This document discusses how to configure alerts and event notifications in SQL Server. It provides information on: - What a SQL Server alert is and how to create one to respond to events by launching jobs or notifying operators - An overview of SQL Server event notifications and how they are used to send event data to an event processing service using Service Broker - The steps to create an event notification, define the event and service, and process the notifications by receiving messages and extracting event data

1. Make SQL Server to talk you!
Antonios Chatzipavlis
Software Architect , Development Evangelist, IT Consultant
MCT, MCITP, MCPD, MCSD, MCDBA, MCSA, MCTS, MCAD, MCP, OCA
MVP on SQL SERVER

2. Objectives
• SQL Server Agent Alert System
• Event Notifications
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3. What Is an Alert?
•
Predefined response to an event
•
Triggered by jobs, performance conditions, or
application log events
•
Can notify an operator or start a specified job
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4. Create an Alert
Use SQL Server Management Studio or “sp_add_alert”
Specify

Alert name

Condition (Event, WMI trigger, performance condition) that
triggers the alert

Response – notify an operator, start a job
EXEC dbo.sp_add_alert
@name = N'Test Alert',
@message_id = 55001, @severity = 0, @notification_message =
N'Error 55001 has occurred. The database will be backed up...',
@job_name = N'Back up the AdventureWorks Database' ;
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5. Responding to Alerts
Either
Launch a Job

Use an existing job

Create a new job
Or
Notify an Operator

Schedule responders for different parts of the day or week

E-mail, pager, or net send
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6. Using Alerts
DEMO
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7. Overview of Event Notifications
• Messages containing event data
DDL Events
Trace Events
DML Events
Database and Server Events
• Sent to an event processing service by using
Service Broker
A message type and contract are predefined
You must create a queue, a service, and a route
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8. Creating Event Notifications
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define the Event Notification
Specify the Scope
Specify the Event
Specify the Service
CREATE EVENT NOTIFICATION NotifyALTER_T1
ON DATABASE
FOR ALTER_TABLE
TO SERVICE '//Adventure-Works.com/ArchiveService' ,
'8140a771-3c4b-4479-8ac0-81008ab17984';
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9. Processing Event Notifications
1. Receive the message
2. Extract event data by using XQuery
DECLARE @cmd nvarchar(1000) NVARCHAR(256),
DECLARE
@messageTypeName
DECLARE @posttime nvarchar(24)
@messageBody XML
DECLARE @spid nvarchar(6)
;RECEIVE TOP(1)
@messageTypeName = message_type_name,
SET @messageBody = message_body
@cmd = @messagebody.value
('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/TSQLCommand/CommandText)[1]',
FROM dbo.NotifyQueue;
'nvarchar(100)')
SET @@ROWCOUNT = 0
IF @messagebody.value
('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/PostTime)[1]','nvarchar(24)')
RETURN
SET @spid = @messagebody.value
('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/SPID)[1]','nvarchar(6)')
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10. Managing Event Notifications
1. Viewing event notifications and queues
2. Deleting event notifications
SELECT name FROM sys.event_notifications
SELECT definition FROM sys.service_queues
DROP EVENT NOTIFICATION UpdateStats ON SERVER
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11. Implementing Event Notifications
DEMO
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12. Q&A
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13. My Blogs
http://www.autoexec.gr/blogs/antonch
http://www.dotnetzone.gr/cs/blogs/antonch
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14. Thank you
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