#0401 – SQL Server – Script to validate object naming convention

A few weeks ago, I ran into a question on one of the forums asking for a script that can help the team validate object naming conventions. Immediately, I was able to sympathize with the team.

What happens is that when developers use the graphical (GUI) tools in the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or via a simple script, they often fail to specify a name to each individual constraint. These slips are not intentional – developers don’t often realize that each constraint is an independent object because they are ultimately related to another user defined object (a table).

However, when a name is not explicitly specified for a particular constraint, what Microsoft SQL Server does is provide a name by combining the following:

A standard prefix indicating the object (e.g. “DF” for default constraints)
9 characters of the object name
5 characters of the field name
Finally, the unique Id of the object, represented in hexa-decimal format

While this format will always generate a unique value, it would generate names that may not be intuitive. It is therefore a common practice to review the database code and review for compliance with naming conventions that have been defined in the product/project.

This logic can be leveraged during code reviews/audits to identify objects where standard project naming conventions are not met.

To demonstrate the functionality of the script, I create one table with a wide range of constraints – none of which have a name specified.

USE [tempdb];
GO
IF OBJECT_ID('dbo.ConstraintsWithoutNames','U') IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
    DROP TABLE dbo.ConstraintsWithoutNames;
END
GO

CREATE TABLE dbo.ConstraintsWithoutNames 
    ([RecordId]     INT          NOT NULL IDENTITY(1,1) 
                                 PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED,
     [RecordName]   VARCHAR(255)     NULL,
     [RecordStatus] TINYINT      NOT NULL DEFAULT (0) 
                    CHECK ([RecordStatus] IN (0, 2, 4, 8))
    );
GO

Now, the following script is a simple string search that looks for strings ending with the hexa-decimal representation of the parent object.

USE [tempdb];
GO
SELECT * 
FROM [sys].[objects] AS [so]
WHERE [so].[is_ms_shipped] = 0 --Considering user objects only
  AND [so].[name] LIKE ('%' + REPLACE(CONVERT(NVARCHAR(255),CAST([so].[object_id] AS VARBINARY(MAX)),1),'0x',''))
                        --Only those objects whose names end with the hexadecimal
                        --representation of their object Id