
Recovery Management recovery
Task Management taskmgmt
Transaction Management xactmgmt
Transaction Profile xactsum
Worker Process Management wpm
applmon
specifies whether to print application detail, application and login detail, or
no application detail. The default is to omit the application detail. Valid
values are listed in Table 1-21.
Table 1-21: Values for applmon parameter to sp_sysmon
Parameter Information reported
appl_only CPU, I/O, priority changes and resource limit violations by application name.
appl_and_login CPU, I/O, priority changes and resource limit violations by application name and login name.
no_appl Skips the by application or by login section of the report. This is the default.
This parameter is only valid when printing the full report and when you
specify appmgmt for the section.
Examples Example 1 Prints monitor information after 10 minutes:
sp_sysmon "00:10:00"
Example 2 Prints only the “Disk Management” section of the sp_sysmon
report after 5 minutes:

sp_sysmon "00:05:00", diskio

Example 3 Starts the sample, executes procedures and a query, ends the
sample, and prints only the “Data Cache” section of the report:
sp_sysmon begin_sample
go
execute proc1
go
execute proc2
go
select sum(total_sales) from titles
go
sp_sysmon end_sample, dcache
go
Example 4 Prints the full report and includes application and login detail for
each login:
sp_sysmon "00:05:00", @applmon = appl_and_login
Usage • sp_sysmon displays information about Adaptive Server performance. It
sets internal counters to 0, then waits for the specified interval while
activity on the server causes the counters to be incremented. When the
interval ends, sp_sysmon prints information from the values in the
counters. See the Performance and Tuning Guide for more information.
• To print only a single section of the report, use the values listed in Table
1-21 for the second parameter.
• If you use sp_sysmon in batch mode, with begin_sample and end_sample,
the time interval between executions must be at least one second. You can
use waitfor delay "00:00:01" to lengthen the execution time of a batch.
• During the sample interval, results are stored in signed integer values.
Especially on systems with many CPUs and high activity, these counters
can overflow. If you see negative results in your sp_sysmon output, reduce
your sample time.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_sysmon.

sp_tempdb
sp_tempdb
Description sp_tempdb allows users to:
• Create the default temporary database group

• Bind temporary databases to the default temporary database group
• Bind users and applications to the default temporary database group or to
specific temporary databases
These bindings are stored in the sysattributes table in master database.
sp_tempdb provides the binding interface for maintaining bindings in
sysattributes that are related to the multiple temporary database.
Syntax sp_tempdb [
[ { create | drop } , groupname ] |
[ { add | remove } , tempdbname, groupname ] |
[ { bind, objtype, objname, bindtype, bindobj [, scope, hardness ] } |
{ unbind, objtype, objname [, scope ] } ] |
[ unbindall_db, tempdbname ] |
[ show [, "all" | "gr" | "db" | "login" | "app" [, name ] ] |
[ who, dbname ]
[ help ]
]
Parameters create
creates the default temporary database group.
drop
drops a database group.
groupname
is the default database group. Use “default”.
add
adds temporary databases to the default temporary database group.
remove
removes temporary databases from the default temporary database group.
tempdbname
is the name of the temporary database you are adding or removing.
bind
binds logins and applications to temporary databases or the default
temporary database group.

unbind
unbinds logins and applications to temporary databases or the default
temporary database group.
objtype
is the object type. Valid values are:
• login_name (or LG)
• application_name (or AP)
Values are not case-sensitive.

objname
is the name of the object you bind or unbind.
bindtype
is the bind type. Valid values are:
• group (or GR)
• database (or DB)
Values are not case-sensitive.

bindobj
is the name of the object being bound, and is either a group or a database
depending on the bindtype.
scope
NULL.
hardness
is hard, soft, or NULL. The default is soft.
When you set the value of hardness to hard, a failure to assign a temporary
database according to the binding results in a failure of the login. When you
set the value to soft, such a failure results in the assignment of the system
tempdb.
unbindall_db
removes all login and application bindings for a given temporary database.
It does not remove any database to group memberships. The tempdbname
variable is required with this option.
Existing assignments to active sessions are not affected by this operation.
show

sp_tempdb
displays information stored in the sysattributes table about the existing

groups, group members, login and application bindings, and active sessions
that are assigned to a given database. The values are:
• all or no argument – displays the default temporary database group, all
database-to-group memberships, and all login and application bindings.
• gr – displays the default temporary database group. sp_tempdb show
displays all temporary databases bound to the default temporary
database group whether you specify “default” for the name option or
not.
• db – displays all databases to group memberships. If you provide name,
then only the database to group memberships for the database name are
printed.
• login – displays all login bindings where login is not NULL. If you
provide name, then only the bindings for the login name are printed.
• app – displays all bindings where the application is not NULL. If you
provide name, then the bindings for the application name are printed.
Note tempdb is always part of the default database group.
who
displays all active sessions assigned to the given temporary database. When
using the who parameter, you must use:
• dbname – the name of a temporary database. If you provide a
nontemporary database name for dbname, sp_tempdb who executes, but
does not report any active sessions bound to it.
help
displays usage information. Executing sp_tempdb without specifying a
command is the same as executing sp_tempdb “help”.
Examples Example 1 Adds mytempdb1 to the default group:
sp_tempdb add, mytempdb1, "default"
Example 2 Removes mytempdb1 from the default group:
sp_tempdb remove, mytempdb1, "default"
Example 3 Binds login “sa” to the default group:
sp_tempdb bind, lg, sa, GR, "default"

The value for objtype in this example is login_name. You can substitute
login_name with lg or LG.
The value for bindtype in this example is group. You can substitute group with
gr or GR.
Example 4 Changes the previous binding of login “sa” from the default group
to mytempdb1:
sp_tempdb bind, lg, sa, DB, mytempdb1
The value for bindtype in this example is database. You can substitute database
with db or DB.
Example 5 Binds isql to mytempdb1:
sp_tempdb bind, ap, isql, DB, mytempdb1
The value for objtype in this example is application_name. You can substitute
application_name with ap or AP.
Example 6 Changes the previous binding of isql from mytempdb1 to the default
group:
sp_tempdb bind, ap, isql, GR, "default"
Example 7 Removes the bindings of login “sa” and application “isql”.
sp_tempdb unbind, lg, sa
sp_tempdb unbind, ap, isql
Example 8 Removes all login and application bindings for the mytempdb1
database:
sp_tempdb unbindall_db, mytempdb1
Example 9 Demonstrates the sp_temp show command. A selection of the
different variations is chosen, and abbreviated sample output is displayed.
sp_tempdb show
Temporary Database Groups
-------------------------------
default
Database GroupName
------------------------------- ----------------
tempdb default
mytempdb default
mytempdb1 default
mytempdb2 default

sp_tempdb
mytempdb3 default
Login Application Group Database Hardness

------- ------------- -------- ----------- --------
NULL isql default NULL SOFT
sa NULL NULL mytempdb3 HARD
Example 10 Displays the default temporary database group:

sp_tempdb show, gr
Temporary Database Groups
-------------------------------
default
Example 11 Displays all the temporary database group names that are bound
to the default group:
sp_tempdb show, gr, "default"
Member Databases
-------------------------------
tempdb
mytempdb
mytempdb1
mytempdb2
mytempdb3
Example 12 Displays all the databases-to-group memberships:

sp_tempdb show, db
Database Group
--------------------- ----------------
tempdb default
mytempdb default
mytempdb1 default
mytempdb2 default
mytempdb3 default
Example 13 Displays all the databases-to-group memberships for the

mytempdb1 database.
sp_tempdb show, db, mytempdb1

Database Group
--------------------- ----------------

mytempdb1 default
Example 14 Displays all the login bindings where login is not NULL:
sp_tempdb show, login
Login Application Group Database Hardness
------- ------------- ------- ----------- --------
sa NULL NULL mytempdb3 HARD
Example 15 Displays all active sessions that are assigned to the system
tempdb:
sp_tempdb who, tempdb
spid loginame
------ ------------------------------
2 NULL
3 NULL
4 NULL
5 NULL
6 NULL
7 NULL
8 NULL
Example 16 Displays all active sessions that are assigned to the mytempdb3
user-created temporary database:
sp_tempdb who, mytempdb3
spid loginame
------ ------------------------------
17 sa
Example 17 Displays usage information:

sp_tempdb help
Usage:
sp_tempdb 'help'
sp_tempdb 'create', <groupname>
sp_tempdb 'drop', <groupname>
sp_tempdb 'add', <tempdbname>, <groupname>
sp_tempdb 'remove', <tempdbname>, <groupname>
sp_tempdb 'bind', <objtype>, <objname>, <bindtype>, <bindobj>, <scope>,
<hardness>

sp_tempdb
sp_tempdb 'unbind', <objtype>, <objname>, <scope>

sp_tempdb 'unbindall_db', <tempdbname>
sp_tempdb 'show', <command>, <name>
sp_tempdb 'who', <dbname>
<objtype> = ['LG' ('login_name') | 'AP' ('application_name')];

<bindtype> =['GR' ('group') | 'DB' ('database')]
<hardness> = ['hard' | 'soft']
<command> = ['all' | 'gr' | 'db' | 'login' | 'app']
Usage create and drop

When using the sp_tempdb create stored procedure, the groupname
variable:
• Must be a valid identifier
• Cannot already exist
The default group is the system-generated group, of which tempdb is
always a member. This default group is present if you:
• Upgrade using the Adaptive Server containing this feature, or
• Create a new master device.
If the default group is not present, you can create it by using:
sp_tempdb create, "default"
An error message displays if you attempt to create a default group that
already exists.
add and remove
To add a temporary database to the default temporary database group, both
the temporary database and the group name must already exist. When you
use sp_tempdb add to add a tempdbname to a set of databases that are
members of the default temporary database group, tempdbname becomes
available for round-robin assignment from within that group.
Note sp_tempdb add fails if tempdbname is not already part of the global
list of available temporary databases in Adaptive Server.
User-created temporary databases need not belong to the default temporary

database group. The system tempdb is implicitly a member of the default
group.
If you try to add a temporary database to the default temporary database
group when it is already a part of that group, you get an error message, and
no changes take place in sysattributes.

Permissions By default, only the System Administrator or users with the SA role can
execute sp_tempdb.

sp_thresholdaction
sp_thresholdaction
Description Executes automatically when the number of free pages on the log segment falls
below the last-chance threshold, unless the threshold is associated with a
different procedure. Sybase does not provide this procedure.
Syntax When a threshold is crossed, Adaptive Server passes the following parameters
to the threshold procedure by position:
sp_thresholdaction @dbname,
@segment_name,
@space_left,
@status
Parameters @dbname
is the name of a database where the threshold was reached.
@segment_name
is the name of the segment where the threshold was reached.
@space_left
is the threshold size, in logical pages.
@status
is 1 for the last-chance threshold; 0 for all other thresholds.
Examples Creates a threshold procedure for the last-chance threshold that dumps the
transaction log to a tape device:
create procedure sp_thresholdaction
@dbname varchar(30),
@segmentname varchar(30),
@space_left int,
@status int
as
dump transaction @dbname to tapedump1
Usage • sp_thresholdaction must be created by the Database Owner (in a user
database), or a System Administrator (in the sybsystemprocs database), or
a user with create procedure permission.
• You can add thresholds and create threshold procedures for any segment
in a database.
• When the last-chance threshold is crossed, Adaptive Server searches for
the sp_thresholdaction procedure in the database where the threshold event
occurs. If it does not exist in that database, Adaptive Server searches for it
in sybsystemprocs. If it does not exist in sybsystemprocs, it searches
master. If Adaptive Server does not find the procedure, it sends an error
message to the error log.

• sp_thresholdaction should contain a dump transaction command to truncate

the transaction log.
• By design, the last-chance threshold allows enough free space to record a
dump transaction command. There may not be enough space to record
additional user transactions against the database. Only commands that are
not recorded in the transaction log (select, fast bcp, readtext, and writetext)
and commands that might be necessary to free additional log space (dump
transaction, dump database, and alter database) can be executed. By
default, other commands are suspended and a message is sent to the error
log. To abort these commands rather than suspend them, use the abort tran
on log full option of sp_dboption followed by the checkpoint command.
Waking suspended processes
• Once the dump transaction command frees sufficient log space, suspended
processes automatically awaken and complete.
• If fast bcp, writetext, or select into have resulted in unlogged changes to the
database since the last backup, the last-chance threshold procedure cannot
execute a dump transaction command. When this occurs, use dump
database to make a copy of the database, then use dump transaction to
truncate the transaction log.
• If this does not free enough space to awaken the suspended processes, it
may be necessary to increase the size of the transaction log. Use the log on
option of the alter database command to allocate additional log space.
• As a last resort, System Administrators can use sp_who to determine
which processes are suspended, then use the kill command to kill them.
See also Commands create procedure, dump transaction
System procedures sp_addthreshold, sp_dboption, sp_dropthreshold,

sp_helpsegment, sp_helpthreshold, sp_modifythreshold, sp_who

sp_transactions
sp_transactions
Description Reports information about active transactions.
Syntax sp_tranactions ["xid", xid_value] |
["state", {"heuristic_commit" | "heuristic_abort"
| "prepared" | "indoubt"} [, "xactname"]] |
["gtrid", gtrid_value]
Parameters xid_value
is a transaction name from the xactname column of
master.dbo.systransactions.
gtrid_value
is the global transaction ID name for a transaction coordinated by Adaptive
Server.
Examples Example 1 Displays general information about all active transactions:
sp_transactions
xactkey type coordinator starttime
state connection dbid spid loid
failover srvname namelen
xactname
------------------------------ ----------- -----------
--------------------
----------------- ---------- ------ ------ -----------
-------------------------- ------------------------------ -------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
0x00000b1700040000dd6821390001 Local None Jun 1 1999 3:47PM
Begun Attached 1 1 2
Resident Tx NULL 17
$user_transaction
0x00000b1700040000dd6821390001 Remote ASTC Jun 1 1999 3:47PM
Begun NA 0 8 0
Resident Tx caserv2 108
00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa01f04ebb9a-00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa0
1f04ebb9a-caserv1-caserv1-0002
Example 2 Displays detailed information for the specified transaction:
sp_transactions "xid",
"00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa01f04ebb9a-00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa
01f04ebb9a-caserv1-caserv1-0002"

xactname
commit_node parent_node
gtrid
------------------------------ ----------- -----------
--------------------
----------------- ---------- ------ ------ -----------
-------------------------- ------------------------------ -------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------
-------------
-------------
0x00000b2500080000dd6821960001 External ASTC Jun 1 1999 3:47PM
Resident Tx NULL 108
00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa01f04ebb9a-00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa0
1f04ebb9a-caserv1-caserv1-0002
caserv1 caserv1
00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa01f04ebb9a
Example 3 Displays general information about transactions that are in the
“prepared” state:
sp_transactions "state", "prepared"
Example 4 Displays only the transaction names of transactions that are in the
“prepared” state:
sp_transactions "state", "prepared", "xactname"
Example 5 Displays status information for transactions having the specified
global transaction ID:
sp_transactions "gtrid", "00000b1700040000dd6821390001-aa01f04ebb9a"
xactname
commit_node
parent_node
------------------------------ ----------- -----------
--------------------
----------------- ---------- ------ ------ -----------
-------------------------- ------------------------------ -------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------
-------------

sp_transactions
0x00000b1700040000dd6821390001 Local None Jun 1 1999 3:47PM

Resident Tx NULL 17
$user_transaction
caserv1
caserv1
Usage • sp_transactions translates data from the systransactions table to display
information about active transactions. systransactions itself comprises
data in the syscoordinations table, as well as in-memory information about
active transactions.
• sp_transactions with no keywords displays information about all active
transactions.
• sp_transactions with the xid keyword displays the gtrid, commit_node, and
parent_node columns only for the specified transaction.
• sp_transactions with the state keyword displays information only for the
active transactions in the specified state.
sp_transactions with both xid and xactname displays only the transaction
names for transactions in the specified state.
• sp_transactions with the gtrid keyword displays information only for the
transactions with the specified global transaction ID.
• sp_transactions replaces the sp_xa_scan_xact procedure provided with
XA-Library and XA-Server products.
• See Using Adaptive Server Distributed Transaction Management
Features for more information.
Column descriptions for sp_transactions output
• The xactkey column shows the internal transaction key that Adaptive
Server uses to uniquely identify the transaction.
• The type column indicates the type of transaction:
• “Local” means that the transaction was explicitly started on the local
Adaptive Server with a begin transaction statement.
• “Remote” indicates a transaction executing on a remote Adaptive
Server.

• “External” means that the transaction has an external coordinator

associated with it. For example, transactions coordinated by a remote
Adaptive Server, MSDTC, or an X/Open XA transaction manager are
flagged as “External.”
• “Dtx_State” is a special state for distributed transactions coordinated
by Adaptive Server. It indicates that a transaction on the local server
was either committed or aborted, but Adaptive Server has been unable
to resolve a branch of that transaction on a remote participant. This
may happen in cases where Adaptive Server loses contact with a
server it is coordinating.
• The coordinator column indicates the method or protocol used to manage
a distributed transaction:
sp_transactions
“coordinator” value Meaning
None Transaction is not a distributed transaction and does not require a coordinating protocol.
ASTC Transaction is coordinated using the Adaptive Server transaction coordination services.
XA Transaction is coordinated by the X/Open XA-compliant transaction manager via the
Adaptive Server XA-Library interface. Such transaction managers include Encina,
CICS, and Tuxedo.
DTC Transaction is coordinated by MSDTC.
SYB2PC Transaction is coordinated using Sybase two-phase commit protocol.
• The starttime column indicates the time that the transaction started.
• The state column indicates the state of the transaction at the time
sp_transactions ran:
sp_transactions
“state” value Meaning
Begun Transaction has begun but no updates have been performed.
Done Command Transaction completed an update command.
Done X/Open XA transaction has finished modifying data.
Prepared Transaction has successfully prepared.
In Command Transaction is currently modifying data.
In Abort Cmd Execution of the current command in the transaction has been aborted.
Committed Transaction has successfully committed, and the commit log record has been written.
In Post Commit Transaction has successfully committed, but is currently deallocating transaction resources.
In Abort Tran Transaction is being aborted. This may happen either as a result of an explicit command, or
because of a system failure.
In Abort Savept Transaction is being rolled back to a savepoint.

sp_transactions
sp_transactions
“state” value Meaning
Begun-Detached Transaction has begun, but there is no thread currently attached to it.
Done Cmd-Detached Transaction has finished modifying data, and no thread is currently attached to it.
Done-Detached Transaction will modify no more data, and no thread is currently attached to it.
Prepared-Detached Transaction has successfully prepared, and no thread is currently attached to it.
Heur Committed Transaction has been heuristically committed using the dbcc complete_xact command.
Heur Rolledback Transaction has been heuristically rolled back using the dbcc complete_xact command.
• The connection column indicates whether or not the transaction is

currently associated with a thread:
• “Attached” indicates that the transaction has an associated thread of
control.
• “Detached” indicates that there is no thread currently associated with
the transaction. Some external transaction managers, such as CICS
and TUXEDO, use the X/Open XA “suspend” and “join” semantics
to associate different threads with the same transaction.
• The dbid column indicates the database ID of the database in which
transaction started.
• The spid column indicates the server process ID associated with the
transaction. If the transaction is “Detached,” the “spid” value is 0.
• The loid column indicates the unique lock owner ID from
master.dbo.systransactions.
• The failover column indicates the failover state for the transaction:
• “Resident Tx” indicates that the transaction started and is executing
on the same server. “Resident Tx” is displayed under normal
operating conditions, and on systems that do not utilize Adaptive
Server high availability features.
• “Failed-over Tx” is displayed after there has been a failover to a
secondary companion server. “Failed-over Tx” means that a
transaction originally started on a primary server and reached the
prepared state, but was automatically migrated to the secondary
companion server (for example, as a result of a system failure on the
primary server). The migration of a prepared transaction occurs
transparently to an external coordinating service.

• “Tx by Failover-Conn” indicates that there was an attempt to start the

transaction on a designated server, but the transaction was instead
started on the secondary companion server. This occurs when the
original server has experienced a failover condition.
• The srvname column indicates the name of the remote server on which the
transaction is executing. This column is only meaningful for remote
transactions. For local and external transactions, srvname is null.
• The namelen column indicates the total length of the xactname value.
• xactname is the transaction name. For local transactions, the transaction
name may be defined as part of the begin transaction command. External
transaction managers supply unique transaction names in a variety of
formats. For example, X/Open XA-compliant transaction managers
supply a transaction ID (xid) consisting of a global transaction identifier
and a branch qualifier, both of which are stored in xactname.
• For transactions coordinated by Adaptive Server, the gtrid column displays
the global transaction ID. Transaction branches that are part of the same
distributed transaction share the same gtrid. You can use a specific gtrid
with the sp_transactions gtrid keyword to determine the state of other
transaction branches in the same distributed transaction.
sp_transactions cannot display the gtrid for transactions that have an
external coordinator. For transactions coordinated by an X/Open
XA-compliant transaction manager, MSDTC, or SYB2PC, the gtrid
column shows the full transaction name supplied by the external
coordinator.
• For transactions coordinated by Adaptive Server, the commit_node column
indicates the server that executes the outermost block of the distributed
transaction. This outermost block ultimately determines the commit status
of all subordinate transactions.
For transactions not coordinated by Adaptive Server, commit_node
displays one of the values described in Table 1-22.
Table 1-22: Values for commit_node and parent_node
Value Meaning
server_name Commit or parent node is an Adaptive Server with the specified server_name.
XATM Commit or parent node is an X/Open XA-compliant transaction manager.
MSDTCTM Commit or parent node is MSDTC.
SYB2PCTM Transaction is coordinated using SYB2PC protocol.

sp_transactions
• For transactions coordinated by Adaptive Server, the parent_node column

indicates the server that is coordinating the external transaction on the
local server.
For transactions not coordinated by Adaptive Server, parent_node displays
one of the values described in Table 1-22.
Note The values for commit_node and parent_node can be different,

depending on the levels of hierarchy in the distributed transaction.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_transactions.

See also System procedures sp_lock, sp_who

sp_unbindcache
Description Unbinds a database, table, index, text object, or image object from a data cache.
Syntax sp_unbindcache dbname [,[owner.]tablename
[, indexname | "text only"]]
Parameters dbname
is the name of database to be unbound or the name of the database
containing the objects to be unbound.
owner
is the name of the table’s owner. If the table is owned by the Database
Owner, the owner name is optional.
tablename
is the name of the table to be unbound from a cache or the name of a table
whose index, text object, or image object is to be unbound from a cache.
indexname
is the name of an index to be unbound from a cache.
text only
unbinds text or image objects from a cache.
Examples Example 1 Unbinds the titles table from the cache to which it is bound:
sp_unbindcache pubs2, titles
Example 2 Unbinds the titleidind index from the from the cache to which it is
bound:
sp_unbindcache pubs2, titles, titleidind
Example 3 Unbinds the text or image object for the au_pix table from the cache
to which it is bound:
sp_unbindcache pubs2, au_pix, "text only"
Example 4 Unbinds the transaction log, syslogs, from its cache:
sp_unbindcache pubs2, syslogs
Usage • When you unbind a database or database object from a cache, all
subsequent I/O for the cache is performed in the default data cache. All
dirty pages in the cache being unbound are written to disk, and all clean
pages are cleared from the cache. See the Performance and Tuning Guide
for more information.
• Cache unbindings take effect immediately and do not require a restart of
the server, except with the system tempdb.

sp_unbindcache
• Although you can still use sp_unbindcache on a system tempdb, the

binding of the system tempdb is now non-dynamic. Until you restart the
server:
• The changes do not take effect
• sp_helpcache reports a status of “P” for pending, unless you have
explicitly bound the system tempdb to the default data cache, in which
case the status as “V” for valid, because by default the system tempdb
is already bound to the default datacache.
• When you drop a database, table, or index, its cache bindings are
automatically dropped.
• To unbind a database, you must be using the master database. For tables,
indexes, text objects, or image objects, you must be using the database
where the objects are stored.
• To unbind any system tables in a database, you must be using the database,
and the database must be in single-user mode. Use the command:
sp_dboption db_name, "single user", true
See sp_dboption for more information.
• The following procedures provide information about the bindings for their
respective objects: sp_helpdb for databases, sp_help for tables, and
sp_helpindex for indexes.
• sp_helpcache prints the names of objects bound to caches.
• sp_unbindcache needs to acquire an exclusive table lock when you are

unbinding a table or its indexes to a cache. No pages can be read while the
unbinding takes place. If a user holds locks on a table, and you issue
sp_unbindcache on that object, the sp_unbindcache task sleeps until the
locks are released.
• When you change the cache binding for an object with sp_bindcache or
sp_unbindcache, the stored procedures that reference the object are
recompiled the next time they are executed. When you change the binding
for a database, the stored procedures that reference objects in the database
are recompiled the next time they are executed.
• To unbind all objects from a cache, use the system procedure
sp_unbindcache_all.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_unbindcache.

See also System procedures sp_bindcache, sp_dboption, sp_help, sp_helpdb,
sp_helpcache, sp_helpdb, sp_helpindex, sp_unbindcache_all

sp_unbindcache_all
Description Unbinds all objects that are bound to a cache.
Syntax sp_unbindcache_all cache_name
is the name of the data cache from which objects are to be unbound.
Examples Unbinds all databases, tables, indexes, text objects and image objects that are
bound to pub_cache:
sp_unbindcache_all pub_cache
Usage • When you unbind entities from a cache, all subsequent I/O for the cache is
performed in the default cache.
• To unbind individual objects from a cache, use the system procedure
sp_unbindcache.
• You cannot use sp_unbindcache_all if the system tempdb is bound to

pub_cache. If you do, you get an error message, and sp_unbindcache_all
rejects the unbind for all objects.
Use sp_unbindcache to unbind the system tempdb first.
• See sp_unbindcache for more information about unbinding caches.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_unbindcache_all.
See also System procedures sp_bindcache, sp_helpcache, sp_unbindcache

sp_unbindefault
sp_unbindefault
Description Unbinds a created default value from a column or from a user-defined datatype.
Syntax sp_unbindefault objname [, futureonly]
Parameters objname
is the name of either the table and column or the user-defined datatype from
which to unbind the default. If the parameter is not of the form
“table.column”, then objname is assumed to be a user-defined datatype.
When unbinding a default from a user-defined datatype, any columns of that
type that have the same default as the user-defined datatype are also
unbound. Columns of that type, whose default has already been changed, are
unaffected.
futureonly
prevents existing columns of the specified user-defined datatype from losing
their defaults. It is ignored when unbinding a default from a column.
Examples Example 1 Unbinds the default from the startdate column of the employees
table:
sp_unbindefault "employees.startdate"
Example 2 Unbinds the default from the user-defined datatype named ssn and
all columns of that type:
sp_unbindefault ssn
Example 3 Unbinds defaults from the user-defined datatype ssn, but does not
affect existing columns of that type:
sp_unbindefault ssn, futureonly
Usage • Use sp_unbindefault to remove defaults created with sp_bindefault. Use
alter table to drop defaults declared using the create table or alter table
statements.
• Columns of a user-defined datatype lose their current default unless the
default has been changed or the value of the optional second parameter is
futureonly.
• To display the text of a default, execute sp_helptext with the default name
as the parameter.
Permissions Only the object owner can execute sp_unbindefault.
See also Commands create default, drop default
System procedures sp_bindefault, sp_helptext

sp_unbindexeclass
Description Removes the execution class attribute previously associated with an client
application, login, or stored procedure for the specified scope.
Syntax sp_unbindexeclass object_name, object_type, scope
is the name of the application, login, or stored procedure for which to
remove the association to the execution class.
object_type
identifies the type of object_name as ap, lg, or pr for application, login, or
stored procedure.
scope
is the application name or the login name for which the unbinding applies
for an application or login. It is the stored procedure owner name (user
name) for stored procedures.
Examples Removes the association between “sa” login scoped to application isql and an
execution class. “sa” automatically binds itself to another execution class,
depending on other binding specifications, precedence, and scoping rules. If no
other binding is applicable, the object binds to the default execution class, EC2:
sp_unbindexeclass 'sa', 'lg', 'isql'
Usage • The parameters must match an existing entry in the sysattributes system
table.
• If you specify a null value for scope, Adaptive Server unbinds the object
for which the scope is null, if there is one.
• A null value for scope does not indicate that unbinding should apply to all
bound objects.
• When unbinding a stored procedure from an execution class, you must use
the name of the stored procedure owner (user name) for the scope
parameter.
• Stored procedures can be dropped before or after unbinding.
• A user cannot be dropped from a database if the user owns a stored
procedure that is bound to an execution class in that database.
• Unbind objects of type PR before dropping them from the database.
• Unbinding will fail if the associated engine group has no online engines
and active processes are bound to the associated execution class.

sp_unbindexeclass
• Due to precedence and scoping rules, the execution class being unbound
may or may not have been in effect for the object called object_name. The
object automatically binds itself to another execution class, depending on
other binding specifications and precedence and scoping rules. If no other
binding is applicable, the object binds to the default execution class, EC2.
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute sp_unbindexeclass.
sp_showexeclass
Utility isql

sp_unbindmsg
Description Unbinds a user-defined message from a constraint.
Syntax sp_unbindmsg constrname
Parameters constrname
is the name of the constraint from which a message is to be unbound.
Examples Unbinds a user-defined message from the constraint positive_balance:
sp_unbindmsg positive_balance
Usage • You can bind only one message to a constraint. To change the message
bound to a constraint, use sp_bindmsg; the new message number replaces
any existing bound message. It is not necessary to use sp_unbindmsg first.
• To retrieve message text from the sysusermessages table, execute
sp_getmessage.
Permissions Only the object owner can execute sp_unbindmsg.

See also System procedures sp_addmessage, sp_bindmsg, sp_getmessage

sp_unbindrule
sp_unbindrule
Description Unbinds a rule from a column or from a user-defined datatype.
Syntax sp_unbindrule objname [, futureonly [, “accessrule” | “all”]]
Parameters objname
is the name of the table and column or of the user-defined datatype from
which the rule is to be unbound. If the parameter is not of the form
“table.column”, then objname is assumed to be a user-defined datatype.
Unbinding a rule from a user-defined datatype also unbinds it from columns
of the same type. Columns that are already bound to a different rule are
unaffected.
futureonly
prevents columns of the specified user-defined datatype from losing their
rules. It is ignored when unbinding a rule from a column.
accessrule
indicates that you are unbinding the access rule bound to objname.
all
specifies that you are unbinding all rules bound to objname.
Examples Example 1 Unbinds the rule from the startdate column of the employees table:
sp_unbindrule "employees.startdate"
Example 2 Unbinds the rule from the user-defined datatype named def_ssn
and all columns of that type:
sp_unbindrule def_ssn
Example 3 The user-defined datatype ssn no longer has a rule, but existing ssn
columns are unaffected:
sp_unbindrule ssn, futureonly
Example 4 You can use the all parameter to unbind both accesss rules and
domain rules. For example, to unbind all the access rules and domain rules on
the publishers table:
sp_unbindrule publishers, null, "all"
To unbind the access rule from a user-defined datatype for subsequent uses of
this datatype, issue:
sp_unbindrule def_ssn, futureonly, "accessrule"
To unbind both access rules and domain rules for subsequent uses of this
datatype, issue:

sp_unbindrule def_ssn, futureonly, "all"

Example 5 This access rule is bound to the publishers table:
sp_bindrule empl_access, "publishers.pub_id"
To unbind this rule, issue the following:
sp_unbindrule "empl_access", NULL, "accessrule"
Usage • Executing sp_unbindrule removes a rule from a column or from a
user-defined datatype in the current database. If you do not want to unbind
the rule from existing objname columns, use futureonly as the second
parameter.
• You cannot use sp_unbindrule to unbind a check constraint. Use alter table
to drop the constraint.
• To unbind a rule from a table column, specify the objname argument in the
form “table.column”.
• The rule is unbound from all existing columns of the user-defined datatype
unless the rule has been changed or the value of the optional second
parameter is futureonly.
• To display the text of a rule, execute sp_helptext with the rule name as the
parameter.
Permissions Only the object owner can execute sp_unbindrule.
See also Commands create rule, drop rule
System procedures sp_bindrule, sp_helptext

sp_volchanged
sp_volchanged
Description Notifies the Backup Server that the operator performed the requested volume
handling during a dump or load.
Syntax sp_volchanged session_id, devname, action
[, fname [, vname]]
Parameters session_id
identifies the Backup Server session that requested the volume change. Use
the @session_id parameter specified in the Backup Server’s volume change
request.
devname
is the device on which a new volume was mounted. Use the @devname
parameter specified in the Backup Server’s volume change request. If the
Backup Server is not located on the same machine as the Adaptive Server,
use the form:
device at backup_server_name
action
indicates whether the Backup Server should abort, proceed with, or retry the
dump or load.
fname
is the file to be loaded. If you do not specify a file name with sp_volchanged,
the Backup Server loads the file = filename parameter of the load command.
If neither sp_volchanged nor the load command specifies which file to load,
the Backup Server loads the first file on the tape.
vname
is the volume name that appears in the ANSI tape label. The Backup Server
writes the volume name in the ANSI tape label when overwriting an existing
dump, dumping to a brand new tape, or dumping to a tape whose contents
are not recognizable. If you do not specify a vname with sp_volchanged, the
Backup Server uses the dumpvolume value specified in the dump command.
If neither sp_volchanged nor the dump command specifies a volume name,
the Backup Server leaves the name field of the ANSI tape label blank.
During loads, the Backup Server uses the vname to confirm that the correct
tape has been mounted. If you do not specify a vname with sp_volchanged,
the Backup Server uses the dumpvolume specified in the load command. If
neither sp_volchanged nor the load command specifies a volume name, the
Backup Server does not check the name field of the ANSI tape label before
loading the dump.
Examples The operator changes the tape, then issues the command:

sp_volchanged 8, "/dev/nrmt4", RETRY

The following message from Backup Server indicates that a mounted tape’s
expiration date has not been reached:
Backup Server: 4.49.1.1: OPERATOR: Volume to be overwritten on
'/dev/rmt4' has not expired: creation date on this volume is Sunday, Nov.
15, 1992, expiration date is Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1992.
Backup Server: 4.78.1.1: EXECUTE sp_volchanged
@session_id = 8,
@devname = '/auto/remote/pubs3/SERV/Masters/testdump',
@action = { 'PROCEED' | 'RETRY' | 'ABORT' }
Usage • If the Backup Server detects a problem with the currently mounted
volume, it requests a volume change:
• On OpenVMS systems – the Backup Server sends volume change
messages to the operator terminal on the machine on which it is
running. Use the with notify = client option of the dump or load
command to route other Backup Server messages to the terminal
session on which the dump or load request initiated.
• On UNIX systems – the Backup Server sends messages to the client
that initiated the dump or load request. Use the with notify =
operator_console option of the dump or load command to route
messages to the terminal where the Backup Server was started.
• After mounting another volume, the operator executes sp_volchanged
from any Adaptive Server that can communicate with the Backup
Server performing the dump or load. The operator does not have to
log into the Adaptive Server on which the dump or load originated.
• On OpenVMS systems – the operating system—not the Backup Server—
requests a volume change when it detects the end of a volume or when the
specified drive is offline. The operator uses the OpenVMS REPLY
command to reply to these messages.
• On UNIX systems – the Backup Server requests a volume change when the
tape capacity has been reached. The operator mounts another tape and
executes sp_volchanged. Table 1-23 illustrates this process.
Table 1-23: Changing tape volumes on a UNIX system
Sequence Operator, using isql Adaptive Server Backup Server
1 • Issues the dump database
command

sp_volchanged
Sequence Operator, using isql Adaptive Server Backup Server

2 • Sends dump request to
Backup Server
3 • Receives dump request
message from Adaptive Server
• Sends message for tape
mounting to operator
• Waits for operator’s reply
4 • Receives volume change
request from Backup Server
• Mounts tapes
• Executes sp_volchanged
5 • Checks tapes
• If tapes are okay, begins dump
• When tape is full, sends
volume change request to
operator
6 • Receives volume change
request from Backup Server
• Mounts tapes
• Executes sp_volchanged
7 • Continues dump
• When dump is complete, sends
messages to operator and
Adaptive Server
8 • Receives message that dump is • Receives message that
complete dump is complete
• Removes and labels tapes • Releases locks
• Completes the dump
database command
Permissions Any user can execute sp_volchanged.

See also Commands dump database, dump transaction, load database, load
transaction
Utility isql

sp_who
Description Reports information about all current Adaptive Server users and processes or
about a particular user or process.
Syntax sp_who [loginame | "spid"]
Parameters loginame
is the Adaptive Server login name of the user you are requesting a report on.
spid
is the number of the process you are requesting a report on. Enclose process
numbers in quotes (Adaptive Server expects a char type).
Examples Example 1 Reports on the processes running on Adaptive Server. Process 11
(a select on a table) is blocked by process 8 (a begin transaction followed by an
insert on the same table). For process 8, the current loginame is “robert”, but
the original loginame is “sa”. Login “sa” executed a set proxy command to
impersonate the user “robert”:
sp_who
fid spid status loginame origname hostname blk_spid dbname
cmd blk_xloid
--- ----- -------- -------- -------- -------- ------- ------
------------------ ---------
0 1 recv sleep bird bird jazzy 0 master
AWAITING COMMAND 0x0000ed92
0 2 sleeping NULL NULL 0 master
NETWORK HANDLER 0x0000ed92
MIRROR HANDLER 0x0000ed92
AUDIT PROCESS 0x0000ed92
CHECKPOINT SLEEP 0x0000ed92
0 6 recv sleep rose rose petal 0 master
AWAITING COMMAND 0x0000ed92
0 7 sleeping NULL NULL actor 0 sybsystemdb
ASTC HANDLER 0x0000ed92
0 8 running robert sa helos 0 master
SELECT 0x0000ed92
0 9 send sleep daisy daisy chain 0 pubs2
SELECT 0x0000ed92
0 10 alarm sleep lily lily pond 0 master
WAITFOR 0x0000ed92
0 11 lock sleep viola viola cello 8 pubs2
SELECT 0x0000ed92

sp_who
Example 2 Reports on the processes being run by the user “victoria”:

sp_who victoria
Example 3 Reports what Adaptive Server process number 17 is doing:
sp_who "17"
Example 4 Reports on the processes running on Adaptive Server. Although no
user processes other than sp_who are running, the server still shows activity.
During idle cycles, the housekeeper wash task moves dirty buffers into the
buffer wash region, the housekeeper chores task performs other maintenance
tasks. The housekeeper garbage collection task , which cleans up data that was
logically deleted and resets the rows so that tables have space again, operates
at the priority level of the ordinary user.
sp_who
cmd block_xloid
---- ---- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- ------
---------------- -----------
0 1 running sa sa helos 0 master
SELECT 0
NETWORK HANDLER 0
DEADLOCK TUNE 0
MIRROR HANDLER 0
0 5 sleeping NULL NULL actor 0 master
ASTC HANDLER 0
CHECKPOINT SLEEP 0
HK WASH 0
HK GC 0
HK CHORES 0
HK WASH 0
Example 5 Reports on a system-induced rollback, either of a transaction or a

command.

sp_who
cmd block_xloid
0 11 runnable sa sa copperhead 0 db
ROLLBACK 0
Usage • sp_who reports information about a specified user or Adaptive Server

process.
• Without parameters, sp_who reports which users are running what
processes in all databases.
• The columns returned by sp_who are:
• fid – identifies the family (including the coordinating process and its
worker processes) to which a lock belongs. For more information, see
sp_familylock.
• spid – identifies the process number. A System Administrator can use

this number with the Transact-SQL kill command to stop the process.
• status – indicates whether the process is running or sleeping.
• loginame – the login or alias of the user who started the process. For
all system processes, loginame is NULL.
• origname – If the loginame is an alias, origname shows the real login
name. If not, origname shows the same information as loginame.
• hostname – the name of the server on which the database resides.
• blk_spid – contains the process IDs of the blocking process, if there is

one. A blocking process (which may be infected or have an exclusive
lock) is one that is holding resources needed by another process.
• dbname – indicates the name of the database on which the process is
running.
• cmd – identifies the command or process currently being executed.
Evaluation of a conditional statement, such as an if or while loop,
returns cond.
• block_xloid – identifies the unique lock owner ID of a blocking
transaction.
• Running sp_who on a single-engine server shows the sp_who process
currently running and all other processes that are runnable or in one of the
sleep states. In multi-engine servers, there can be a “running” process for
each engine.

sp_who
• If you enable mirrored disks or remote procedure calls, the mirror handler
and the site handler also appear in the report from sp_who.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_who.
See also Commands kill
System procedures sp_familylock, sp_lock

CH A PTE R 2 Catalog Stored Procedures
This chapter describes catalog stored procedures, which retrieve

information from the system tables in tabular form.
Topics covered are:
Topics Page
Overview 473
Specifying optional parameters 474
Pattern matching 475
System procedure tables 475
ODBC datatypes 476
Overview
Table 2-1 lists the catalog stored procedures that are covered in this
chapter.
Table 2-1: Catalog stored procedures
sp_column_privileges Returns permissions information for one or more columns in a table or view.
sp_columns Returns information about the type of data that can be stored in one or more columns.
sp_databases Returns a list of the databases in Adaptive Server.
sp_datatype_info Returns information about a particular datatype or about all supported datatypes.
sp_fkeys Returns information about foreign key constraints created in the current database with
the create table or alter table command.
sp_pkeys Returns information about primary key constraints created for a single table with the
create table or alter table command.
sp_server_info Returns a list of Adaptive Server attribute names and current values.
sp_special_columns Returns the optimal set of columns that uniquely identify a row in a table or view; can
also return a list of the columns that are automatically updated when any value in the row
is updated by a transaction.
sp_sproc_columns Returns information about a stored procedure’s input and return parameters.
sp_statistics Returns a list of indexes on a single table.

Specifying optional parameters
sp_stored_procedures Returns information about one or more stored procedures.
sp_table_privileges Returns privilege information for all columns in a table or view.
sp_tables Returns a list of objects that can appear in a from clause.
Catalog stored procedures retrieve information from the system tables in

tabular form.
The catalog stored procedures, created by installmaster at installation, are
located in the sybsystemprocs database and are owned by the System
Administrator.
Many of them can be run from any database. If a catalog stored procedure
is executed from a database other than sybsystemprocs, it retrieves
information from the system tables in the database from which it was
executed.
All catalog stored procedures execute at isolation level 1.
All catalog stored procedures report a return status. For example, this
means that the procedure executed successfully. The examples in this book
do not include the return status:
return status = 0
Specifying optional parameters

If a parameter value for a catalog stored procedure contains punctuation or
embedded blanks, or is a reserved word, you must enclose it in single or
double quotes. If the parameter is an object name qualified by a database
name or owner name, enclose the entire name in single or double quotes.
Note Do not use delimited identifiers as catalog stored procedure

parameters. Doing so may produce unexpected results.
In many cases, it is more convenient to supply parameters to the catalog

stored procedures in the form:
@parametername = value
than to supply all the parameters. The parameter names in the syntax
statements match the parameter names defined by the procedures.

CHAPTER 2 Catalog Stored Procedures
For example, the syntax for sp_columns is:

sp_columns table_name [, table_owner]
[, table_qualifier] [, column_name]
To use sp_columns to find information about a particular column, you can
use:
sp_columns publishers, @column_name = "pub_id"
This provides the same information as the command with all of the
parameters specified:
sp_columns publishers, "dbo", "pubs2", "pub_id"
You can also use “null” as a placeholder:
sp_columns publishers, null, null, "pub_id"
If you specify more parameters then the number of parameters expected
by the system procedure, Adaptive Server ignores the extra parameters.
Pattern matching
Adaptive Server offers a wide range of pattern matching through regular
expressions. However, for maximum interoperability, assume only SQL
standards pattern matching (the % and _ wildcard characters).
System procedure tables

The catalog stored procedures sp_columns, sp_datatype_info,
sp_special_columns, and sp_sproc_columns use the catalog stored
procedure tables spt_datatype_info, spt_datatype_info_ext, and
spt_server_info in the sybsystemprocs database to convert internal system
values such as status bits into human-readable format.
The catalog stored procedures sp_column_privileges and
sp_table_privileges create and then drop temporary tables.

ODBC datatypes
ODBC datatypes
Table 2-2 and Table 2-3 list the datatype code numbers and matching
datatype names returned by sp_columns and sp_sproc_columnsin the
“data_type” column. The source for the description is the Open Database
Connectivity (ODBC) Application Programming Interface (API).
Table 2-2: Code numbers for ODBC datatypes
Datatype Code #
char 1
decimal 3
double precision 8
float 6
integer 4
numeric 2
real 7
smallint 5
varchar 12
Table 2-3: Code numbers for extended datatypes

Datatype Code #
bigint -5
binary (bit datatype) -2
bit -7
date 9
java.lang.Object 1111
long varbinary -4
long varchar -1
time 10
timestamp 11
tinyint -6
varbinary (bit-varying datatype) -3

sp_column_privileges
Description Returns permissions information for one or more columns in a table or
view.
Syntax sp_column_privileges table_name [, table_owner
[, table_qualifier [, column_name]]]
is the name of the table. The use of wildcard characters in pattern
matching is not supported.
table_owner
is the name of the table owner. The use of wildcard characters in pattern
matching is not supported. If you do not specify the table’s owner,
sp_column_privileges looks for a table owned by the current user and
then for a table owned by the Database Owner.
table_qualifier
is the name of the database. Values are the name of the current database
and null.
column_name
is the name of the column whose permissions you want to display. Use
wildcard characters to request information for more than one column. If
you do not specify a column name, permissions information for all
columns in the specified table is returned.
Examples
sp_column_privileges discounts, null, null, discounttype
table_qualifier table_owner table_name column_name
grantor grantee privilege is_grantable
------------------- -------------- ------------------- ----------------
--------- ----------- ------------- ------------
pubs2 dbo discounts discounttype
dbo dbo SELECT YES
dbo dbo UPDATE YES
dbo dbo REFERENCE YES
dbo guest SELECT NO
dbo guest UPDATE NO
dbo guest REFERENCE NO

sp_column_privileges
Usage • The results set for sp_column_privileges is:

Column Datatype Description
table_qualifier varchar(32) The name of the database in which the table specified for the table_name parameter
is stored.
table_owner varchar(32) The table owner. If no value was specified for the table_owner parameter, this value
is the current owner or the Database Owner.
table_name varchar(32) The name specified for the table_name parameter. This value cannot be NULL.
column_name varchar(32) The specified column name. If no column name was specified in the statement, the
results include all columns in the specified table.
grantor varchar(32) The name of the database user who has granted permissions on column_name to
grantee. This value cannot be NULL.
grantee varchar(32) The name of the database user who was granted permissions on column_name by
grantor. This value cannot be NULL.
privilege varchar(32) Identifies the column privilege. May be one of the following:
• SELECT – The grantee is permitted to retrieve data for the column.
• UPDATE – The grantee is permitted to update data in the column.
• REFERENCE – The grantee is permitted to refer to the column within a
constraint (for example, a unique, referential, or table check constraint).
is_grantable varchar(3) Indicates whether the grantee is permitted to grant the privilege to other users. The
values are YES, NO, and NULL.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_column_privileges.

sp_columns
Description Returns information about the type of data that can be stored in one or
more columns.
Syntax sp_columns table_name [, table_owner ]
[, table_qualifier] [, column_name]
is the name of the table or view. Use wildcard characters to request
information about more than one table.
table_owner
is the owner of the table or view. Use wildcard characters to request
information about tables owned by more than one user. If you do not
specify a table owner, sp_columns looks for tables owned by the current
user and then for tables owned by the Database Owner.
table_qualifier
is the name of the database. This can be either the current database or
NULL.
column_name
is the name of the column for which you want information. Use
wildcard characters to request information about more than one
column.
Examples Example 1 Displays information about all columns in the publishers table
that begin with “p”:
sp_columns "publishers", null, null, "p%"
table_qualifier table_owner table_name column_name data_type type_name
precision length scale radix nullable remarks ss_data_type colid
---------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- --------- ----------
--------- ------ ----- ----- -------- ------- ------------ ----
pubs2 dbo publishers pub_id 1 char
NULL 4 NULL NULL 0 NULL 47 1
pubs2 dbo publishers pub_name 12 varchar
NULL 40 NULL NULL 1 NULL 39 2
Example 2 Displays information about all columns beginning with “st”

in tables that begin with “s”:
sp_columns "s%", null, null, "st%"
Usage • The results set for sp_columns is:

sp_columns

table_qualifier varchar(32) The name of the database in which the table specified for the table_name
parameter is stored.
table_owner varchar(32) The table owner. If no value was specified for the table_owner parameter, this
value is the current owner or the Database Owner.
table_name varchar(32) NOT NULL.
column_name varchar(32) NOT NULL.
data_type smallint Integer code for ODBC datatype. If this is a datatype that cannot be mapped into
an ODBC type, it is NULL.
type_name varchar(30) String representing a datatype. The underlying DBMS presents this datatype
name.
precision int Number of significant digits.
length int Length in bytes of a datatype.
scale smallint Number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
radix smallint Base for numeric datatypes.
nullable smallint The value 1 means NULL is possible; 0 means NOT NULL.
remarks varchar(254)
ss_data_type smallint An Adaptive Server datatype.
colid tinyint A column appended to the results set.
column_def varchar(255)
sql_data_type smallint
sql_datetime_sub smallint
char_octet_length int
ordinal_position int
is_nullable varchar(3)
• sp_columns reports the type_name as float, and data_type as 6 for

columns defined as double precision. The Adaptive Server double
precision datatype is a float implementation supports the range of
values as specified in the ODBC specifications.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_columns.

sp_databases
Description Returns a list of databases in Adaptive Server.
Syntax sp_databases
Parameters None.
Examples sp_databases
database_name database_size remarks
---------------- ------------- ------------
master 5120 NULL
model 2048 NULL
mydb 2048 NULL
pubs2 2048 NULL
sybsecurity 5120 NULL
sybsystemprocs 16384 NULL
tempdb 2048 NULL
Usage • The results set for sp_databases is:

database_name char(32) NOT NULL database name.
database_size int Size of database, in kilobytes.
remarks varchar(254) Adaptive Server always returns NULL.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_databases.

sp_datatype_info
sp_datatype_info
Description Returns information about a particular ODBC datatype or about all ODBC
datatypes.
Syntax sp_datatype_info [data_type]
Parameters data_type
is the code number for the specified ODBC datatype about which
information is returned. Datatype codes are listed in Table 2-2 on
page 476 and Table 2-3 on page 476.
Usage • The results set for sp_datatype_info is:
type_name varchar(30) A DBMS-dependent datatype name (the same as the type_name column in the
sp_columns results set).
data_type smallint A code for the ODBC type to which all columns of this type are mapped.
precision int The maximum precision for the datatype on the data source. Zero is returned
for datatypes where precision is not applicable.
literal_prefix varchar(32) Character(s) used to prefix a literal. For example, a single quotation mark (') for
character types and 0x for binary.
literal_suffix varchar(32) Character(s) used to terminate a literal. For example, a single quotation mark
(') for character types and nothing for binary.
create_params varchar(32) A description of the creation parameters for this datatype.
nullable smallint The value 1 means this datatype can be created allowing null values; 0 means
it cannot.
case_sensitive smallint The value 1 means all columns of this type are case sensitive (for collations); 0
means they are not.
searchable smallint The value 1 means columns of this type can be used in a where clause.
unsigned_attribute smallint The value 1 means the datatype is unsigned; 0 means the datatype is signed.
money smallint The value 1 means it is a money datatype; 0 means it is not.
auto_increment smallint The value 1 means the datatype is automatically incremented; 0 means it is not.
local_type_name varchar(128) Localized version of the data source dependent name of the datatype.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_datatype_info.

sp_fkeys
Description Returns information about foreign key constraints created with the create
table or alter table command in the current database.
Syntax sp_fkeys pktable_name [, pktable_owner]
[, pktable_qualifier] [, fktable_name]
[, fktable_owner] [, fktable_qualifier]
Parameters pktable_name
is the name of the primary key table. The use of wildcard characters in
pattern matching is not supported. You must specify either the
pktable_name or the fktable_name, or both.
pktable_owner
is the name of the primary key table owner. The use of
wildcard characters in pattern matching is not supported. If you do not
specify the table owner, sp_fkeys looks for a table owned by the current
user and then for a table owned by the Database Owner.
pktable_qualifier
is the name of the database that contains the primary key table. This can
be either the current database or NULL.
fktable_name
is the name of the foreign key table. The use of wildcard characters in
pattern matching is not supported. Either the fktable_name or the
pktable_name, or both, must be given.
fktable_owner
is the name of the foreign key table owner. The use of
wildcard characters in pattern matching is not supported. If an
fktable_owner is not specified, sp_fkeys looks for a table owned by the
current user and then for a table owned by the Database Owner.
fktable_qualifier
is the name of the database that contains the foreign key table. This can
be either the current database or null.
Usage • sp_fkeys returns information about foreign key constraints created
with the create table or alter table command in the current database. A
foreign key is a key column in a table that logically depends on a
primary key column in another table.
• The results set for sp_fkeys is:
pktable_qualifier varchar(32) The database that contains the primary key table.

sp_fkeys

pktable_owner varchar(32) The owner of the primary key table.
pktable_name varchar(32) NOT NULL.
pkcolumn_name varchar(32) NOT NULL.
fktable_qualifier varchar(32) The database that contains the foreign key table.
fktable_owner varchar(32) The owner of the foreign key table.
fktable_name varchar(32) NOT NULL.
fkcolumn_name varchar(32) NOT NULL.
key_seq smallint NOT NULL. The sequence number of the column in a multicolumn primary key.
update_rule smallint Action to be applied to the foreign key when the SQL operation is UPDATE. Zero
is returned for this column.
delete_rule smallint Action to be applied to the foreign key when the SQL operation is DELETE. Zero
is returned for this column.
• Both the primary key and foreign key must have been declared in a
• If the primary key table name is supplied, but the foreign key table
name is NULL, sp_fkeys returns all tables that include a foreign key
to the given table. If the foreign key table name is supplied, but the
primary key table name is NULL, sp_fkeys returns all tables that are
related by a primary key/foreign key relationship to foreign keys in
the foreign key table.
• sp_fkeys does not return information about keys declared with
sp_commonkey, sp_foreignkey or sp_primarykey.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_fkeys.

sp_pkeys
Description Returns information about primary key constraints created with the create
table or alter table command for a single table.
Syntax sp_pkeys table_name [, table_owner]
[, table_qualifier]
table_owner
matching is not supported. If table_owner is not specified, sp_pkeys
looks for a table owned by the current user and then for a table owned
by the Database Owner.
table_qualifier
is the name of the database that contains the table. This can be either the
current database or NULL.
Usage • The results set for sp_pkeys is:
table_qualifier varchar(32) The database name. This field can be NULL.
table_owner varchar(32) The table owner. If no value was specified for the table_owner parameter, this value
is the current owner or the Database Owner.
key_seq smallint NOT NULL. The sequence number of the column in a multicolumn primary key.
• Primary keys must have been declared with the create table or alter
table statement, not with sp_primarykey.
• The term primary key refers to a logical primary key for a table.
Adaptive Server expects that every logical primary key has a unique
index defined on it and that this unique index is also returned in
sp_statistics.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_pkeys.

sp_server_info
sp_server_info
Description Returns a list of Adaptive Server attribute names and current values.
Syntax sp_server_info [attribute_id]
Parameters attribute_id
is the integer ID of the server attribute.
Examples Example 1
sp_server_info 12
attribute_id attribute_name attribute_value
------------ ------------------------- --------------------------
12 MAX_OWNER_NAME_LENGTH 0
Example 2 Returns the list of server attributes, described by the

mandatory rows, and their values:
sp_server_info
Usage The results set for sp_server_info is:
attribute_id int NOT NULL.
attribute_name varchar(60) NOT NULL.
attribute_value varchar(255)
The mandatory rows in the results set returned by sp_server_info are:

ID Server attribute name Description Value
1 DBMS_NAME Name of the DBMS. SQL SERVER
2 DBMS_VER Version of the DBMS. @@version
6 DBE_NAME Unused
10 OWNER_TERM Adaptive Server’s term for a table owner (the second owner
part of a three-part name).
11 TABLE_TERM Adaptive Server’s term for a table (the third part of a table
three-part name).
12 MAX_OWNER_NAME_LENGTH Maximum length of the name for a table owner (the 30
second part of a three-part name).
13 TABLE_LENGTH The maximum number of characters for a table 30
name.
14 MAX_QUAL_LENGTH Maximum length of the name for a table qualifier 30
(the first part of a three-part table name).


15 COLUMN_LENGTH The maximum number of characters for a column 30
name.
16 IDENTIFIER_CASE The case sensitivity of user-defined names (table MIXED
names, column names, and stored procedure names)
in the database (the case in which these objects are
presented in the system catalogs).
18 COLLATION_SEQ The assumed ordering of the character set for this
server.
19 SAVEPOINT_SUPPORT Does the underlying DBMS support named Y
savepoints?
20 MULTI_RESULT_SETS Does the underlying DBMS or the gateway itself Y
support multiple results sets (can multiple statements
be sent through the gateway, with multiple results
sets returned to the client)?
22 ACCESSIBLE_TABLES In sp_tables, does the gateway return only tables, Y
views, and so on, that are accessible by the current
user (that is, the user who has at least select
privileges for the table)?
100 USERID_LENGTH The maximum number of characters for a user name. 30
101 QUALIFIER_TERM Adaptive Server’s term for a table qualifier (the first database
part of a three-part name).
102 NAMED_TRANSACTIONS Does the underlying DBMS support named Y
transactions?
103 SPROC_AS_LANGUAGE Can stored procedures be executed as language Y
events?
103 REMOTE_SPROC Can stored procedures be executed through the Y
remote stored procedure APIs in DB-Library?
104 ACCESSIBLE_SPROC In sp_stored_procedures, does the gateway return Y
only stored procedures that are executable by the
current user?
105 MAX_INDEX_COLS Maximum number of columns in an index for the 32
DBMS.
106 RENAME_TABLE Can tables be renamed? Y
107 RENAME_COLUMN Can columns be renamed? Y
108 DROP_COLUMN Can columns be dropped? Y
109 INCREASE_COLUMN_LENGTH Can column size be increased? N
110 DDL_IN_TRANSACTION Can DDL statements appear in transactions? Y
111 DESCENDING_INDEXES Are descending indexes supported? Y
112 SP_RENAME Can a stored procedure be renamed? Y

sp_server_info

500 SYS_SPROC_VERSION The version of the catalog stored procedures 01.01.2822
currently implemented.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_server_info.

sp_special_columns
Description Returns the optimal set of columns that uniquely identify a row in a table
or view; can also return a list of timestamp columns, whose values are
automatically generated when any value in the row is updated by a
transaction.
Syntax sp_special_columns table_name [, table_owner]
[, table_qualifier] [, col_type]
is the name of the table or view. The use of wildcard characters in
pattern matching is not supported.
table_owner
is the name of the table or view owner. The use of wildcard characters
in pattern matching is not supported. If you do not specify the table
owner, sp_special_columns looks for a table owned by the current user
and then for a table owned by the Database Owner.
table_qualifier
NULL.
col_type
is “R” to return information about columns whose values uniquely
identify any row in the table, or “V” to return information about
timestamp columns, whose values are generated by Adaptive Server
each time a row is inserted or updated.
Examples Example 1
sp_special_columns systypes
scope column_name data_type type_name precision length scale
------ ------------ ---------- ---------- ---------- ------- ------
0 name 12 varchar 30 30 NULL
Example 2
sp_special_columns @table_name=authors, @col_type=R
scope column_name data_type type_name precision length scale
------ ------------ ---------- ---------- ---------- ------- ------
0 au_id 12 varchar 11 11 NULL
Usage • The results set for sp_special_columns is:
scope int NOT NULL. Actual scope of the row ID. Adaptive Server always returns 0.

sp_special_columns

column_name varchar(30) NOT NULL. Column identifier.
data_type smallint The integer code for an ODBC datatype. If this datatype cannot be mapped
to an ANSI/ISO type, the value is NULL. The native datatype name is
returned in the type_name column. (See the ODBC datatypes Table 2-2.)
type_name varchar(13) The string representation of the datatype. This is the datatype name as
presented by the underlying DBMS.
precision int The number of significant digits.
length int The length in bytes of the datatype.
scale smallint The number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_special_columns.

sp_sproc_columns
Description Returns information about a stored procedure’s input and return
parameters.
Syntax sp_sproc_columns procedure_name [, procedure_owner]
[, procedure_qualifier] [, column_name]
Parameters procedure_name
is the name of the stored procedure. The use of wildcard characters in
pattern matching is not supported.
procedure_owner
is the owner of the stored procedure. The use of wildcard characters in
pattern matching is not supported. If no owner is specified,
sp_sproc_columns returns all columns.
procedure_qualifier
NULL.
column_name
is the name of the parameter about which you want information. If you
do not supply a parameter name, sp_sproc_columns returns information
about all input and return parameters for the stored procedure.
Usage • The results set for sp_sproc_columns is:
procedure_qualifier varchar(30)
procedure_owner varchar(30)
procedure_name varchar(41) NOT NULL.
column_type smallint
data_type smallint The integer code for an ODBC datatype. If this datatype cannot be mapped to
an ANSI/ISO type, the value is NULL. The native datatype name is returned
in the type_name column.
type_name char(30) The string representation of the datatype. This is the datatype name as
presented by the underlying DBMS.
precision int The number of significant digits.
length int The length in bytes of the datatype.
scale smallint The number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
radix smallint Base for numeric types.
nullable smallint The value 1 means this datatype can be created allowing null values; 0 means
it cannot.

sp_sproc_columns

remarks varchar(254) NULL.
ss_data_type tinyint An Adaptive Server datatype.
colid tinyint An Adaptive Server specific column appended to the result set.
• sp_sproc_columns reports the type_name as float, and data_type as 6

for parameters defined as double precision. The Adaptive Server
double precision datatype is a float implementation supports the range
of values as specified in the ODBC specifications.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_sproc_columns.

sp_statistics
Description Returns a list of indexes on a single table.
Syntax sp_statistics table_name [, table_owner]
[, table_qualifier] [, index_name] [, is_unique]
is the name of the table. The use of wildcard character pattern matching
is not supported.
table_owner
is the owner of the table. The use of wildcard character pattern matching
is not supported. If table_owner is not specified, sp_statistics looks for
a table owned by the current user and then for a table owned by the
Database Owner.
table_qualifier
NULL.
index_name
is the index name. The use of wildcard character pattern matching is not
supported.
is_unique
is Y to return only unique indexes; otherwise, is N to return both unique
and nonunique indexes.
Examples sp_statistics publishers
table_qualifier table_owner
table_name non_unique
index_qualifier index_name
type seq_in_index column_name collation
cardinality pages
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
-------------------------------- ----------
-------------------------------- ---------------------------
------ ------------ -------------------------------- --------
----------- -----------
pubs2 dbo
publishers NULL
NULL NULL
0 NULL NULL NULL
3 1
pubs2 dbo
publishers 0
publishers pubind

sp_statistics
1 1 pub_id A
3 1
Usage • The results set for sp_statistics is:
table_owner varchar(32)
non_unique smallint NOT NULL. The value 0 means unique, and 1 means not unique.
index_qualifier varchar(32)
index_name varchar(32)
type smallint NOT NULL. The value 0 means clustered, 2 means hashed, and 3 means other.
seq_in_index smallint NOT NULL.
collation char(1) The value A means ascending; D means descending; and NULL means not
applicable.
cardinality int Number of rows in the table or unique values in the index.
pages int Number of pages to store the index or table.
• The indexes in the results set appear in ascending order, ordered by

the non-unique, type, index_name, and seq_in_index columns.
• The index type hashed accepts exact match or range searches, but
searches involving pattern matching do not use the index.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_statistics.

sp_stored_procedures
Description Returns information about one or more stored procedures.
Syntax sp_stored_procedures [sp_name [, sp_owner
[, sp_qualifier]]]
Parameters sp_name
is the name of the stored procedure. Use wildcard characters to request
information about more than one stored procedure.
sp_owner
is the owner of the stored procedure. Use wildcard characters to request
information about procedures that are owned by more than one user.
sp_qualifier
is the name of the database. This can be the current database or NULL.
Usage • sp_stored_procedures returns information about stored procedures in
the current database only.
• The results set for sp_stored_procedures is:
procedure_qualifier varchar(30) The name of the database.
procedure_owner varchar(30)
procedure_name varchar(41) NOT NULL.
num_input_params int NOT NULL. Always returns -1.
num_output_params int NOT NULL. The value >= 0 shows the number of parameters; -1 means the
number of parameters is indeterminate.
num_result_sets int NOT NULL. Always returns -1.
remarks varchar(254) NULL.
• sp_stored_procedures can return the name of stored procedures for

which the current user does not have execute permission. However, if
the server attribute accessible_sproc is “Y” in the results set for
sp_server_info, only stored procedures that are executable by the
current user are returned.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_stored_procedures.

sp_table_privileges
sp_table_privileges
Description Returns privilege information for all columns in a table or view.
Syntax sp_table_privileges table_name [, table_owner
[, table_qualifier]]
table_owner
matching is not supported. If you do not specify the table owner,
sp_table_privileges looks for a table owned by the current user and then
for a table owned by the Database Owner.
table_qualifier
NULL.
Usage • The results set for sp_table_privileges is:
table_qualifier varchar(32) The name of the database. This field can be NULL.
grantor varchar(32) NOT NULL.
grantee varchar(32) NOT NULL.
privilege varchar(32) Identifies the table privilege. May be one of the following:
• SELECT – The grantee is permitted to retrieve data for one or more columns of
the table.
• INSERT – The grantee is permitted to insert new rows containing data for one or
more columns into the table.
• UPDATE – The grantee is permitted to update the data in one or more columns of
the table.
• DELETE – The grantee is permitted to delete rows of data from the table.
• REFERENCE – The grantee is permitted to refer to one or more columns of the
table within a constraint.
is_grantable varchar(3) Indicates whether the grantee is permitted to grant the privilege to other users. The
values are YES, NO, and NULL.
Permissions Any user can execute sp_table_privileges.

sp_tables
Description Returns a list of objects that can appear in a from clause.
Syntax sp_tables [table_name] [, table_owner]
[, table_qualifier][, table_type]
is the name of the table. Use wildcard characters to request information
about more than one table.
table_owner
is the table owner. Use wildcard characters to request information about
more than one table.
table_qualifier
is the name of the database. Acceptable values are the name of the
current database and NULL.
table_type
is a list of values, separated by commas, giving information about all
tables of the table type(s) specified, including the following:
"'TABLE', 'SYSTEM TABLE', 'VIEW'"
Note Enclose each table type with single quotation marks, and enclose the
entire parameter with double quotation marks. Enter table types in
uppercase.
Examples sp_tables @table_type = "'TABLE', 'VIEW'"

This procedure returns information about all tables in the current database
of the type TABLE and VIEW and excludes information about system
tables.
Usage • Adaptive Server does not necessarily check the read and write
permissions on table_name. Access to the table is not guaranteed,
even if you can display information about it.
• The results set includes tables, views, and synonyms and aliases for
gateways to DBMS products.
• If the server attribute accessible_tables is “Y” in the results set for
sp_server_info, only tables that are accessible by the current user are
returned.
• The results set for sp_tables is:

sp_tables

table_name varchar(30) NOT NULL. The table name.
table_type varchar(32) NOT NULL. One of the following: 'TABLE',
'VIEW', 'SYSTEM TABLE'.
remarks varchar(254) NULL
Permissions Any user can execute sp_tables.

Tables used master.dbo.sysattributes, master.dbo.sysloginroles, master.dbo.syssrvroles,
sysroles

CH A PTE R 3 System Extended Stored
Procedures
This chapter describes the system extended stored procedures (ESPs),

which are supplied by Sybase. ESPs are created by installmaster at
installation. They are located in the sybsystemprocs database and owned
by the System Administrator. They can be run from any database.
Topics covered are:
Topics Page
Overview 499
Permissions on system ESPs 500
DLLs associated with system ESPs 500
Using system ESPs 500
Overview
Table 3-1 lists the system extended stored procedures discussed in this
chapter.
Table 3-1: System extended stored procedures
Procedure Description Platform
xp_cmdshell Executes a native operating system command on the host system running All Supporting
Adaptive Server. DLLs
xp_deletemail Deletes a message from the Adaptive Server message inbox. NT Only
xp_enumgroups Displays groups for a specific Windows NT domain. NT Only
xp_findnextmsg Retrieves the message identifier of the next message in the Adaptive Server NT Only
message inbox.
xp_logevent Provides for logging a user-defined event in the Windows NT Event Log. NT Only
xp_readmail Reads a message from the Adaptive Server message inbox. NT Only
xp_sendmail Sends a message to the specified recipients using the MAPI interface. NT Only
xp_startmail Starts an Adaptive Server mail session. NT Only
xp_stopmail Stops an Adaptive Server mail session. NT Only

Permissions on system ESPs
Permissions on system ESPs

Permissions are set in the sybsystemprocs database.
Users with the sa_role have default execution permissions on the system
ESPs. These System Administrators can grant execution permissions to
other users.
DLLs associated with system ESPs

You can get the names of the DLLs associated with the system ESPs by
running sp_helpextendedproc in the sybsystemprocs database.
Using system ESPs

The system ESPs follow the same calling conventions as the regular
system procedures. The only additional requirement for system ESPs is
that the Open Server application, XP Server, must be running. Adaptive
Server starts XP Server the first time an ESP is invoked. XP Server
continues to run until you shut down Adaptive Server.

CHAPTER 3 System Extended Stored Procedures
xp_cmdshell
Description Executes a native operating system command on the host system running
Adaptive Server.
Syntax xp_cmdshell command [, no_output]
Parameters command
is the operating system command string; maximum length is 255 bytes.
no_output
if specified, suppresses any output from the command.
Examples Example 1 Silently copies the file named log on the C drive to a file named
log.0102 on the A drive:
xp_cmdshell 'copy C:\log A:\log.0102', no_output
Example 2 Executes the operating system’s date command and returns
the current date as a row of data:
xp_cmdshell 'date'
Usage • xp_cmdshell returns any output, including operating system errors, as
rows of text in a single column.
• xp_cmdshell is run from the current directory of the XP Server.
• The width of the column of returned output is 80 characters. The

output is not formatted.
• xp_cmdshell cannot perform commands that require interaction with
the user, such as “login”.
• The user context in which an operating system command is executed
via xp_cmdshell is controlled by the value of the xp_cmdshell context
configuration parameter. If this parameter is set to 1 (the default),
xp_cmdshell restricts permission to users with System Administration
privileges at the operating system level. If this parameter is set to 0,
xp_cmdshell uses the security context of the operating system account
under which Adaptive Server is running. Therefore, using
xp_cmdshell with the xp_cmdshell context configuration parameter set
to 0, any user can execute operating system commands using the
permissions of the account running Adaptive Server. This account
may have fewer restrictions than the user’s own account.

xp_cmdshell
• Regardless of the value of xp_cmdshell context, if the user who is

executing xp_cmdshell is not a System Administrator (does not have
the sa_role), a System Administrator must have granted that user
explicit permission to execute xp_cmdshell. For example, the
following statement grants “joe” permission to execute xp_cmdshell:
grant execute on xp_cmdshell to joe
• To find out if xp_cmdshell was successful in spawning an external
command XP Server, enter the following, where command is the
name of the command you ran with xp_cmdshell:
@ret = exec xp_cmdshell command
If xp_cmdshell was successful, @ret = exec xp_cmdshell command
returns a value of 0. If xp_cmdshell failed, @ret = exec xp_cmdshell
command returns a value of 1.
• To find out if the command you ran using xp_cmdshell was itself
successful, enter the following, where command is the name of the
command you ran with xp_cmdshell:
@ret = exec xp_cmdshell command, return_status
@ret = exec xp_cmdshell command, return_status causes xp_cmdshell
to return the actual exit status code of the command. If a failure
occurrs and XP Server cannot run the command, xp_cmdshell returns
a value of 1. If the command runs successfully, xp_cmdshell returns a
value of 0.
If the command was successful, @ret = exec xp_cmdshell command
returns a value of 0. If the command failed, @ret = exec xp_cmdshell
command returns a value of 1.
Note Both @ret = exec xp_cmdshell command and @ret = exec

xp_cmdshell command, return_status are backward-compatible. Old
stored procedures that do not use the return_status parameter treat
@ret = exec xp_cmdshell command, return_status as if it were @ret =
exec xp_cmdshell command.
Also, the no_output parameter can still be used in combination with

return_status, in any order.
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_cmdshell. A

System Administrator can grant execute permission to other users.

See also See the System Administration Guide for more information about
xp_cmdshell context.

xp_deletemail
xp_deletemail
Description Windows NT only Deletes a message from the Adaptive Server message
inbox.
Syntax xp_deletemail [msg_id ]
Parameters msg_id
is the message identifier of the mail message to be deleted.
Examples Example 1 Deletes from the Adaptive Server message inbox the message
with the message identifier specified in the cur_msg_id variable:
1> declare @cur_msg_id binary(255)
2> exec xp_deletemail @msg_id = @cur_msg_id
Example 2 Deletes the first message from the Adaptive Server message
inbox:
xp_deletemail
Usage • Obtain the msg_id using xp_findnextmsg.
• If the msg_id parameter is not used, the message to be deleted defaults
to the first message in the message inbox.
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_deletemail. A
System Administrator can grant this permission to other users.

xp_enumgroups
Description Windows NT only Displays groups for a specified Windows NT
domain.
Syntax xp_enumgroups [domain_name ]
Parameters domain_name
is the Windows NT domain for which you are listing user groups.
Examples Example 1 Lists all user groups on the Windows NT computer running XP
Server:
xp_enumgroups
Example 2 Lists all user groups in the PCS domain:
xp_enumgroups 'PCS'
Usage • xp_enumgroups displays all local user groups if no parameter is
passed.
• A domain is a named collection of computers that share a common
user account database and security policy.
• A return status of 0 indicates success; 1 indicates failure.
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_enumgroups. A

xp_findnextmsg
xp_findnextmsg
Description Windows NT only Retrieves the next message identifier from the
Syntax xp_findnextmsg @msg_id = @msg_id output [, type]
[, unread_only = {true | false}]
Parameters msg_id
on input, specifies the message identifier that immediately precedes the
one you are trying to retrieve. Places the retrieved message identifier in
the msg_id output parameter, which must be of type binary.
type
is the input message type based on the MAPI mail definition. The only
supported message type is CMC:IPM. A NULL value or no value
defaults to CMC:IPM.
unread_only
if this parameter is set to true, xp_findnextmsg considers only unread
messages. If this parameter is set to false, xp_findnextmsg considers all
messages, both read and unread, when retrieving the next message
identifier. The default is true.
Examples Example 1 Returns, in the @out_msg_id output variable, the message
identifier of the next unread message after the message specified by the
@out_msg_id:
xp_findnextmsg @msg_id = @out_msg_id output
Example 2 Returns, in the @out_msg_id output variable, the message
identifier of the next message after the message specified by the
@out_msg_id. The message may be read or unread:
xp_findnextmsg @msg_id = @out_msg_id output, NULL,
@unread_only = false
Usage • When xp_findnextmsg can find no more messages in the inbox, it
returns a status of 1.
• xp_deletemail and xp_readmail use the message identifier returned by
xp_findnextmsg.
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_findnextmsg. A


xp_logevent
Description Windows NT only Provides for logging a user-defined event in the
Windows NT Event Log from within Adaptive Server.
Syntax xp_logevent error_number, message [, type]
Parameters error_number
is the user-assigned error number. It must be equal to or greater than
50000.
message
is the text of the message that is displayed in the description field of the
event viewer. The maximum length of the message is 255 bytes.
Enclose the message in quotes.
type
describes the urgency of the event. Values are informational, warning,
and error. The default is informational. Enclose the value in quotes.
Examples Example 1 An informational event, number 55555, will be logged in the
Windows NT Event Log. The text of the description in the event detail
window is “Email message deleted”:
xp_logevent 55555, 'Email message deleted.'
Example 2 An error event, number 66666, will be logged in the Windows
NT Event Log. The text of the description in the event detail window is
“DLL not found”:
xp_logevent 66666, 'DLL not found.', 'error'
Usage • The following table describes the default event details for events
generated with xp_logevent:
Detail Value
User N/A
Computer Name of machine running XP Server
Event ID 12
Source Name of Adaptive Server
Category User
Permissions Only a System Administrator can execute xp_logevent.

xp_readmail
xp_readmail
Description Windows NT only Reads a message from the Adaptive Server message
inbox.
Syntax xp_readmail [msg_id ]
[, recipients output]
[, sender output]
[, date_received output]
[, subject output]
[, cc output]
[, message output]
[, attachments output]
[, suppress_attach = {true | false}]
[, peek = {true | false}]
[, unread = {true | false}]
[, msg_length output]
[, bytes_to_skip [output]]
[, type [output]]
Parameters msg _id
specifies the message identifier of the message to be read by
xp_readmail. If the msg_id parameter is not used, the message defaults
to the first unread message in the message box, if unread is true, or to
the first message in the message box, if unread is false.
recipients
is a semicolon-separated list of the recipients of the message.
sender
is the originator of the message.
date_received
is the date the message was received.
subject
is the subject header of the message.
cc
is a list of the message’s copied (cc’d) recipients (separated by
semicolons).
message
is the text of the message body. If the length of the message body,
obtained from the msg_length output parameter, is greater than 255, use
the byte_to_skip and msg_length parameters to read the message in
255-byte increments.

attachments
is a list of the temporary paths of the attachments (separated by
semicolons). attachments is ignored if suppress_attach is true.
suppress_attach
if set to true, prevents the creation of temporary files for attachments.
The default is true.
peek
if set to false, flags the message as unread after it has been read. If set
to true, flags the message as an unread message, even after it has been
read. The default is false.
unread_only
if set to true, xp_readmail considers only unread messages. If set to false,
xp_readmail considers all messages, whether they are flagged as read or
unread. The default is true.
msg_length
is the total length of the message, in bytes. Used with the bytes_to_skip
parameter, allows xp_readmail to read messages in 255-byte
increments.
bytes_to_skip
on input, if not 0, specifies the number of bytes to skip before reading
the next 255 bytes of the message into the message output parameter.
On output, contains the offset in the message (the previous value of
bytes_to_skip plus the msg_length that is output with the call) from
which to start reading the next 255-byte increment.
type
is the message type based on the MAPI mail definition. The only
Examples Example 1 xp_readmail reads the first unread message in the message
inbox. It gets the message identifier for this message from the @msgid
variable, where it has been stored by the xp_findnextmsg ESP. xp_readmail
stores the sender’s name in the @originator variable and the message
body in the @mess variable:
declare @msgid binary(255)
declare @originator varchar(20)
declare @mess varchar(255)
exec xp_findnextmsg @msg_id = @msgid output
exec xp_readmail @msg_id = @msgid,
@sender = @originator output,

xp_readmail
@message = @mess output

Example 2 Reads the first 255 bytes of the message for which the message
identifier is output by xp_findnextmsg. If the total length of the message
exceeds 255 bytes, reads the next 255 bytes and continues until there are
no more bytes to read:
declare @msgid binary(255)
declare @mess varchar(255)
declare @msg_length char(255)
declare @len int
declare @skip int
exec xp_findnextmsg @msgid output
exec xp_readmail @msg_id = @msgid,
@message = @mess output,
@msg_length = @len output,
@bytes_to_skip = @skip output
print @mess
if (@len > 255)
begin
while (@skip < @len)
begin
xp_readmail @msg_id = @msgid,
@message = @mess output,
@bytes_to_skip = @skip output
print @mess
end
end
Usage • xp_readmail reads a message from the Adaptive Server message
inbox.
• To get the message identifier of the next message in the message
inbox, use xp_findnextmsg.
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_readmail. A

xp_sendmail
Description Windows NT only Sends a message to the specified recipients. The
message is either text or the results of a Transact-SQL query.
Syntax xp_sendmail recipient [; recipient] . . .
[, subject]
[, cc_recipient] . . .
[, bcc_recipient] . . .
[, {query | message}]
[, attachname]
[, attach_result = {true | false}]
[, echo_error = {true | false}]
[, include_file [, include_file] . . .]
[, no_column_header = {true | false}]
[, no_output = {true | false}]
[, width]
[, separator]
[, dbuser]
[, dbname]
[, type]
[, include_query = {true | false}]
Parameters recipient
is the email address of the user who will receive the message. At least
one recipient is required. Separate multiple recipients with semicolons.
subject
is the optional message subject header. If not used, defaults to “Sybase
SQL Server Message”.
cc_recipient
is a list of the message’s copied (cc’d) recipients (separated by
semicolons).
bcc_recipient
is the list of the message’s blind- copied (bcc’d) recipients (separated by
semicolons).
query
is one or more Transact-SQL statements. The results are sent to the
recipients of the message. If query is used, message cannot be used.
message
is the text of the message being sent. If message is used, query cannot
be used. For the complete list of options that are ignored when you use
message, see the “Usage” section.

xp_sendmail
attachname
is the name of the file containing the results of a query, which is
included as an attachment to the message, when the query parameter is
used. If attachname is used, attach_result must be set to true. If
attach_result is true and attachname is not specified, the prefix of the
attached file’s generated file name is “syb” followed by 5 random digits
followed by the “.txt” extension, for example, syb84840.txt. This
parameter is ignored if the message parameter is used.
attach_result
if set to true, sends the results of a query as an attachment to the
message. If set to false, sends the results directly in the message body.
The default is false. This parameter is ignored if the message parameter
is used.
echo_error
if set to true, sends Adaptive Server messages, including the count of
rows affected message, along with the query results. If set to false, does
not send Adaptive Server messages. The default is true. This parameter
is ignored if the message parameter is used.
include_file
is a list of files to be included as attachments to the message, separated
by semicolons. The files can be specified as file names, path names, or
relative path names and can be either text or binary files.
no_column_header
if set to true, column headers are sent with query results. If set to false,
column headers are not sent. The default is false. This parameter is
ignored if the message parameter is used.
no_output
if set to true, no output is sent to the session that sent the mail. If set to
false, the session sending the mail receives output. The default is false.
This parameter is ignored if the message parameter is used.
width
specifies, in characters, the width of the results sets when query results
are sent in a message. width is the same as the /w option in isql. Result
rows are broken by the newline character when the specified width is
reached. The default is 80 characters. This parameter is ignored if the
message parameter is used.

separator
specifies the character to be used as a column separator when query
results are sent in a message. separator is the same as the /s option in
isql. The default is the tab character. This parameter is ignored if the
message parameter is used.
dbuser
specifies the database user name to be assumed for the user context for
executing queries when the query parameter is used. The default is
“guest.” This parameter is ignored if the message parameter is used.
dname
specifies the database name to be assumed for the database context for
executing queries when the query parameter is used. The default is
“master.” This parameter is ignored if the message parameter is used.
type
is the input message type based on the MAPI mail definition. The only
include_query
if set to true, the query or queries used in the query parameter are
appended to the results set. If set to false, the query is not appended. The
default is false. include_query is ignored if the message parameter is
used.
Examples Example 1 xp_sendmail sends a text message on the backup status of an
Adaptive Server to “sally” and “ramon” with a copy to the “admin” group:
xp_sendmail @recipient = "sally;ramon",
@subject = "Adaptive Server Backup Status",
@message = "Adaptive Server Backup for SERVER2 is
complete.",
@copy_recipient="admin"
Example 2 Sends “peter” the results of a query on the authors table. The
results are in an attachment to the message, which consists of a file named
au_lis.res, which is in the directory from which the server is being
executed:
xp_sendmail "peter",
@query = "select * from authors",
@attachname = "au_list.res",
@attach_result= true

xp_sendmail
Usage • The following parameters are related to the results of queries sent in
a message when the query parameter is used. They are ignored if the
message parameter is used instead: attachname, attach_result,
echo_error, no_column_header, no_output, width, separator, dbuser,
dname, include_query.
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_sendmail. A


xp_startmail
Description Windows NT only Starts an Adaptive Server mail session.
Syntax xp_startmail [mail_user ] [, mail_password]
Parameters mail_user
is a mail profile name used by Adaptive Server to log into the Windows
NT mail system. If mail_user is not used, xp_startmail uses the mail user
name that was used to set up Sybmail’s Adaptive Server account.
mail_password
is the mail password used by Adaptive Server to log into the Windows
NT mail system. If mail_password is not used, xp_startmail uses the
mail password that was used to set up Sybmail’s Adaptive Server
account.
Examples Example 1 Starts an Adaptive Server mail session using the mail user
name and password for Sybmail’s user account:
xp_startmail
Example 2 Starts an Adaptive Server mail session with “mailuser” as the
profile name and the password associated with that profile name:
xp_startmail "mailuser", "tre55uu"
Usage • xp_startmail will not start an Adaptive Server mail session if one is
already running.
• An Adaptive Server mail session must be started, either by an explicit
call to xp_startmail or by configuring Adaptive Server to start an
Adaptive Server mail session automatically at start-up, before any
Sybmail-related system ESPs or the sp_processmail stored procedure
can be executed. See start mail session in the System Administration
Guide for information about initiating an Adaptive Server mail
session automatically at start-up.
• When the Windows NT automail session is not on, you must use the
mail_user and mail_password parameters with xp_startmail.
• To see the default mail_user value from the fullname field for the
“sybmail” user account, use the sp_displaylogin system procedure as
follows:
sp_displaylogin sybmail
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_startmail. A

xp_stopmail
xp_stopmail
Description Windows NT only Stops an Adaptive Server mail session.
Syntax xp_stopmail
Parameters None
Examples Stops an Adaptive Server mail session:

xp_stopmail
Usage • Sybmail-related system ESPs and the sp_processmail stored
procedure cannot be executed after an Adaptive Server mail session
has been terminated with xp_stopmail.
Permissions By default, only a System Administrator can execute xp_stopmail. A

CH A PTE R 4 dbcc Stored Procedures
This chapter describes the dbcc stored procedures.

Topics covered are:
Topics Page
Overview 517
Specifying the object name and date 518
Overview
These procedures access the tables only in the dbccdb database or in the
alternate database, dbccalt. See the System Administration Guide for
details on setting up dbccdb or dbccalt. See Chapter 2, “dbccdb Tables” in
Reference Manual: Tables for information on the tables used in these
databases.
Table 4-1 lists the dbcc stored procedures described in this chapter. For
details on the dbcc system procedure sp_plan_dbccdb, see
sp_plan_dbccdb. See the System Administration Guide for more
information on this system procedure and the dbcc stored procedures.
Table 4-1: dbcc stored procedures
Procedure name Description
sp_dbcc_alterws Changes the size of the specified workspace to a specified value, and initializes the
workspace.
sp_dbcc_configreport Generates a report that describes the configuration information used by the dbcc
checkstorage operation for the specified database.
sp_dbcc_createws Creates a workspace of the specified type and size on the specified segment and
database.
sp_dbcc_deletedb Deletes from dbccdb all the information related to the specified target database.
sp_dbcc_deletehistory Deletes the results of dbcc checkstorage operations performed on the target database
before the specified date and time.
sp_dbcc_differentialreport Generates a report that highlights the changes in I/O statistics and faults that took
place between two dbcc operations

Specifying the object name and date
Procedure name Description

sp_dbcc_evaluatedb Recomputes configuration information for the target database and compares it to the
current configuration information.
sp_dbcc_faultreport Generates a report covering fault statistics for the dbcc checkstorage operations
performed for the specified object in the target database on the specified date, listed
in order by table and index.
sp_dbcc_fullreport Runs sp_dbcc_summaryreport, sp_dbcc_configreport,
sp_dbcc_statisticsreport, and sp_dbcc_faultreport.
sp_dbcc_recommendations Prints recommendations for a database based on a checkstorage run and groups the
recommendations by table and index.
sp_dbcc_runcheck Runs dbcc checkstorage on the specified database, then runs sp_dbcc_summaryreport
or a report you specify.
sp_dbcc_statisticsreport Generates an allocation statistics report on the specified object in the target database.
sp_dbcc_summaryreport Generates a summary report on the specified database.
sp_dbcc_updateconfig Updates the dbcc_config table in dbccdb with the configuration information of the
target database.
Specifying the object name and date

Several dbcc stored procedures use parameters for the object name and date.
This section provides important information on specifying the object name and
date.
Specifying the object name

The object name specifies only the name of the table or index for which to
generate a report. When you specify an object name, you must also specify a
database name (dbname). You cannot specify an owner for the object. If the
specified object name is not unique in the target database, the system procedure
generates a report on all objects with the specified name.
Specifying the date

Use the following syntax to specify the date and time (optional):
mm/dd/yy[:hh:mm:ss]
A 24-hour clock is assumed.

CHAPTER 4 dbcc Stored Procedures
When you specify the date, the system procedures interpret it as follows:
• If both the date and the time are specified, the dbcc operation that
completed at the specified date and time is selected for the report.
• If the specified date is the current date, and no time is specified, the time
is automatically set to the current time. The dbcc operation that completed
within the previous 24 hours with a finish time closest to the current time
is selected for the report.
• If the specified date is not the current date, and no time is specified, the
time is automatically set to “23:59:59”. The dbcc checkstorage operation
that completed with a finish date and time closest to the specified date and
system-supplied time is selected for the report.
For example, suppose the most recent dbcc checkstorage operation completed
on March 4, 1997 at 10:20:45.
If you specify the date as “03/04/97”, the system procedure interprets the date
as 03/04/97:23:59:59. This date and time are compared to the actual finish date
and time of 03/04/97:10:20:45.
If you specify the date as “03/04/97:10:00:00”, the operation that completes at
10:20:45 is not selected for the report because only the operations that
complete on or before the specified time meet the criteria.
If you specify the date as “03/06/97”, no report is generated because the most
recent operation completed more than 24 hours earlier.

sp_dbcc_alterws
sp_dbcc_alterws
Description Changes the size of the specified workspace to a specified value, and initializes
the workspace.
Syntax sp_dbcc_alterws dbname, wsname, "wssize[K|M]"
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database in which the workspace resides. Specify either
dbccdb and dbccalt.
wsname
specifies the name of the workspace to alter.
wssize
is the new size of the workspace, specified by K (kilobytes) or M
(megabytes). If you do not specify K or M, wssize specifies the number of
pages. Page size is platform-dependent. The minimum size for a workspace
is 24 pages.
Examples Changes the size of the scan_ws_000001 workspace on dbccdb to 30MB:
sp_dbcc_alterws dbccdb, scan_ws_000001, "30M"
Workspace scan_ws_000001 has been altered successfully to size 30MB
Usage • sp_dbcc_alterws changes the size of the specified workspace to the
specified value and initializes the workspace.
• To achieve maximum performance, make sure you have configured a
buffer pool of at least 16K before you alter a workspace.
• Use sp_plan_dbccdb to determine size estimates before altering the
workspace.
• The workspace must exist before it can be altered. For information on
creating workspaces, see sp_dbcc_createws.
• To delete a workspace, in dbccdb issue:
drop table workspace_name
Permissions Only a System Administrator or the Database Owner can run sp_dbcc_alterws.
See also See the System Administration Guide for more information on the scan and text
workspaces, and the dbccalt database.
Commands dbcc
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_createws, sp_dbcc_evaluatedb
System procedures sp_plan_dbccdb, sp_helpdb

sp_dbcc_configreport
Description Generates a report that describes the configuration information used by the
dbcc checkstorage operation for the specified database.
Syntax sp_dbcc_configreport [dbname]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the database. If dbname is not specified, the report
contains information on all databases in dbccdb..dbcc_operation_log.
Examples Generates a report on the configuration information related to dbcc for the
sybsystemprocs database. The “Value” column lists the object name, where
applicable, and the size:
sp_dbcc_configreport
Reporting configuration information of database sybsystemprocs.
Parameter Name Value Size
database name sybsystemprocs 51200K

dbcc named cache default data cache 1024K
text workspace textws_001 (id = 544004969) 128K
scan workspace scanws_001 (id = 512004855) 1024K
max worker processes 1
operation sequence number 2
Usage • sp_dbcc_configreport generates a report that describes the configuration
information used by dbcc operations for the specified database. This
information is stored in the dbcc_config table.
• To evaluate the most current configuration parameters, run
sp_dbcc_updateconfig before running sp_dbcc_configreport.
• To change the configuration values for a workspace, use sp_dbcc_alterws.

Permissions Any valid user for the database name specified can run sp_dbcc_configreport.
database name specified.
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_alterws, sp_dbcc_fullreport,

sp_dbcc_statisticsreport, sp_dbcc_summaryreport, sp_dbcc_updateconfig

sp_dbcc_createws
sp_dbcc_createws
Description Creates a workspace of the specified type and size on the specified segment and
database.
Syntax sp_dbcc_createws dbname, segname, [wsname], wstype, "wssize[K|M]"
Parameters dbname
is the name of the database in which the workspace is to be created. Values
are dbccdb and dbccalt.
segname
is the name of the segment for the workspace.
wsname
is the name of the workspace. If the value is null, sp_dbcc_createws
generates the name scan_ws_nnnnnn for the scan workspace and
text_ws_nnnnnn for the text workspace, where nnnnnn is a unique 6-digit
number.
wstype
specifies the type of workspace to be create. Values are scan and text.
wssize
is the workspace size, specified with K (kilobytes) or M (megabytes). If you
do not specify K or M, wssize specifies the number of pages. The minimum
size for a workspace is 24 pages.
Examples Example 1 Creates a 10MB scan workspace named scan_ws_pubs2 on the
scanseg segment in dbccdb:
sp_dbcc_createws dbccdb, scanseg, scan_ws_pubs2, scan, "10M"

Example 2 Creates a 14MB scan workspace named text_ws_000001 on the
textseg segment in dbccdb:
sp_dbcc_createws dbccdb, textseg, text, "14M"
Usage • sp_dbcc_createws creates a workspace with the specified name and size
and initializes it.
• Before you create a workspace, create the segment with sp_addsegment.
• Before you create a workspace, make sure you have configured a buffer
pool of at least 16K, to achieve maximum performance.
• When you create a workspace, make sure to add a 5% overhead on the
space needed on the device because of large page allocation scheme used
when creating the workspace.
• Use sp_plan_dbccdb to determine size estimates.

• After creating a workspace, run sp_dbcc_updateconfig to record the new

configuration information in dbcc_config.
• Each workspace must have a unique name.
• To delete a workspace, in dbccdb issue:
drop table workspace_name
Permissions Only a System Administrator or the Database Owner can run
sp_dbcc_createws.
See also See the System Administration Guide for more information on the scan and text
workspaces, and the dbccalt database.
Commands dbcc
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_alterws, sp_dbcc_evaluatedb
System procedures sp_addsegment, sp_plan_dbccdb, sp_helpsegment

sp_dbcc_deletedb
sp_dbcc_deletedb
Description Deletes from dbccdb all the information related to the specified target database.
Syntax sp_dbcc_deletedb [dbname | dbid]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the target database for which you want the
configuration information deleted. If you do not specify a value for dbname,
Adaptive Server deletes data from all databases in dbccdb..dbcc_config. If
the target database is dbccdb, and dbccalt exists, Adaptive Server deletes the
data from dbccalt.
dbid
specifies the database ID number of the target database for which you want
the configuration information deleted.
Examples Deletes all information for the database named engdb from dbccdb:
sp_dbcc_deletedb "engdb"
All information for database engdb has been deleted from dbccdb.
Usage • sp_dbcc_deletedb deletes from dbccdb all the information related to the
specified target database, including configuration information and the
results of previous dbcc checkstorage operations.
• If the deleted database is dbccdb, and the dbccalt database exists,
sp_dbcc_deletedb deletes the configuration information and results of
dbccdb from dbccalt.
• To remove the results of dbcc checkstorage operations created before a

specific date, use sp_dbcc_deletehistory.
• Using the dbid option is the only way to delete the contents of the dbccdb
database for a database that has already been dropped.
sp_dbcc_deletedb.
See also See the System Administration Guide for information about the dbccalt
database.
Commands dbcc
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_deletehistory, sp_dbcc_evaluatedb
System procedures sp_plan_dbccdb

sp_dbcc_deletehistory
Description Deletes the results of dbcc checkstorage operations performed on the target
database before the specified date and time.
Syntax sp_dbcc_deletehistory [cutoffdate [, dbname | dbid]]
Parameters cutoffdate
deletes all entries made on or before this date. This parameter is of type
datetime. If a date is not specified, only the results of the last operation are
retained. For more information, see “Specifying the date” on page 518.
dbname
specifies the name of the database for which the data must be deleted. If not
specified, sp_dbcc_deletehistory deletes the history information for all
databases in dbccdb..dbcc_config.
dbid
specifies the database ID number of the target database for which you want
the history information deleted.
Examples Deletes results of all operations performed on the database pubs2 on or before
March 4, 1997:
sp_dbcc_deletehistory "03/04/1997", "pubs2"
Usage • sp_dbcc_deletehistory deletes the results of dbcc checkstorage operations
performed on the target database before the specified date and time.
• If the target database is dbccdb, and the dbccalt database exists,
sp_dbcc_deletehistory deletes historical data for dbccdb from dbccalt.
• The value specified for cutoffdate is compared to the finish time of each
dbcc operation.
• Use the dbid option to delete the historical data of the dbccdb database for
a database that has already been dropped.
• Using the dbid option is the only way to delete the historical data of the
dbccdb database for a database that has already been dropped.
• To see the dates when dbcc checkstorage was run so that you can choose
the value for cutoffdate, run sp_dbcc_summaryreport.
Permissions • Only a System Administrator or the Database Owner can run
sp_dbcc_deletehistory on a specific database.
• Only a System Administrator can run sp_dbcc_deletehistory without

specifying a database name.
See also See the System Administration Guide for information on the dbccalt database.

sp_dbcc_deletehistory
Commands dbcc
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_deletedb, sp_dbcc_evaluatedb

sp_dbcc_differentialreport
Description Generates a report that highlights the changes in I/O statistics and faults that
took place between two dbcc operations.
Syntax sp_dbcc_differentialreport [dbname [, objectname]],
[db_op] [, "date1" [, "date2"]]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the database. If you do not specify a dbname, the report
contains information on all databases in dbccdb..dbcc_operation_log.
objectname
specifies the name of the table or index for which you want the report
generated. If object_name is not specified, statistics on all objects in the
target database are reported.
db_op
specifies the source of the data to be used for the report. The only value is
checkstorage. The report is generated on the data specified by db_op on
date1 and date2 for the specified object in the target database. If dates are
not specified, the last two operations of the type db_op are compared.
date1
specifies the first date of a dbcc checkstorage operation to be compared.
date2
specifies the last date of a dbcc checkstorage operation to be compared.
Examples sp_dbcc_differentialreport master, sysprocedures,
checkstorage, "05/01/97", "05/04/97"
Generates a report that shows the changes in I/O statistics and faults that
occurred in the sysprocedures table between May 1, 1997 and May 4, 1997
Usage • sp_dbcc_differentialreport generates a report that highlights the changes in
I/O statistics and faults that occurred between two dbcc operations. It
compares counter values reported from two instances of dbcc
checkstorage. Only the values that have been changed are reported.
• If only one date is specified, the results of the dbcc checkstorage operation
selected by the specified date are compared to the results of the dbcc
checkstorage operation immediately preceding the selected operation.
• If no dates are specified, the results of last two dbcc checkstorage

operations are compared.
• If sp_dbcc_differentialreport returns a number for object_name, it means
the object was dropped after the dbcc checkstorage operation completed.

sp_dbcc_differentialreport
• If no changes occurred between the specified operations,

sp_dbcc_differentialreport does not generate a report.
Permissions Any valid user for the database name specified can run
sp_dbcc_differentialreport.

dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_fullreport, sp_dbcc_statisticsreport,
sp_dbcc_summaryreport, sp_dbcc_updateconfig

sp_dbcc_evaluatedb
Description Recomputes configuration information for the target database and compares it
to the current configuration information.
Syntax sp_dbcc_evaluatedb [dbname]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the target database. If dbname is not specified,
sp_dbcc_evaluatedb compares all databases listed in the dbcc_config table.
Examples Recomputes configuration information for the current database,

sybsystemprocs, and suggests new values for some parameters:
1> sp_dbcc_evaluatedb
2> go
Database name : one_G

current suggested
scan workspace size : 750M 16M
text workspace size : 2K 48K
cache size : 10240K 1280K
process count : 3 2
Each of the reported quantities is reported in a scaled unit according to

G if size > 10G
M if 10M < size <=10 G
K otherwise
Usage • sp_dbcc_evaluatedb recomputes configuration information for the target

database and compares the data to the current configuration information.
It uses counter values recorded for the target database in the dbcc_counters
table.
• The cache size is the size of the 16K buffer pool in the cache. For a 2K
buffer pool, the minimum size of this cache must be the recommended
value, plus 512.
• When the size and data distribution pattern of the target database changes,
run sp_dbcc_evaluatedb to optimize the configuration information.
• To gather configuration information for the target database the first time,
use sp_plan_dbccdb.

sp_dbcc_evaluatedb
• To make sure you are evaluating the most current configuration

parameters, run sp_dbcc_updateconfig before running
sp_dbcc_evaluatedb.
Permissions • Only System Administrator or the Database Owner can run
sp_dbcc_evaluatedb.
• Only a System Administrator can run sp_dbcc_evaluatedb without

specifying a database name.
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_updateconfig

sp_dbcc_faultreport
Description Generates a report covering fault statistics for the dbcc checkstorage operations
performed for the specified object in the target database on the specified
date.The report lists the tables and indexes in order.
Syntax sp_dbcc_faultreport [report_type [, dbname
[, objectname [, date ], @hard_only]]]]
Parameters report_type
specifies the type of fault report. Valid values are short and long. The default
is short.
dbname
specifies the name of the target database; for example, master..sysdatabases.
If dbname is not specified, the report contains information on all databases
in dbccdb..dbcc_operation_log.
object_name
generated. If object_name is not specified, statistics on all objects in the
date
specifies exact date and time that the dbcc checkstorage operation finished.
You can find this value in dbcc_operation_log.finish. You can create the value
by combining the date from start time and the hours and minutes from end
time in the sp_dbcc_summaryreport output. If you do not specify date,
Adaptive Server uses the date of the most recent operation.
When you specify the date parameter, be certain that the time you enter is
later than the date of the operation. sp_dbcc_faultreport cannot report faults
that occur later than the time you enter in this parameter.
Note To focus on the date parameter, use “null” for all other parameters. If you
omit a parameter entirely, sp_dbc_faultreport cannot generate a correct report.
Examples Example 1 Generates a short report of the faults found in tables in the
sybsystemprocs database. The report includes the table name, the index number
in which the fault occurred, the type code of the fault, a brief description of the
fault, and the page number on which the fault occurred:
sp_dbcc_faultreport "short"
Database Name : sybsystemprocs
Table Name Index Type Code Description Page Number

sp_dbcc_faultreport
-------------- ------ --------- ------------------- -----------

sysprocedures 0 100031 page not allocated 5702
sysprocedures 1 100031 page not allocated 14151
syslogs 0 100022 chain start error 24315
syslogs 0 100031 page not allocated 24315
Example 2 Generates a long report of the faults found in tables in the

sybsystemprocs database. This example shows the first part of the output of a
long report. The complete report repeats the information for each object in the
target database in which dbcc checkstorage found a fault. The data following
the long string of numbers shown under the "page header" field (“Header for
14151, next 14216, previous 14150 ...”) describes the components of the "page
header" string:
sp_dbcc_faultreport "long"
Generating 'Fault Report' for object sysprocedures in database
sybsystemprocs.
Type Code: 100031; Soft fault, possibly spurious

Page reached by the chain is not allocated.
page id: 14151
page header:
0x00003747000037880000374600000005000648B803EF0001000103FE0080000F
Header for 14151, next 14216, previous 14150, id = 5:1
time stamp = 0x0001000648B8, next row = 1007, level = 0
free offset = 1022, minlen = 15, status = 128(0x0080)
.
.
.
Example 3 Generates a short report of faults from all tables on all databases,
for an operation finished at a date and time found as an End Time, from the
output of sp_dbcc_summaryreport. It is important that you use accurate end
times in the date parameter; for instance, if you enter:
7/25/2000 9:58
instead of
7/25/2000 9:58:0:190
the report will generate faults only up to 9:58, not after it. You could use 9:59
if you do not want to enter the exact time the operation ends:
sp_dbcc_faultreport "short", NULL, NULL,
"07/25/00 9:59"
In this case the report will generate faults up to 9:59.

Usage • sp_dbcc_faultreport generates a report that shows all faults for the specified
object in the target database.
• sp_dbcc_faultreport issues numerous error message number 10028 If you
use:
• sp_placeobject to make an object that has existing allocations put new
allocations on a new segment.
• sp_dropsegment to remove a segment from a fragment that contains
allocations of an object assigned to that segment.
Error message number 100028 is an informational message rather
than an indication of a serious error. If you prefer not to receive such
messages, you can create your own reporting procedure that does not
report this (or any other) error. One way to do this is to add the
following to the very beginning of the standard sp_dbcc_faultreport
stored procedure in the installdbccdb script:
print "removing 100028 errors from dbcc_faults table"
delete dbcc_faults where type_code = 100028
• If sp_dbcc_faultreport returns a number for object_name, it means the

object was dropped after the dbcc checkstorage operation completed.
Permissions Any valid user for the database name specified can run sp_dbcc_faultreport.
See also See the type_code column described in the System Administration Guide for
information on the fault ID and on the fault status.
Commands dbcc

sp_dbcc_summaryreport, sp_dbcc_updateconfig

sp_dbcc_fullreport
sp_dbcc_fullreport
Description Runs sp_dbcc_summaryreport, sp_dbcc_configreport, sp_dbcc_statisticsreport,
and sp_dbcc_faultreport short for database..object_name on or before the
specified date.
Syntax sp_dbcc_fullreport [dbname [, objectname [, date]]]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the database. For example, master..sysdatabases. If
you do not specify dbname, the report contains information on all databases
in dbccdb..dbcc_operation_log.
object_name
generated. If you do not specify object_name, statistics on all objects in the
date
specifies the date on which the dbcc checkstorage operation was performed.
If you do not specify a date, the date of the last operation is used.
Examples Runs sp_dbcc_summaryreport, sp_dbcc_configreport, sp_dbcc_statisticsreport,
and sp_dbcc_faultreport short for the most recent dbcc checkstorage operation
run on the sysprocedures table in the master database:
sp_dbcc_fullreport master, sysprocedures
Usage • sp_dbcc_fullreport runs sp_dbcc_summaryreport, sp_dbcc_configreport,
sp_dbcc_statisticsreport, and sp_dbcc_faultreport short for
database..object_name on or before the specified date
Permissions Any valid user for the database name specified can run sp_dbcc_fullreport.
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_statisticsreport, sp_dbcc_summaryreport,
sp_dbcc_updateconfig

sp_dbcc_recommendations
Description Reports recommendations for a database based on a checkstorage run grouping
the recommendations by table and index.
Syntax sp_dbcc_recommendations dbname [, date [, opid [, objectname]]]
Parameters date
If you do not specify a date, the date of the last checkstorage run is used.
opid
identifies the dbcc operation that was performed.
objectname
generated. If you do not specify objectname, statistics on all objects in the
Examples Run the sp_dbcc_recommendations report on the most recent checkstorage run.
sp_dbcc_recommendations pubs2
If a date or opid are not used the report gives information on all of the latest
information on the most recent checkstoragerun.
If a date and opid are used, the date is ignored
Usage When the sp_dbcc_summaryreport is called with an optional date and the
optional name is NULL or checkstorage, the sp_dbcc_recommendations is
invoked at the end of the report.
The report lists the recommendations in a group for each table and index.
Permissions Any valid user for the database name specified.
See also sp_dbcc_summaryreport, checkstorage, sp_dbcc_faultreport.

sp_dbcc_runcheck
sp_dbcc_runcheck
Description Runs dbcc checkstorage on the specified database, then runs
sp_dbcc_summaryreport or a report you specify.
Syntax sp_dbcc_runcheck dbname [, user_proc]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the database on which the check is to be performed.
user_proc
specifies the name of the dbcc stored procedure or a user-created stored
procedure that is to be run instead of sp_dbcc_summaryreport.
Examples Example 1 Checks the database engdb and generates a summary report on the
information found:
sp_dbcc_runcheck "engdb"
Example 2 Checks the database pubs2 and generates a full report:
sp_dbcc_runcheck "pubs2", sp_dbcc_fullreport
Usage • sp_dbcc_runcheck runs dbcc checkstorage on the specified database.
• After the dbcc checkstorage operation is complete, sp_dbcc_runcheck runs

sp_dbcc_summaryreport to generate a summary report. If you specify one
of the other report-generating dbcc stored procedures for dbcc_report,
sp_dbcc_runcheck runs that procedure instead of sp_dbcc_summaryreport.
See the System Administration Guide for a brief description and examples
of all the report-generating stored procedures provided with dbccdb.
• You can write your own report-generating stored procedure and specify its
name for user_proc. The stored procedure must be self-contained.
sp_dbcc_runcheck cannot pass any parameters to Adaptive Server.

sp_dbcc_runcheck.

dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_summaryreport

sp_dbcc_statisticsreport
Description Generates an allocation statistics report on the specified object in the target
database.
Syntax sp_dbcc_statisticsreport [dbname [, objectname
[, date]]]
Parameters dbname
specifies the target database. If dbname is not specified, the report contains
information on all databases in dbccdb..dbcc_operation_log.
objectname
generated. If you do not specify objectname, Adaptive Server reports
statistics on all objects in the target database.
date
If you do not specify date, Adaptive Server uses the date of the most recent
operation.
Examples Generates a statistics report on the sysobjects table in the sybsystemprocs
database:
sp_dbcc_statisticsreport 'sybsystemprocs', 'sysobjects'
Statistics Report on object sysobjects in database sybsystemprocs
Parameter Name Index Id Value

------------------------- -------- ------------
count 0 241.0
max size 0 99.0
max count 0 22.0
bytes data 0 19180.0
bytes used 0 22113.0
count 1 14.0
max size 1 9.0
max level 1 0.0
max count 1 14.0
bytes data 1 56.0
bytes used 1 158.0
count 2 245.0
max level 2 1.0
max size 2 39.0
max count 2 71.0
bytes data 2 4377.0
bytes used 2 6995.0

sp_dbcc_statisticsreport
Parameter Name Index Id Partition Value Dev_name

--------------- -------- --------- ------ -------------
page gaps 0 1 13.0 master
pages used 0 1 15.0 master
extents used 0 1 3.0 master
overflow pages 0 1 0.0 master
pages overhead 0 1 1.0 master
pages reserved 0 1 7.0 master
page extent gaps 0 1 11.0 master
ws buffer crosses 0 1 2.0 master
page extent crosses 0 1 11.0 master
page gaps 2 1 4.0 master
Usage • sp_dbcc_statisticsreport generates an allocation statistics report on the

specified object in the target database. It uses data from the dbcc_counters
table, which stores information about page utilization and error statistics
for every object in the target database.
• If sp_dbcc_statisticsreport returns a number for object_name, it means the
object was dropped after the dbcc checkstorage operation completed.
• sp_dbcc_statisticsreport reports values recorded in the dbcc_counters table
for the datatypes 5000–5024 See the System Administration Guide.
For bytes data, bytes used, and overflow pages, sp_dbcc_statisticsreport
reports the sum of the values reported for all partitions and devices.
For count, max count, max size and max level, sp_dbcc_statisticsreport
reports the largest of the values reported for all partitions and devices.

sp_dbcc_statisticsreport reports information for each device and partition

used by objects in the target database for the following rows:
• extents used
• io errors
• page gaps
• page extent crosses
• page extent gaps
• page format errors
• pages reserved
• pages overhead
• pages misallocated
• pages not allocated
• pages not referenced
• pages used
The page gaps, page extent crosses, and page extent gaps indicate how the
data pages for the objects are distributed on the database devices. Large
values indicate less effectiveness in using larger buffer sizes and in data
prefetch.
• If multiple dbcc checkstorage operations were run on a target database on
the same day, sp_dbcc_statisticsreport generates a report based on the
results of the last dbcc checkstorage operation that finished before the
specified time.
Permissions Any valid user for the database name specified can run sp_dbcc_statisticsreport.
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_fullreport, sp_dbcc_summaryreport,

sp_dbcc_summaryreport
Description Generates a summary report on the specified database.
Syntax sp_dbcc_summaryreport [dbname [, date] [, opname ] ]
Parameters dbname
specifies the name of the database for which you want the report generated.
If you do not specify dbname, sp_dbcc_summaryreport generates reports on
all databases in dbccdb..dbcc_operation_log for which the date is on or
before the date and time specified by the date option.
date
specifies the date on which dbcc checkstorage was performed. If you do not
specify a date, sp_dbcc_summaryreport uses the date of last dbcc
checkstorage operation performed on the target database. This parameter
is of the datatype datetime. If both the date and the time are specified for
date, summary results of all the operations performed on or before the
specified time are reported. If no date is specified, all operations are
reported.
opname
specifies the operation. opname may be either checkstorage, which is the
default, or checkverify, or both. If opname is not specified, reports are
generated for all operations.
Examples Example 1 Generates a summary report on the sybsystemprocs database,
providing information on all dbcc checkstorage and dbcc checkverify operations
performed:
DBCC Operation : checkstorage
Database Name Start time End Time Operation ID

Hard Faults Soft Faults Text Columns Abort Count
User Name
------------------ -------------------- ----------- ------------
----------- ----------- ------------ -----------
--------------------------
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:53:11 14:53:32:163 1
0 0 0 0
sa
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:55:06 14:55:29:200 2
0 0 0 0
sa
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:56:10 14:56:27:750 3
0 0 0 0

sa
DBCC Operation : checkverify

Hard Faults Soft Faults User Name
------------------ -------------------- ----------- ------------
-------------- --------------- ---------------------
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:55:29 14:55:29:310 2
0 0 sa
Example 2 Generates a summary report on the user database testdb, providing

information on all dbcc checkstorage operations performed. dbcc checkstorage
was the only operation run on this database, so no dbcc checkverify information
appears on the report:
sp_dbcc_summaryreport "testdb"

Hard Faults Soft Faults Text Columns Abort Count User Name
--------------- -------------------- ------------ ------------
----------- ----------- ------------ ----------- ----------------
testdb 05/11/1999 14:55:29 14:55:49:903 1
0 0 0 0 sa
testdb 05/11/1999 14:55:50 14:56:9:546 2
0 0 0 0 sa
testdb 05/11/1999 14:56:28 14:56:40:666 3
0 0 0 0 sa
Example 3 Generates a summary report on the sybsystemprocs database,

providing information on all dbcc checkverify operations performed. Because
dbcc checkverify was the specified operation, no dbcc checkstorage information
sp_dbcc_summaryreport null, null, "checkverify"
DBCC Operation : checkverify
Hard Faults Soft Faults User Name
--------------- -------------------- ------------ ------------
-------------- --------------- ---------------------
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:55:29 14:55:29:310 2
0 0 sa

Example 4 Generates a summary report on the sybsystemprocs database,

providing information on all dbcc checkstorage operations performed. Because
dbcc checkstorage was the specified operation, no dbcc checkverify information
sp_dbcc_summaryreport sybsystemprocs, null, "checkstorage"

Hard Faults Soft Faults Text Columns Abort Count User Name
--------------- -------------------- ------------ ------------
----------- ----------- ------------ ----------- ---------
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:53:11 14:53:32:163 1
0 0 0 0 sa
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:55:06 14:55:29:200 2
0 0 0 0 sa
sybsystemprocs 05/11/1999 14:56:10 14:56:27:750 3
0 0 0 0 sa
Usage • sp_dbcc_summaryreport generates a summary report of checkstorage or
checkverify operations, or both, on the specified database.
• The report indicates the name of the database that was checked, the start
and end time of the dbcc checkstorage run and the number of soft and hard
faults found.
• The “Operation ID” column contains a number that identifies the results
of each dbcc checkstorage operation on a given database at a specific time.
The number provided in the report comes from the opid column of the
dbcc_operation_log table. See the System Administration Guide for more
information.
• The “Text Columns” column shows the number of non-null text columns
found by dbcc checkstorage during the run.
• The “Abort Count” column shows the number of tables that contained
errors, which caused dbcc checkstorage to abort the check on the table. For
details on the errors, run sp_dbcc_faultreport.
Permissions Any valid user for the database name specified can run
sp_dbcc_summaryreport.


Description Updates the dbcc_config table in dbccdb with the configuration information of
the target database.
Syntax sp_dbcc_updateconfig dbname, type, "str1" [, "str2"]
Parameters dbname
is the name of the target database for which configuration information is
being updated.
type
specifies the type name from the dbcc_types table. Table 4-2 on page 544
shows the valid values for type.
str1
specifies the first configuration value for the specified type to be updated in
the dbcc_config table. Table 4-2 on page 544 describes the expected value of
str1 for the specified type.
str2
specifies the second configuration value for the specified type that you want
to update in the dbcc_config table. Table 4-2 on page 544 describes the
expected value of str2 for the specified type.
Examples Example 1 Updates dbcc_config with the maximum number of worker
processes for dbcc checkstorage to use when checking the pubs2 database. The
new maximum number of worker processes is 4:
sp_dbcc_updateconfig pubs2, "max worker processes", "4"
Example 2 Updates dbcc_config with the size of the dbcc named cache
“pubs2_cache”. The new size is 10K:
sp_dbcc_updateconfig pubs2, "dbcc named cache", pubs2_cache, "10K"
Example 3 Updates dbcc_config with the new name of the scan workspace for
the pubs2 database. The new name is scan_pubs2. This update is made after
using sp_dbcc_alterws to change the name of the scan workspace:
sp_dbcc_updateconfig pubs2, "scan workspace", scan_pubs2
Example 4 Updates dbcc_config with the new name of the text workspace for
the pubs2 database. The new name is text_pubs2. This update is made after
using sp_dbcc_alterws to change the name of the text workspace:
sp_dbcc_updateconfig pubs2, "text workspace", text_pubs2
Example 5 Updates dbcc_config with the OAM count threshold value for the
pubs2 database. The new value is 5:

sp_dbcc_updateconfig pubs2, "OAM count threshold", 5

Example 6 Updates dbcc_config with the I/O error abort value for the pubs2
database. The new value is 3:
sp_dbcc_updateconfig pubs2, "IO error abort", 3
Example 7 Updates dbcc_config with the linkage error abort value for the
pubs2 database. The new value is 8:
sp_dbcc_updateconfig pubs2, "linkage error abort", 8
Usage • sp_dbcc_updateconfig updates the dbcc_config table for the target
database.
• If the name of the target database is dbccdb, and the database dbccalt exists,
sp_dbcc_updateconfig updates the dbcc_config table in dbccalt.
• If the target database name is not found in dbcc_config,

sp_dbcc_updateconfig adds it and sets the operation sequence number to 0
before updating other configuration information.
• If the expected value for the specified type is a number,
sp_dbcc_updateconfig converts the values you provide for str1 and str2 to
numbers.
• Table 4-2 shows the valid type names to use for type and the expected
value for str1 or str2.
Table 4-2: Type names and expected values
type name Value expected for str1 or str2
dbcc named cache The name of the cache, specified by str1, and the new size (in kilobytes or megabytes) or
the number of 2K pages, specified by str2.
IO error abort The new error count, specified by str1. The value must be a number greater than 0. str2 is
not used with this type.
linkage error abort The new linkage error count value specified in str1. The value must be a number greater
than 0. str2 is not used with this type.
max worker processes The new number of worker processes, specified by str1. The value must be a number
greater than 0. str2 is not used with this type.
OAM count threshold The new threshold count, specified by str1. The value must be a number greater than 0.
str2 is not used with this type.
scan workspace The new name for the scan workspace, specified by str1. str2 is not used with this type.
text workspace The new name of the text workspace, specified by str1. str2 is not used with this type.
• Se the System Administration Guide for more information on the type

names and values.


sp_dbcc_updateconfig.
dbcc stored procedures sp_dbcc_alterws, sp_dbcc_evaluatedb



Index
Symbols abstract plans

information about 299
@ (at sign) and procedure parameters 3
viewing with sp_help_qplan 299
::= (BNF notation)
accounting, chargeback
in SQL statements xvi
sp_clearstats 124
, (comma)
sp_reportstats 403–404
in SQL statements xvii
accounts. See logins.
in user-defined datatypes 61
actions
{} (curly braces)
modifying for resource limits 350
resource limit information on 302
.. (dots) in database object names 37
specifying for resource limits 45
() (parentheses)
adding
abstract plan groups 40
in user-defined datatypes 61
aliases 16–39
“ ” (quotation marks)
date strings 29–31
enclosing parameter values 3, 474
dump devices 65–66
enclosing reserved words 109
engine groups 21
single, and quoted_identifier 115
engines to a group 21
[ ] (square brackets)
execution classes 22
in SQL statements xvii
foreign keys 250–251
group to a database 28
limits 44
Numerics logins to Server 32–34
messages to sysusermessages 35–36
0 return status 1, 474 named time ranges 58
7-bit ASCII characters, checking with sp_checknames remote logins 41–43
103 resource limits 44
7-bit terminal, sp_helpsort output 312 segments 49–50
8-bit terminal, sp_helpsort output 312 servers 51–53
thresholds 54–57
time ranges 58
user-defined datatypes 61–64
A users to a database 67–68
abort tran on log full database option 160 users to a group 67–68, 102
abstract plan groups adhoc auditing option 70
adding 40 aliases, language
dropping 207 assigning 413
exporting 234 defining 29–31
importing 320 aliases, server 52
renaming 402 aliases, user

Index
See also logins; users @@total_errors global variable

assigning 16 sp_monitor and 362
assigning different names compared to 67 @@total_read global variable
database ownership transfer and 101 sp_monitor and 362
dropping 191, 220 @@total_write global variable
help on 317 sp_monitor and 362
sysalternates table 16, 191 attributes
all auditing option 70 execution classes 22
allow nulls by default database option 160 server (sp_server_info) 486
ALS (Asynchronous Log Service) 278 sp_addobjectdef and 39
ALS (Asynchronous Log Service) output in sp_helpdb audit trail, adding comments 17
279 auditing
alter auditing option 70 adding an audit table 19
alter database command options, displaying 181
sp_dbremap and 167 auditing options
alternate identity. See aliases, user adhoc 70
alternate languages. See languages, alternate all 70
ANYENGINE engine group 21 alter 70
applications bcp 70
applying resource limits to 44 bind 70
dropping resource limits from 210 cmdtext 70
modifying resource limits for 349 create 70
resource limit information on 301 dbaccess 70
ASCII characters dbcc 70
checking for with sp_checknames 103 delete 70
Asynchronous Log Service (ALS) 278 disk 70
output in sp_helpdb 279 drop 70
asynchronous prefetch dump 70
configuring limits 386 errors 70
at sign (@) exec_procedure 70
procedure parameters and 3 exec_trigger 70
@@connections global variable and sp_monitor and 362 func_dbaccess 70
@@cpu_busy global variable and sp_monitor 362 func_obj_access 70
@@idle global variable grant 70
sp_monitor and 362 insert 70
@@io_busy global variable load 70
sp_monitor and 362 login 70
@@ncharsize global variable logout 70
sp_addtype and 63 reference 71
@@pack_received global variable revoke 71
sp_monitor and 362 rpc 71
@@pack_sent global variable and sp_monitor 362 security 72
@@packet_errors global variable and sp_monitor and select 73
362 setting 70
@@thresh_hysteresis global variable setuser 73
threshold placement and 55 table_access 73

Index
truncate 73 configuring 90–97

unbind 73 dropping 97
update 73 information about 93, 267
view_access 73 logonly type 96
authority. See permissions. memory pools 382–386
authorizations. See permissions. overhead 96, 267
auto identity database option 160 recovery and 93
status 95
unbinding all objects from 459
unbinding objects from 457
B case sensitivity in SQL xviii
Backup Server catalog stored procedures 473–497
See also Utility Guide list of 474
amount dumped, specifiying 221 return status 474
information about 311 syntax 474–475
multiple 53 chained transaction mode
volume handling messages 466–468 sp_procxmode and 391
Backus Naur Form (BNF) notation xvi changing
basic display level for configuration parameters 185 database options 157–164
bcp (bulk copy utility) database owners 101
select into/bulkcopy/pllsort and 163 dbccdb workspace size 520
bcp auditing option 70 language alias 413
binary sort order of character sets 313 memory pools within data caches 382
bind auditing option 70 names of abstract plan groups 402
binding object names 398–399
data caches 78–81 passwords for login accounts 376–377
defaults 82–83 resource limits 349
objects to data caches 78–81 thresholds 357–360
rules 88–89 time ranges 352
unbinding and 457–458, 460 user’s group 102
user messages to constraints 87 character sets
blanks changing names of 112, 114
catalog stored procedure parameter values 474 checking with sp_checknames 103
in system procedure parameter values 3 checking with sp_checkreswords 108
blocking process multibyte 313
sp_lock report on 238, 333 sp_helpsort display of 312
sp_who report on 471 chargeback accounting
BNF notation in SQL statements xvi sp_clearstats procedure 124–125
brackets. See square brackets [ ] sp_reportstats procedure 403–404
bulk copying. See bcp (bulk copy utility) check constraints
binding user messages to 87
displaying source text of 314
renaming 398–399
C checking passwords. See passwords; sp_remoteoption
caches, data system procedure.
binding objects to 78 checkpoint command

Index
setting database options and 159 hiding source text of 318

clearing accounting statistics 124–125 compiling and sp_recompile 392
clustered indexes, indid not equal to one 287 comprehensive display level for configuration
cmd returned by sp_who 471 parameters 185
cmdtext auditing option 70 concurrency optimization 120
codes concurrency_opt_threshold option, sp_chgattribute
datatype 482 120
ODBC datatype 476 configuration parameters
collating sequence. See sort order changing 137–142
collisions, hash key 298 display levels 185
column data. See datatypes help information on 269
column name constraints
changing 111, 398–399 binding user messages to 87
checking with sp_checknames 103 displaying source text of 314
column pairs. See joins; keys information about 264, 274
columns renaming 398–399
common key 132–133 unbinding messages with sp_unbindmsg 463
datatypes 479 contention, lock
defaults for 82–83 monitoring with sp_object_stats 371–373
dependencies, finding 111 controller, device
foreign keys 250–251, 483 sp_helpdevice and number 281
joins and 290 conventions
permissions on 477 See also syntax
primary key 387 Transact-SQL syntax xvi
returned by sp_who 471 used in the Reference Manual xvi
rules 88–89 copying
unbinding defaults from 460 plan groups 143
unbinding rules with sp_unbindrule 464–465 plans 143, 144
comma (,) corrupt databases
in SQL statements xvii listing 329
in user-defined datatypes 61 recovery fault isolation mode 420
commands, display syntax of 435–436 corrupt pages
comments, adding to audit trail 17 bringing online 248–249
common keys isolating on recovery 420–422, 423
See also foreign keys; joins; primary keys listing 331
defining 132–133 CPU usage, monitoring 362
dropping 200 @@cpu_busy global variable and sp_monitor 362
join candidates and 290 create auditing option 70
reporting 292–293 create database command
companion servers log on option compared to sp_logdevice 338
configuring 134–136 create index command
comparing plan groups 128 sp_extendsegment and 235
comparing plans 128, 130 create table command
compiled objects sp_extendsegment and 235
checking for source text of 117 creating
displaying source text of 314 abstract plan groups 40

Index
datatypes 61–64 listing of 281

dbccdb workspaces 522 sp_helpdevice system procedure 281
execution classes 22 status 179
extended stored procedures 23–24 database files. See files.
limits 44 database object owners
named time ranges 58 sp_depends system procedure and 171
resource limits 44 database objects
thresholds 54–57 binding defaults to 82–83
time ranges 58 binding rules to 88
user aliases 16 binding to caches 78
user groups 28 dependencies of 171–176
user-defined audit records 70 finding 175, 261
curly braces ({}) in SQL statements xvi listings of 257
current database permissions on 304
information from sp_helpdb 280 remapping 393
space used by 430–432 renaming 398–399
current locks, sp_lock system procedure 332 sp_tables list of 497
current usage statistics 403–404 space used by 430–432
cursors 147 database options 160–164
custom audit records 70 See also individual option names
custom datatypes. See user-defined datatypes listing 157–164
showing settings 159, 278
database owners
See also database object owners; permissions
D adding users 67
data caches changing 101
binding objects to 78 dbo use only database option 161
configuring 90–97 information about 317
dropping 97 transferring ownership 101
information about 93, 267 database recovery order
logonly type 96 sp_dbrecovery_order system procedure 165–166
memory pools 382–386 system databases and 166
overhead 96, 267 databases
recovery and 93 See also database objects
status 95 adding groups 28
unbinding all objects from 459 adding users 67
unbinding objects from 457 binding to data caches 78, 79
data dependency. See dependencies, database object changing user’s default 346
database design checking with sp_checknames 103
dropping keys 200 dropping row lock promotion thresholds for 213
logical relationships in 132, 250 dropping segments from 214–215
database devices dropping users from 220
defaulton or defaultoff status 179–180 help on 278
dropping 193 information on storage space used 280, 430
dropping segments from 214–215 listing suspect 329
dsynch setting of 177 listing suspect pages in 331

Index
listing with sp_databases 481 stored procedures for use with 517
listing with sp_helpdb 278 DB-Library programs and changing identifier names
lock promotion thresholds for 415 110
options 157–164 dbo use only database option
ownership 101 setting with sp_dboption 160
renaming 400–401 ddl in tran database option 161
running out of space in 448 default database
setting row lock promotion thresholds for 418 See also sysdevices table
storage information 430 assigning with sp_addlogin 32
thresholds 448 changing user’s 346
unbinding from data caches 457 default database devices
datatype precedence. See precedence setting status with sp_diskdefault 179
datatypes sp_helpdevice and 281
codes 476, 482 default language id configuration parameter 32
defaults and 82–83 default segment
dropping user-defined 219 dropping 214
hierarchy 63 mapping 50
ODBC 476 default settings
physical 61 changing login 34, 346
sp_datatype_info information on 482 configuration parameters 140
sp_help information on 257–263 language 32
unbinding defaults from 460 defaulton | defaultoff option, sp_diskdefault 179
unbinding rules with sp_unbindrule 464–465 defaults
datatypes, custom. See user-defined datatypes binding 82–83
date parts, order of 29 checking name with sp_checkreswords 107
day-long time ranges 58 displaying source text of 314
days remapping 393
alternate language 29 renaming 110, 398–399
in time ranges 58 system tables and 83
dbaccess auditing option 70 unbinding 460
dbcc (Database Consistency Checker) defncopy utility command 109
scripts and sp_checkreswords 110 delete auditing option 70
space allocation and 378 deleting
dbcc auditing option 70 See also dropping
dbccdb database dbcc checkstorage history from dbccdb 525
changing workspace size in 520 files 193
creating workspaces in 522 plans 192, 208
deleting dbcc checkstorage history from 525 target database information from dbccdb 524
deleting target database information from 524 delimited identifiers
reporting allocation statistics from 537 testing 109
reporting comprehensive information from 534 using 108, 115
reporting configuration information from 521, 531, denying access to a user 336
534 dependencies, database object
reporting fault information from 527, 531 changing names of 109
reporting full details from 534 recompilation and 399
reporting I/O statistics from 527 sp_depends system procedure 171–176

Index
detail option, sp_helpconstraint 274 dump auditing option 70

device fragments, sp_helpdb report on 278 dump devices
devices See also database devices; log device
See also sysdevices table adding 65–66
changing names of 112, 114 dropping 193
dsync setting for 177 listing 281
information on log 295 permission and ownership problems 66
direct updates dump transaction command and sp_logdevice 338
to system tables 112 dump, database
disk auditing option 70 interrupted 167
disk devices dumping databases 221
adding 65–66 dumpvolume option
disk mirroring dump database 466
sp_who report on 472 Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs), unloading 252
disk option, sp_addumpdevice 65
display
character sets 312
database options 157–164 E
source text of compiled objects 314 8-bit terminal, sp_helpsort output 312
syntax of modules 435 encryption
distributed Transaction Management (DTM) 450 compiled object source text 318
dots (..) for omitted name elements 37 reversing 318
drop auditing option 70 ending days of named time ranges 58
drop logins option, sp_dropserver 216 ending times of named time ranges 58
dropmessages option, sp_droplanguage 202 enforcing resource limits 45
dropping errors
See also deleting number of 362
abstract plan groups 207 errors auditing option 70
aliased user 191 exclusive locks 237, 333
database devices 193 exclusive row locks 335
groups 199 exec_procedure auditing option 70
lock promotion thresholds 198 exec_trigger auditing option 70
plans 192, 208 execute to public, sp_dbextend 156
procedures 196 executing operating system commands 501
remote logins 209, 216 exp_row_size option
remote servers 216 sp_chgattribute 119
resource limits 210 sp_help report on 262
row lock promotion thresholds 213 expand_down parameter
segment from a database 214–215 sp_activeroles 15
time ranges 218 sp_displayroles 189
user from a database 220 sp-displayroles 189
user from a group 102 exporting plan groups 234
user-defined datatype 219 extended stored procedures
user-defined messages 204 creating 23–24
workspaces 523 displaying 283
dsync setting 177 dropping 196

Index
extending users in a database 317

segments 235 first page
external engine auto start option log device 295
sp_serveroption 409 partition, displaying with sp_helpartition 264
foreign keys
dropping 200
inserting 250–251
F sp_fkeys information on 483
failures, media and trunc log on chkpt database option sp_helpkey and 292
164 format strings in user-defined error messages 36
family of worker processes formats, times in named time ranges 58
fid reported by sp_lock 334 formulas for max_rows_per_page of nonclustered
sp_familylock report on fid 237 indexes 122
fault isolation fragments, device space and sp_placeobject 378
index level 246, 330 from keyword
fid (family ID) number 237 sp_tables list of objects appearing in clause 497
sp_lock report 334 full name
file names changing with sp_modifylogin 346
configuration file 138 specifying with sp_addlogin 34
DLL 252 func_dbaccess auditing option 70
files func_obj_access auditing option 70
See also tables; transaction log future space allocation. See space allocation;
deleting 193 sp_placeobject system procedure
inaccessible after sp_dropdevice 193 futureonly option
interfaces, and server names 52 sp_bindefault 82
localization 114 sp_bindrule 88, 89
finding sp_unbindefault 460
cache bindings 90, 267 sp_unbindrule 464
character sets 312
configuration parameters 269
constraints 274
database objects 261 G
database options 157 getting messages. See sp_getmessage system
database settings 278 procedure.
datatypes 257 global variables
devices 281 See also individual variable names
languages 294 sp_monitor report on 361
object dependencies 171, 175 grant auditing option 70
object information 257 grant option
partition information 264 sp_helprotect 304
permissions 304 sp_role 406
reserved words 104 groups
resource limits 301 See also “public” group
segments 308 changing 102
server names 311 dropping 199
thresholds 316 information about 285

Index
sp_addgroup 28 select 333

sp_adduser procedure 67
Windows NT domain 505
guest users and sybsystemprocs database 2
I
I/O
concurrency_opt_threshold and 120
H configuring size 382
hash-key collisions 298 limiting 45
help log size 343
sp_syntax display 435 usage statistics 403
sp_sysmon display 437 identifiers
help reports delimited 108
See also information (server); system procedures quoted 108
constraints 274 renaming 109
database devices 281 reserved words and 104–116
database object 257 set quoted_identifier on 108, 115
databases 278 sp_checkreswords and 108
datatypes 257 identities
dump devices 281 alternate 16
extended stored procedures 283 IDENTITY columns
groups 285 automatic 160, 164
indexes 286 database options using 162
joins 290 nonunique indexes 162
keys 292 identity in nonunique index database option, setting
language, alternate 294 with sp_dboption 162
logins 300 identity keyword
permissions 304 sp_addtype and 61
remote servers 311 identity of user. See aliases; logins; users
resource limits 301 identity_gap option
segments 308 sp_chgattribute 120
source text for compiled objects 314 @@idle global variable
system procedures 257–317 sp_monitor and 362
tables 257 IDs, time range 59
thresholds 316 IDs, user
users 317 See also logins
hierarchy image datatype, size of 430
See also precedence importing abstract plan groups 320
data cache bindings 79 index pages
lock promotion thresholds 415, 419 locks on 334
roles, displaying with sp_activeroles 15 indexes
user-defined datatypes 63 binding to data caches 78
hierarchy of roles. See role hierarchies checking name with sp_checknames 103
high availability checking name with sp_checkreswords 107
configuring Adaptive Server for 134 estimating space and time requirements 229
holdlock keyword IDENTITY columns in nonunique 162

Index
information about 286 input packets, number of 362

order of, reported by sp_helpindex 287 insert auditing option 70
renaming 110, 398–399 installdbextend script, permissions 156
sp_placeobject space allocation for 378–379 intent table locks 237, 333
sp_statistics information on 493 interfaces file
space used by 431 changing server names in 114
suspect 322 sp_addserver and 52
unbinding from data caches 457 intermediate display level for configuration parameters
information (server) 185
current locks 332 @@io_busy global variable
indexes 286 sp_monitor and 362
suspect indexes 322 isolation levels
information about, reporting catalog stored procedures 474
cache bindings 80 identity in nonunique index database option and
current locks 332 162
data caches 93 system procedures 1
database devices 281
database objects 257
database owners 317
databases 278 J
datatypes 257 Java items and sp_helpjava system procedure 288
dump devices 281 joins
extended stored procedures 283 information about 290
first page of log 295 sp_commonkey 132
groups 285, 317
indexes 286
join columns 290
keys 292 K
languages 294 keys, table
locks 332, 371 See also common keys; indexes
logins 469 dropping 200
performance 437 information about 292
permissions 304 syskeys table 132, 250, 387
remote server logins 300 keywords
remote servers 311 as identifiers 104
resource limits 301 kill command and sp_who 471
segments 308
server processes 469
server users 186, 469
source text for compiled objects 314 L
space usage 430 language defaults 32
statistics, monitor 361 adding 29–31
suspect indexes 322 changing user’s 34
thresholds 316 languages, alternate
transaction log device 295 alias for 413
users, database 317 changing names of 112, 114

Index
checking with sp_checkreswords 108 213

date formats in 29 setting row with sp_setrowlockpromote 418
dropping 202 sp_help report on 262
dropping messages in 204 sp_helpdb report on database setting 278
information on 294 locking
installing 29 cache binding and 80
official name 413 cache unbinding and 458
syslanguages table 294 control over 332–335
system messages and 253 logins 336
user-defined messages 35 monitoring contention 371
without Language Modules 29 locking scheme, sp_help report on 262
last-chance thresholds 55, 358 locks
LASTONLINE engine group 21 displaying information about 332, 371
LDAP, URL search strings 323 exclusive page 237
limit types 44 exclusive table 237
elapsed time 44 exclusive table and page 333
I/O cost 44 “FAM DUR” status 238
modifying values 349 intent table 237, 333
number of rows returned 44 page 237, 333
specifying values 44 reported by sp_lock 332
tempdb_space 44 row 334
limited days shared page 237, 333
modifying for time ranges 352 shared table 237, 333
resource limit information on 301 sp_familylock system procedure 237–239
specifying for time ranges 58 sp_lock system procedure 332–335
limited times types of 237, 333
modifying for time ranges 352 log device information 295
resource limit information on 301 log on option
specifying for time ranges 58 create database, and sp_logdevice 338
linking users. See alias, user log segment
listing sp_helplog report on 295
database options 157 sp_helpthreshold report on 316
devices 281 logging
lists messages 69
catalog stored procedures 473 user-defined events 507
dbcc stored procedures 517 user-defined messages 35
system procedures 1–14 logical device name 65, 179
load auditing option 70 syslogs table 338
local alias, language 413 login auditing option 70
local option, sp_addserver 51 logins
local servers 51 See also remote logins; users
See also remote servers; servers accounting statistics 124, 403
localization, changing language names and files 114 adding to Servers 32–34
lock | unlock option, sp_locklogin 336 alias 16, 191
lock promotion thresholds 414 applying resource limits to 44
dropping row with sp_droprowlockpromote changing current database owner 101

Index
dropping 203, 216 configuring 382

dropping resource limits from 210 configuring asynchronous prefetch limits 386
information about 300 configuring wash percentage 385
information on 186 defaults 91
locking 336–337 minimum size of 384
modifying accounts 346–348 sp_logiosize and 343
modifying resource limits for 349 transaction logs and 385
number of 362 message output parameter, sp_getmessage 253
options for remote 394 messages
password change 376–377 adding user-defined 35–36
“probe” 404 dropping system with sp_droplanguage 202
remote 209, 216 dropping user-defined 204
resource limit information on 301 language setting for 204, 253
sysremotelogins table 41–43, 209, 216 logging 69
unlocking 336–337 number for 35, 69, 204, 253
logout auditing option 70 sp_getmessage procedure 253
logsegment log storage, dropping 214 system procedure 4
lower and higher roles. See role hierarchies sysusermessages table 35–36
unbinding with sp_unbindmsg 463
mirroring. See disk mirroring
model database, changing database options 159
M modifying
machine ticks 362 configuration parameter display level 185
mail messages, server configuration parameters 137
deleting 504 login accounts 346
processing 388–389 named time ranges 352
reading 508 resource limits 349
sending 511 thresholds 357
starting session 515 modifying abstract plans 417
stopping session 516 modules, display syntax of 435
mapping monitoring
databases 167 lock contention 371
remote users 41 space remaining 54, 55, 358
master database system activity 361
checking with sp_checkreswords 107 month values
sp_dboption and 159 alternate language 29
system procedure tables 5 moving
thresholds and 56, 359 indexes 378
max_rows_per_page option tables 378
changing with sp_relimit 119 transaction logs 338
sp_chgattribute 119 user to new group 102
memory MRU replacement strategy
freeing from XP Server 252 disabling 98
mapping 167 multibyte character sets
used by configuration parameters 269 sort order 313
memory pools sp_helpsort output 313

Index
mutual authentication option, sp_serveroption 409 number (quantity of)

databases reported by sp_countmetadada 145
groups per user 102
indexes 145
N messages per constraint 87
named time ranges open objects 145
adding 58 numbers
“at all times” 59, 218 See also IDs, user
changing active time ranges 60 datatype code 476
creating 58 device 281
dropping 218 global variable unit 362
entire day 58 message 35, 69, 204, 253
IDs for 59 ODBC datatype code 476
modifying 352 spid (server process ID) 469
overlapping 59 weekday names and 29
names
alias 16, 191, 220
assigning different, compared to aliases 67
changing database object 398–399 O
changing identifier 109 object names, database
checking with sp_checknames 103 checking with sp_checknames 103
checking with sp_checkreswords 104 checking with sp_checkreswords 107
DLL file 252 object owners. See database object owners.
remote user 209 objects. See database objects; databases.
server 51 ODBC. See Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) API
server attribute 486 datatypes.
user’s full 32 official language name 30, 413
naming See also aliases; languages, alternate
groups 28 Open Client applications
time ranges 58 connection security with 42
user-defined datatypes 63 Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) API datatypes
@@ncharsize global variable 476
sp_addtype and 63 operating system commands 501
nesting cursors 147 optdiag utility
net password encryption option flushing in-memory statistics 244
sp_serveroption 409 optimistic index locking 119, 120, 121, 257, 261
no chkpt on recovery database option, setting with optimization
sp_dboption 162 queries (sp_recompile) 392
no free space acctg database option, setting with options
sp_dboption 162 See also configuration parameters
not null values database 157–164
sp_addtype and 62 remote logins 394–395
for user-defined data 62 remote servers 409–412
null values order
sp_addtype and 61 See also indexes; precedence; sort order
for user-defined datatypes 61 of date parts 29

Index
output option displaying user’s 186

sp_getmessage 253 dump devices and 66
output, number of granting 304
packets 362 information on 304
overhead, data caches 96 new database owner 101
overlapping time ranges 59 new database user 348
owners. See database object owners; database owners revoking 304
ownership and dump devices 66 sp_column_privileges information on 477
system procedures 2
physical datatypes 61
physical device name 65
P placeholders
@@pack_received global variable error message percent sign (%) 36
sp_monitor and 362 plan groups
@@packet_errors global variable and sp_monitor and adding 40
362 comparing 128
page locks, types of 237, 333 copying 143
pages, data copying to a table 234
computing number of, with sp_spaceused 431 creating 40
locks held on 237, 333 dropping 207
pair of columns. See common keys; joins dropping all plans in 192
parameters, procedure exporting 234
ways to supply 3, 474 information about 297
parentheses () reports 297
in SQL statements xvi plans
in user-defined datatypes 61 changing 417
passthrough mode comparing 128, 130
sp_autoconnect system procedure 76 copying 143, 144
sp_passthru system procedure 374 deleting 192
sp_remotesql system procedure 396 dropping 192, 208
passwords finding 240
date of last change 187 modifying 417
encryption over network 411 searching for 240
setting with sp_addlogin 32 sp_showplan output 427
sp_password 376–377 pools, memory
sp_remoteoption and 394 configuring 382
sp_serveroption and 411 defaults 91
trusted logins or verifying 394 precedence
path name, dump device 65 binding defaults to columns and datatypes 83
pattern matching and catalog stored procedure parameters resource limits 47
475 rule binding 89
PC DB-Library. See DB-Library programs precision, datatype
performance sp_help report on 260
concurrency optimization 120 user-defined datatypes 61
information about 437 prefetch
permissions disabling 98

Index
enabling 98 quoted identifiers

primary keys testing 109
sp_dropkey procedure 200 using 108, 115
sp_foreignkey and 250
sp_helpkey and 292
sp_primarykey definition of 387
priority R
sp_setpsexe 416 range locks 334
“probe” login account 404 range, specifying for resource limits 44
probe process, two-phase commit 404 read only database option
procedures. See stored procedures; system procedures setting with sp_dboption 163
process logical name. See logical device name setting with sp_setsuspect_granularity 420
processes (server tasks) readonly option, sp_serveroption 409
checking locks held 332 recompilation
checking locks on 237–239, 332–335 stored procedures 392
ID number 469 records, audit 17
sp_showplan display of 427–428 recovery
sp_who report on 469–472 data caches and 93
promotion, lock 414 displaying mode 420
protection system forcing suspect pages online with
groups 28 sp_forceonline_db 245
locking logins 336 forcing suspect pages online with
“public” group sp_forceonline_page 248
See also groups listing offline pages 331
information report 285 listing suspect databases 329
sp_addgroup and 28 setting mode 420
sp_adduser and 67 setting threshold 423
sp_changegroup and 102 recovery fault isolation 246, 330
sp_helpgroup report on 285 reference auditing option 71
punctuation reference information
enclosing in quotation marks 3, 474 catalog stored procedures 473
in user-defined datatypes 61 dbcc stored procedures 517
system extended stored procedures 499
system procedures 1–5
referencing, object. See dependencies, database object
Q referential integrity constraints
queries binding user messages to 87
compilation and optimization 392 renaming 398–399
sp_tables and 497 regulations
query plans, recompiling with sp_recompile 392 for finding objects 175, 261
query processing, limiting with reindex option, dbcc
sp_add_resource_limit 44 after sp_indsuspect 322
quotation marks (“ ”) remapping database objects 393
enclosing parameter values 3, 474 remote logins
enclosing reserved words 109 See also logins; users
single, and quoted_identifier 115 dropping 209

Index
information on 300 error message text 253

sp_remoteoption for 394–395 return status
sysremotelogins table 41–43 catalog stored procedures 474
trusted or untrusted mode 394 sp_checkreswords 107
remote procedure calls system procedures 1
sp_password 377 reversing encryption of source text 318
remote servers revoke auditing option 71
See also servers revoke option, sp_role 406
changing names of 112, 114 role hierarchies, displaying
dropping logins 209 using sp_activeroles 15
information on 311 using sp_displayroles 189
information on logins of 300 roles
names of 51 displaying with sp_activeroles 15
passwords on 377 row lock promotion thresholds
sp_remoteoption and 394–395 dropping with sp_droprowlockpromote 213
remote users. See remote logins setting with sp_setrowlockpromote 418
removing. See dropping; deleting sp_helpdb report on database setting 278
renaming 398–399 row locks 334
See also sp_rename system procedure rows, table
a database 400–401 computing number of, with sp_spaceused 431
warnings about 399, 401 limiting how many returned 44
replacing user-defined messages 35 rpc auditing option 71
reporting from dbccdb database rpc security model A option, sp_serveroption 409
allocation statistics 537 rpc security model B option, sp_serveroption 409
comprehensive information 534 rules
configuration information 521, 531, 534 binding 88–89
fault information 527, 531 changing names of 110
full details 534 checking name with sp_checkreswords 107
I/O statistics 527 displaying source text of 314
reports naming user-created 88
plan groups 297 remapping 393
sp_who 469–472 renaming 398–399
reserved words system tables and 89
catalog stored procedures and 474 unbinding 464–465
as identifiers 104–116
system procedures and 3
reservepagegap option
sp_chgattribute 119 S
sp_help report on 262 scale, datatype
resource limits in user-defined datatypes 61
creating 44 scope of resource limits
dropping 210 changes to active time ranges and 60
information about 301 information on 301
modifying 349 specifying 46
types of 44 security auditing option 72
retrieving security mechanism option, sp_serveroption 409

Index
segments sp_renamedb and 400

See also database devices; log segment; space size
allocation image datatype 430
adding 49–50 log device 339
changing names of 112, 114 text storage 430
checking names with sp_checkreswords 108 size of auto identity column configuration parameter
dropping 214–215 160, 164
extending 50, 235 sort order
information about 308 changing, and sp_indsuspect system procedure
mapping 50 322
monitoring remaining space 54–57, 357–360 information about 312
sp_helpthreshold report on 316 source text
select auditing option 73 checking for existence of 117
server aliases 52 displaying 314
server cost option encryption, reversing 318
sp_serveroption 409 hiding 318
server information options. See information (server) sp_activeroles system procedure 15
server process ID number. See processes (server tasks) sp_add_qpgroup system procedure 40
servers sp_add_resource_limit system procedure 44–48
See also processes (server tasks); remote servers sp_add_time_range system procedure 58–60
adding 51–53 sp_addalias system procedure 16
attribute names 486 sp_addauditrecord system procedure 17–18
dropping 216 sp_addaudittable system procedure 19
information on remote logins 300 sp_addengine system procedure 21
local 51 sp_addexeclass system procedure 22
monitoring activity of 361 sp_addextendedproc system procedure 23–24
names of 51 sp_addexternlogin system procedure 25–27
options, changing with sp_serveroption 409– sp_addgroup system procedure 28
412 sp_addlanguage system procedure 29–31
remote 311 sp_addlogin system procedure 32–34
setting row lock promotion thresholds for 418 sp_addmessage system procedure 35–36
sp_server_info information on 486 sp_addobjectdef system procedure 37–39
upgrading and sp_checknames 103 sp_addremotelogin system procedure 41–43
upgrading and sp_checkreswords 107 sp_addsegment system procedure 49–50
set command in mixed data and log databases 50
sp_setlangalias and language option 413 sp_addserver system procedure 51–53
setting sp_addthreshold system procedure 54–57
auditing options 70 sp_addtype system procedure 61–64
setuser auditing option 73 sp_addumpdevice system procedure 65–66
7-bit terminal, sp_helpsort output 312 sp_adduser system procedure 67–68
shared locks 237, 333 sp_altermessage system procedure 69
shared row locks 335 sp_audit system procedure 70–75
single quotes. See quotation marks sp_auditdisplay system procedure 181–184
single user database option sp_autoconnect system procedure 76–77
setting with sp_dboption 163 sp_bindcache system procedure 78–81
single-user mode 163 sp_bindefault system procedure 82–83

Index
create default and 83 sp_dbextend

sp_bindexeclass system procedure 84 check 151
sp_bindmsg system procedure 87 clear 151
sp_bindrule system procedure 88–89 database 151
sp_cacheconfig system procedure 90–97 dbname 152
sp_cachestrategy system procedure 98–100 devicename 152
sp_changedbowner system procedure 101 enable/disable 152
sp_changegroup system procedure 102 freespace 152
sp_dropgroup and 199 growby 151
sp_checknames system procedure 103 help 151, 152
sp_checkreswords system procedure 104–116 iterations 152
return status 107 list 151
sp_checksource system procedure 117 listfull 151
sp_chgattribute system procedure 119–122 maxsize 152
sp_clearpsexe system procedure 123 modify 151
sp_clearstats system procedure 124–125 newvalue 152
sp_cmp_all_qplans system procedure 128 permissions 156
sp_cmp_qplans system procedure 130 re-initializes sysattributes 152
sp_column_privileges catalog stored procedure 477–478 segmentname 152
sp_columns catalog stored procedure 479–480 set 151
datatype code numbers 476 simulate 151
and sp_datatype_info 482 threshold 151
sp_commonkey system procedure 132–133 trace 151, 152
sp_companion system procedure 134–136 usage 154
sp_configure system procedure 137–142 who 152
setting display levels for 185 sp_dboption system procedure 157–164
sp_copy_all_qplans system procedure 143 sp_dbremap system procedure 167
sp_copy_qplan system procedure 144 sp_defaultloc system procedure 168–170
sp_countmetadata system procedure 145 sp_depends system procedure 171–176
sp_cursorinfo system procedure 147–149 sp_deviceattr system procedure 177–178
sp_databases catalog stored procedure 481 sp_diskdefault system procedure 179–180
sp_datatype_info catalog stored procedure 482 sp_displaylevel system procedure 185
sp_dbcc_alterws stored procedure 520 sp_displaylogin system procedure 186–188
sp_dbcc_configreport stored procedure 521 sp_displayroles system procedure 189
sp_dbcc_createws stored procedure 522–523 sp_drop_all_qplans system procedure 192
sp_dbcc_deletedb stored procedure 524 sp_drop_qpgroup system procedure 207
sp_dbcc_deletehistory stored procedure 525–526 sp_drop_qplan system procedure 208
sp_dbcc_differentialreport stored procedure 527–528 sp_drop_resource_limit system procedure 210–212
sp_dbcc_evaluatedb stored procedure 529–530 sp_drop_time_range system procedure 218
sp_dbcc_faultreport stored procedure 531–533 sp_dropalias system procedure 191
sp_dbcc_fullreport stored procedure 534 sp_dropdevice system procedure 193
sp_dbcc_plandb system procedure 380–381 sp_dropengine system procedure 194
sp_dbcc_runcheck stored procedure 536 sp_dropexeclass system procedure 195
sp_dbcc_statisticsreport stored procedure 537–539 sp_dropextendedproc system procedure 196
sp_dbcc_summaryreport stored procedure 540–542 sp_dropexternlogin system procedure (Component
sp_dbcc_updateconfig stored procedure 543–545 Integration Services only) 197

Index
sp_dropglockpromote system procedure 198 sp_helpdevice system procedure 281–282

sp_dropgroup system procedure 199 sp_helpextendedproc system procedure 283
See also sp_changegroup sp_helpexternlogin system procedure (Component
sp_dropkey system procedure 200–201 Integration Services only) 284
sp_droplanguage system procedure 202 sp_helpgroup system procedure 285
sp_droplogin system procedure 203 sp_helpindex system procedure 286–287
sp_dropmessage system procedure 204 sp_helpjava system procedure 288–289
sp_dropobjectdef system procedure (Component sp_helpjoins system procedure 290–291
Integration Services only) 205–206 sp_helpkey system procedure 292–293
sp_dropremotelogin system procedure 209 sp_helplanguage system procedure 294
sp_droprowlockpromote system procedure 213 sp_helplog system procedure 295
sp_dropsegment system procedure 214–215 sp_helpobjectdef system procedure (Component
sp_placeobject and 214 Integration Services only) 296
sp_dropserver system procedure 216 sp_helpremotelogin system procedure 300
sp_dropthreshold system procedure 217 sp_helprotect system procedure 304–307
sp_droptype system procedure 219 sp_helpsegment system procedure 308–310
sp_dropuser system procedure 220 sp_helpserver system procedure 311
sp_dumpoptimize system procedure 221–225 sp_helpsort system procedure 312–313
sp_engine system procedure 226–228 sp_helptext system procedure 314–315
sp_estspace system procedure 229–233 sp_helpthreshold system procedure 316
sp_export_qpgroup system procedure 234 sp_helpuser system procedure 317
sp_extendsegment system procedure 235 sp_hidetext system procedure 318
sp_familylock system procedure 237–239 sp_import_qpgroup system procedure 320–321
sp_find_qplan system procedure 240–241 sp_indsuspect system procedure 322
sp_fkeys catalog stored procedure 483–484 sp_ldapadmin 323–325
sp_flushstats system procedure 244 sp_ldapadmin system procedure 323
sp_forceonline_db system procedure 245 sp_listener system procedure 326
sp_forceonline_object system procedure 246–247 sp_listsuspect_db system procedure 329
sp_forceonline_page system procedure 248–249 sp_listsuspect_object system procedure 330
sp_foreignkey system procedure 250–251 sp_listsuspect_page system procedure 331
sp_freedll system procedure 252 sp_lock system procedure 332–335
sp_getmessage system procedure 253 sp_locklogin system procedure 336–337
sp_grantlogin system procedure (Windows NT only) sp_logdevice system procedure 338–339
254 log on extension to create database and 338
sp_ha_admin system procedure 256 sp_loginconfig system procedure (Windows NT only)
installing with installhasvss 256 340–341
sp_help system procedure 257–263 sp_logininfo system procedure (Windows NT only)
sp_help_qpgroup system procedure 297–298 342
sp_help_qplan system procedure 299 sp_logiosize system procedure 343
sp_help_resource_limit system procedure 301–303 sp_modify_resource_limit system procedure 349–
sp_helpartition system procedure 264 351
sp_helpcache system procedure 267–268 sp_modify_time_range system procedure 352–353
sp_helpconfig system procedure 269–273 sp_modifylogin system procedure 346–348
sp_helpconstraint system procedure 274–277 sp_modifystats system procedure 354–356
sp_helpdb and tempdbs 279 sp_modifythreshold system procedure 357–360
sp_helpdb system procedure 278–280 sp_monitor

Index
@@connections and 362 sp_special_columns catalog stored procedure 489

@@cpu_busy and 362 sp_sproc_columns catalog stored procedure 491
@@pack_sent global variable and sp_monitor 362 datatype code numbers 476
sp_monitor system procedure 361–363 sp_ssladmin system procedure 433–434
sp_monitorconfig system procedure 364–370 sp_statistics catalog stored procedure 493
sp_object_stats system procedure 371–373 sp_stored_procedures catalog stored procedure 495
sp_passthru system procedure 374–375 sp_server_info information 487
sp_password system procedure 376–377 sp_syntax system procedure 435–436
sp_pkeys catalog stored procedure 485 sp_sysmon system procedure 437–439
sp_placeobject system procedure 378–379 sp_table_privileges catalog stored procedure 496
sp_poolconfig system procedure 382–386 sp_tables catalog stored procedure 497
sp_primarykey system procedure 387 sp_server_info information 487
sp_foreignkey and 250 sp_tempdb stored procedure
sp_processmail system procedure 388–389 described 440
sp_procxmode system procedure 390–391 examples 442
sp_recompile system procedure 392–?? parameters 440
sp_remap system procedure 393 syntax 440
sp_remoteoption system procedure 394–395 usage 446
sp_remotesql system procedure 396–397 sp_thresholdaction system procedure 448–449
sp_rename system procedure 398–399 threshold procedure 55, 358
sp_rename_qpgroup system procedure 402 sp_transactions system procedure 450–456
sp_renamedb system procedure 111, 400–401 sp_unbindcache system procedure 457–458
sp_reportstats system procedure 403–404 sp_unbindcache_all system procedure 459
sp_revokelogin system procedure (Windows NT only) sp_unbindefault system procedure 460
405 sp_unbindexeclass system procedure 461
sp_role system procedure 406 sp_unbindmsg system procedure 463
sp_sendmsg system procedure 407–408 sp_unbindrule system procedure 464–465
sp_server_info catalog stored procedure 486–488 sp_volchanged system procedure 466–468
sp_tables and 497 sp_who system procedure 469–472
sp_serveroption columns returned 471
external engine auto start 409 space
server cost 409 See also size; space allocation
server costt 409 estimating table and index size 229–233
sp_serveroption system procedure 409–412 monitoring remaining with sp_modifythreshold
sp_set_qplan system procedure 417 357–360
sp_setlangalias system procedure 413 sp_spaceused procedure 430–432
sp_setpglockpromote system procedure 414–415 unused 431
sp_setpsexe system procedure 416 space allocation
sp_setrowlockpromote system procedure 418 See also database devices; segments
sp_setsuspect_granularity system procedure 420–422 future 378–379
sp_setsuspect_threshold system procedure 423 log device 339
sp_showcontrolinfo system procedure 424 sp_placeobject procedure 378–379
sp_showexeclass system procedure 426 space management properties
sp_showplan system procedure 427 changing with sp_chgattribute 119
sp_showpsexe system procedure 429 spid number
sp_spaceused system procedure 430–432 sp_who output 471

Index
spt_committab table 5 permissions and 2

spt_datatype_info table 475 symbols
spt_datatype_info_ext table 475 in SQL statements xvi
spt_monitor table 5 syntax
spt_server_info table 475 catalog stored procedures 474–475
spt_values table 5 checking for reserved words 107
SQL standards display procedure (sp_syntax) 435–436
SQL pattern matching 475 syntax conventions, Transact-SQL xvi
user-defined datatypes and 62 sysalternates table
square brackets [ ] aliases 16
in SQL statements xvii sp_dropalias and 191
starting days of named time ranges 58 sysusers table and 16
starting times of named time ranges 58 syscomments table
statistics source text in 315
flushing to systabstats 244 sysconstraints table
returned by global variables 361 sp_bindmsg and 87
sp_clearstats procedure 124 sysdatabases table 481
sp_monitor 361 sysdevices table 179, 281
sp_reportstats 403–404 syskeys table
status sp_dropkey and 200
database device 179 sp_foreignkey and 250
stored procedures sp_primarykey and 387
See also database objects; system procedures syslanguages table 294
cache binding and 80, 458 sp_droplanguage and 202
catalog 473–497 syslkstats table 372
changing transaction modes with sp_procxmode syslogs table 338
390–391 put on a separate device 338
for dbccdb database 517 sysmessages table
object dependencies and 171–176 error message text 253
remapping 393 sysremotelogins table 41–43, 216
renamed database and 401 sp_dropremotelogin and 209
renaming 398–399 sysresourcelimits table
sp_checkreswords and 108 applicable limits for a login session 47
sp_recompile 392 sp_help_resource_limit and 302
sp_sproc_columns information on 491 sysservers table
sp_stored_procedures information on 495 sp_addserver and 51
suspect databases, listing 329 sp_helpserver and 311
suspect indexes syssessions
forcing online 246, 330 removing old entries 256
suspect pages systabstats table
bringing online 245, 248–249 flushing statistics to 244
isolating on recovery 420–422, 423 system extended stored procedures 499–516
listing 331 system procedure tables 5
sybdiagdb database 272 catalog stored procedures and 475
sybsyntax database 436 system procedures
sybsystemprocs database catalog stored 473–497

Index
changing names of 110 estimating space for 229

displaying source text of 314 joined common key 132–133
displaying syntax of 435–436 lock promotion thresholds for 415
extended stored procedures 499–516 locks held on 237, 333
help reports 257–317 locks, types of 237, 333
list of 1–14 object dependencies and 171–176
permissions 2 primary keys on 387
return status 1 renaming 398–399
using 1 setting row lock promotion thresholds for 418
system procedures results. See information (server) sp_placeobject space allocation for 378–379
system roles sp_recompile 392
displaying with sp_activeroles 15 sp_table_privileges information on 496
system segment sp_tables 497
dropping 214 space used by 431
mapping 50 with suspect indexes 322
system tables system procedure 5, 475
binding to caches 79 unbinding from data caches 457
defaults and 83 tape dump devices
direct updates dangerous to 112 adding 65–66
rules and 89 tape option, sp_addumpdevice 65
space allocation 378 tempdb
updating 1 limiting number pages used per session 45, 350
systimeranges table tempdb database
ID number storage in 59 auto identity database option and 160
range name storage in 44 unique auto_identity index database option and
systypes table 219 164
sysusermessages table tempdb_space 45, 350
error message text 253 tempdbs
sp_dropmessage and 204 sp_helpdb and 279
sysusers table sp_tempdb descibed 440
sysalternates table and 16 sp_tempdb examples 442
sp_tempdb parameters 440
sp_tempdb syntax 440
sp_tempdb usage 446
T temporary names. See alias, user
table_access auditing option 73 temporary tables
tables sp_help and 262
binding to data caches 78 system procedure 5
changing names of 110 terminals
checking name with sp_checkreswords 107 7-bit, sp_helpsort output example 312
column information 479 8-bit, sp_helpsort output example 312
column permission information from text
sp_column_privileges 477–478 copying with defncopy 109
common key between 132–133 user-defined message 35
dropping keys between 200 text datatype
dropping row lock promotion thresholds for 213 size of storage 430

Index
@@thresh_hysteresis global variable modes 390–391

threshold placement and 55 Transact-SQL
threshold procedures 55 reserved words 107
creating 448 translation
executing 56–57, 360 of user-defined messages 36
parameters passed to 56, 359 triggers
thresholds changing names of 110
adding 54–57 checking name with sp_checkreswords 107
changing 357–360 displaying source text of 314
crossing 54 object dependencies and 171–176
disabling 57, 217, 360 remapping 393
hysteresis value 55, 358 renamed database and 401
information about 316 renaming 398–399
last-chance 55, 217, 358 sp_recompile 392
maximum number 55, 359 true | false clauses
optimization for reducing I/O 120 sp_dboption 157
removing 217 sp_remoteoption 394
row lock promotion 418 true option, sp_changedbowner 101
space between 55 trunc log on chkpt database option 163
time interval truncate auditing option 73
estimating index creation 229 trusted mode
limiting 45 remote logins and 43
since sp_monitor last run 361 trusted option, sp_remoteoption 394
time ranges two-phase commit
adding 58 probe process 404
“at all times” 59, 218
changing active time ranges 60
creating 58
dropping 218 U
entire day 58 UDP messaging 407
IDs for 59 unbind auditing option 73
modifying 352 unbinding
overlapping 59 data caches 457–458
timeouts option, sp_serveroption 410 defaults 460
@@total_errors global variable objects from caches 457–458
sp_monitor and 362 unencrypting source text 318
@@total_read global variable unique auto_identity index database option 164
sp_monitor and 362 unlocking login accounts 336
@@total_write global variable unmapping a segment from a database 214–215
sp_monitor and 362 unused space
transaction logs sp_spaceused reporting of 431
data caches and 385 update auditing option 73
log I/O size and 385 update row locks 335
on a separate device 338–339 us_english language 30
thresholds and 217 usage statistics 403
transactions use message confidentiality server option 410

Index
use message integrity server option 410 sp_who report on 469–472

user context for operating system commands (xp_cmdshell) system procedure permissions and 2
501 sysusers table 16
User Datagram Protocol messaging 407 utility commands
user IDs See also Utility Programs manual
changing with sp_import_qpgroup 320 display syntax 435–436
displaying 187
dropping with sp_droplogin and 203
user names
See also database object owners; logins V
changing 112 values
checking with sp_checkreswords 108 displaying with sp_server_info 486
user permissions. See database owners; permissions view_access auditing option 73
user-created objects. See database objects views
user-defined audit records 70 checking name with sp_checkreswords 107
user-defined datatypes columns 479
binding defaults to 82–83 common key between 132–133
binding rules to 88 displaying source text of 314
changing names of 111 dropping keys between 200
checking name with sp_checkreswords 107 object dependencies and 171–176
creating 61–64 primary keys on 387
dropping 219 remapping 393
hierarchy 63 renamed database and 401
naming 63 renaming 110, 398–399
unbinding defaults from 460 virtual page numbers 282
unbinding rules with sp_unbindrule 464–465 volume handling 466
user-defined event logging (xp_logevent) 507
user-defined messages 35–36
unbinding with sp_unbindmsg 463
user-defined procedures W
creating ESPs with sp_addextendedproc 23 wash area
user-defined roles configuring 385
displaying with sp_activeroles 15 defaults 385
users wash keyword, sp_poolconfig 382
accounting statistics 124, 403 weekday date value
adding 32–34, 67–68 first 29
change group for 102 names and numbers 29
changing names of 114, 346–348 wildcard characters
dropping aliased 191 SQL standards pattern matching ($ and _) 475
dropping from databases 220 workspaces
dropping from servers 203 dropping 523
dropping remote 216
information on 186, 317
password change for accounts 376–377
permissions of 304 X
remote 300 XP Server 500

Index
freeing memory from 252

xp_cmdshell context configuration parameter 501
xp_cmdshell system extended stored procedure 501
xp_deletemail system extended stored procedure
504
sp_processmail and 389
xp_enumgroups system extended stored procedure
505
xp_findnextmsg system extended stored procedure
506
xp_logevent system extended stored procedure 507
xp_readmail system extended stored procedure 508
xp_sendmail system extended stored procedure 511
xp_startmail system extended stored procedure 515
xp_stopmail system extended stored procedure 516

Index

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Reference Manual: Procedures

Adaptive Server® Enterprise

LAST REVISED: November 2004

Copyright © 1989-2004 by Sybase, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sybase, Inc., One Sybase Drive, Dublin, CA 94568.

About This Book ........................................................................................................................... xi

CHAPTER 1 System Procedures......................................................................... 1

Reference Manual: Procedures iii

iv Adaptive Server Enterprise

sp_dropextendedproc .................................................................. 196

Reference Manual: Procedures v

sp_helpdevice .............................................................................. 281

vi Adaptive Server Enterprise

Reference Manual: Procedures vii

sp_volchanged ............................................................................. 466

CHAPTER 2 Catalog Stored Procedures ........................................................ 473

CHAPTER 3 System Extended Stored Procedures........................................ 499

CHAPTER 4 dbcc Stored Procedures ............................................................. 517

viii Adaptive Server Enterprise

Specifying the date ................................................................ 518

Index ........................................................................................................................................... 547

Reference Manual: Procedures ix

x Adaptive Server Enterprise

The Adaptive Server Reference Manual includes four guides to Sybase®

Reference Manual: Procedures xi

xii Adaptive Server Enterprise

• Job Scheduler User's Guide – provides instructions on how to install and

Reference Manual: Procedures xiii

• Web Services User’s Guide – explains how to configure, use, and

xiv Adaptive Server Enterprise

• The Technical Library CD contains product manuals and is included with

❖ Finding the latest information on product certifications

2 Select Products from the navigation bar on the left.

❖ Creating a personalized view of the Sybase Web site (including support

2 Click MySybase and create a MySybase profile.

❖ Finding the latest information on EBFs and software maintenance

Reference Manual: Procedures xv

xvi Adaptive Server Enterprise

Reference Manual: Procedures xvii

Adaptive Server’s sensitivity to the case of database objects, such as table

xviii Adaptive Server Enterprise

This chapter describes the system procedures, which are Sybase-supplied

Introduction to system procedures

Reference Manual: Procedures 1

Beginning with Adaptive Server version 12.5.1, you can declare up to

Permissions on system procedures

Executing system procedures

2 Adaptive Server Enterprise

For example, the user-defined system procedure sp_foo, which executes

Entering parameter values

Note Do not use delimited identifiers as system procedure parameters;

If a procedure has multiple optional parameters, you can supply

Reference Manual: Procedures 3

4 Adaptive Server Enterprise

System procedure tables

List of system procedures

Reference Manual: Procedures 5

6 Adaptive Server Enterprise