Determine Object Dependencies Before Changing Your SQL Server Schema Design

(Susan Sales Harkins) Change is never simple. Even changing one object just a little bit can impact users in a big way. For instance, you might think deleting a legacy table is efficient, but only until a view or report no longer works. By the time the error occurs, you might not remember that you deleted a table two months earlier. Your users will complain and you'll spend unnecessary time troubleshooting the problem. That's why you should always run a thorough impact assessment before implementing change, even a small change. The good news is that listing object dependencies isn't as hard as it might sound. You can use SQL Server's management tools or execute one or more code snippets.

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