sp_depends (Transact-SQL)

  • Article

Applies to: SQL Server

Displays information about database object dependencies, such as the views and procedures that depend on a table or view, and the tables and views that are depended on by the view or procedure. References to objects outside the current database aren't reported.

Important

This feature will be removed in a future version of SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature. Use sys.dm_sql_referencing_entities and sys.dm_sql_referenced_entities instead.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

sp_depends [ @objname = ] N'objname'

<objname> ::=
{
    [ database_name. [ schema_name ] . | schema_name. ]
    object_name
}

[ ; ]

Arguments

[ @objname = ] N'objname'

@objname is nvarchar(776), with no default.

  • database_name

    The name of the database.

  • schema_name

    The name of the schema to which the object belongs.

  • object_name

    The database object to examine for dependencies. The object can be a table, view, stored procedure, user-defined function, or trigger. object_name is nvarchar(776), with no default.

Return code values

0 (success) or 1 (failure).

Result set

sp_depends displays two result sets.

The following result set shows the objects on which @objname depends.

Column name Data type Description
name nvarchar(257) Name of the item for which a dependency exists.
type nvarchar(16) Type of the item.
updated nvarchar(7) Specifies whether the item is updated.
selected nvarchar(8) Specifies whether the item is used in a SELECT statement.
column sysname Column or parameter on which the dependency exists.

The following result set shows the objects that depend on @objname.

Column name Data type Description
name nvarchar(257) Name of the item for which a dependency exists.
type nvarchar(16) Type of the item.

Permissions

Requires membership in the public role.

Examples

A. List dependencies on a table

The following example lists the database objects that depend on the Sales.Customer table in the AdventureWorks2022 database. Both the schema name and table name are specified.

USE AdventureWorks2022;
GO
EXEC sp_depends @objname = N'Sales.Customer';

B. List dependencies on a trigger

The following example lists the database objects on which the trigger iWorkOrder depends.

EXEC sp_depends @objname = N'AdventureWorks2022.Production.iWorkOrder';

Related content