Is there any major issue in using EXEC sp_rename '', ''?

Question

I recently used - EXEC sp_rename '<source table name>', '<destination table name>' to rename an existing table and want to execute the same on one of our live server. Is there any issue in using this procedure to rename a table?. I am asking this because one of our DBA says there will be problems in using this procedure on live server.

Answer 1

Is nothing referencing the table you're renaming? That would be the only instance where I would think renaming the table would not have an impact. If the table was not referenced by anything however, what would be the purpose of the table?

you can read more about sp_rename here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188351.aspx

Specifically note the following:

Renaming an object such as a table or column will not automatically rename references to that object. You must modify any objects that reference the renamed object manually. For example, if you rename a table column and that column is referenced in a trigger, you must modify the trigger to reflect the new column name. Use sys.sql_expression_dependencies to list dependencies on the object before renaming it.

Answer 2

There is no major issue with renaming the table using that procedure. The only thing you need to remember is that while that command is being executed, the locks that are applied on that table won't allow you to query the data, but that should only take only a couple of milliseconds, so you should be fine.

P.S. Don't forget to modify your views, procedures, functions etc :)

Answer 3

Below is the only caution as described inthe microsoft official web site.

Changing any part of an object name can break scripts and stored procedures. We recommend you do not use this statement to rename stored procedures, triggers, user-defined functions, or views; instead, drop the object and re-create it with the new name.

More details at : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188351.aspx

EXEC sp_rename is recommended only when we sure that all the depended SP, View function are not get affected. Make sureyou changed or deleted the depended objects.

Answer 4

Perhaps your DBA can share the details of his/her concerns. Renaming a table will of course be a breaking change for any objects that reference the table so you'll need to perform due diligence to ensure dependent objects are changed to use the new name. The rename operation will also require a short schema modification lock and void existing referencing cached plans, so be aware of this if the table is heavily used.