How to drop column with constraint?

Question

How to drop a column which is having Default constraint in SQL Server 2008?

My query is

alter table tbloffers
drop column checkin

Answer 1

I got the same:

ALTER TABLE DROP COLUMN failed because one or more objects access this column message.

My column had an index which needed to be deleted first. Using sys.indexes did the trick:

DECLARE @sql VARCHAR(max)

SELECT @sql = 'DROP INDEX ' + idx.NAME + ' ON tblName'
FROM sys.indexes idx
INNER JOIN sys.tables tbl ON idx.object_id = tbl.object_id
INNER JOIN sys.index_columns idxCol ON idx.index_id = idxCol.index_id
INNER JOIN sys.columns col ON idxCol.column_id = col.column_id
WHERE idx.type <> 0
    AND tbl.NAME = 'tblName'
    AND col.NAME = 'colName'

EXEC sp_executeSql @sql
GO

ALTER TABLE tblName
DROP COLUMN colName

Answer 2

It's not always just a default constraint that prevents from droping a column and sometimes indexes can also block you from droping the constraint. So I wrote a procedure that drops any index or constraint on a column and the column it self at the end.

IF OBJECT_ID ('ADM_delete_column', 'P') IS NOT NULL
   DROP procedure ADM_delete_column;
GO

CREATE procedure ADM_delete_column
    @table_name_in  nvarchar(300)
,   @column_name_in nvarchar(300)
AS 
BEGIN
    /*  Author: Matthis (matthis@online.ms at 2019.07.20)
        License CC BY (creativecommons.org)
        Desc:   Administrative procedure that drops columns at MS SQL Server
                - if there is an index or constraint on the column 
                    that will be dropped in advice
                => input parameters are TABLE NAME and COLUMN NAME as STRING
    */
    SET NOCOUNT ON

    --drop index if exist (search first if there is a index on the column)
    declare @idx_name VARCHAR(100)
    SELECT  top 1 @idx_name = i.name
    from    sys.tables t
    join    sys.columns c
    on      t.object_id = c.object_id
    join    sys.index_columns ic
    on      c.object_id = ic.object_id
    and     c.column_id = ic.column_id
    join    sys.indexes i
    on      i.object_id = ic.object_id
    and     i.index_id = ic.index_id
    where   t.name like @table_name_in
    and     c.name like @column_name_in
    if      @idx_name is not null
    begin 
        print concat('DROP INDEX ', @idx_name, ' ON ', @table_name_in)
        exec ('DROP INDEX ' + @idx_name + ' ON ' + @table_name_in)
    end

    --drop fk constraint if exist (search first if there is a constraint on the column)
    declare @fk_name VARCHAR(100)
    SELECT  top 1 @fk_name = CONSTRAINT_NAME 
    from    INFORMATION_SCHEMA.CONSTRAINT_COLUMN_USAGE
    where   TABLE_NAME like @table_name_in
    and     COLUMN_NAME like @column_name_in
    if      @fk_name is not null
    begin 
        print concat('ALTER TABLE ', @table_name_in, ' DROP CONSTRAINT ', @fk_name)
        exec ('ALTER TABLE ' + @table_name_in + ' DROP CONSTRAINT ' + @fk_name)
    end

    --drop column if exist
    declare @column_name VARCHAR(100)
    SELECT  top 1 @column_name = COLUMN_NAME 
    FROM    INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS 
    WHERE   COLUMN_NAME like concat('%',@column_name_in,'%')
    if  @column_name is not null
    begin 
        print concat('ALTER TABLE ', @table_name_in, ' DROP COLUMN ', @column_name)
        exec ('ALTER TABLE ' + @table_name_in + ' DROP COLUMN ' + @column_name)
    end
end;
GO


--to run the procedure use this execute and fill the parameters 
execute ADM_delete_column 
    @table_name_in  = ''
,   @column_name_in = ''
    ;