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 disrupt as few users as possible.

  • 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.