How to Generate Scripts For All Triggers in Database Using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

Question

I\'d like to generate an SQL Script that contains the SQL to create all of the triggers that exist in our database. The triggers were added directly via the SSMS query pane

Answer 1

I know the answer has been accepted already, but want to provide another solution for cases when for some reason SSMS wizard is not able to generate script for triggers (in my case it was MSSQL2008R2)

This solution is based on idea from dana above, but uses 'sql_modules' instead to provide the full code of the trigger if it exceeds 4000 chars (restriction of 'text' column of 'syscomments' view)

select [definition],'GO' from sys.sql_modules m
inner join sys.objects obj on obj.object_id=m.object_id 
 where obj.type ='TR'

Right click on the results grid and then "Save results as..." saves to file with formatting preserved

Answer 2

How about this?

select text from syscomments where text like '%CREATE TRIGGER%'

EDIT - per jj's comment below, syscomments is deprecated and will be removed in the future. Please use either the wizard-based or script-based solutions listed above moving forward :)

Answer 3

To script all triggers you can define the stored procedure:

SET ANSI_NULLS ON; 
GO 
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON; 
GO 
-- Procedure:
--   [dbo].[SYS_ScriptAllTriggers]
--
-- Parameter: 
--   @ScriptMode bit   
--     possible values:
--     0 - Script ALTER only
--     1 - Script CREATE only
--     2 - Script DROP + CREATE

ALTER PROCEDURE [dbo].[SYS_ScriptAllTriggers]
    @ScriptMode int = 0
AS 
BEGIN

    DECLARE @script TABLE (script varchar(max), id int identity (1,1))

    DECLARE 
        @SQL VARCHAR(8000), 
        @Text            NVARCHAR(4000), 
        @BlankSpaceAdded INT, 
        @BasePos         INT, 
        @CurrentPos      INT, 
        @TextLength      INT, 
        @LineId          INT, 
        @MaxID           INT, 
        @AddOnLen        INT, 
        @LFCR            INT, 
        @DefinedLength   INT, 
        @SyscomText      NVARCHAR(4000), 
        @Line            NVARCHAR(1000), 
        @UserName        SYSNAME, 
        @ObjID           INT, 
        @OldTrigID       INT; 

    SET NOCOUNT ON; 
    SET @DefinedLength = 1000; 
    SET @BlankSpaceAdded = 0; 

    SET @ScriptMode = ISNULL(@ScriptMode, 0);

    -- This Part Validated the Input parameters   
    DECLARE @Triggers TABLE (username SYSNAME NOT NULL, trigname SYSNAME NOT NULL, objid INT NOT NULL); 
    DECLARE @TrigText TABLE (objid INT NOT NULL, lineid INT NOT NULL, linetext NVARCHAR(1000) NULL); 

    INSERT INTO 
        @Triggers (username, trigname, objid) 
    SELECT DISTINCT 
        OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(B.id), B.name, B.id
    FROM 
        dbo.sysobjects B, dbo.syscomments C 
    WHERE 
        B.type = 'TR' AND B.id = C.id AND C.encrypted = 0; 

    IF EXISTS(SELECT C.* FROM syscomments C, sysobjects O WHERE O.id = C.id AND O.type = 'TR' AND C.encrypted = 1) 
    BEGIN 

        insert into @script select '/*'; 
        insert into @script select 'The following encrypted triggers were found'; 
        insert into @script select 'The procedure could not write the script for it'; 

        insert into 
            @script 
        SELECT DISTINCT 
            '[' + OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(B.id) + '].[' + B.name + ']' --, B.id 
        FROM   
            dbo.sysobjects B, dbo.syscomments C 
        WHERE  
            B.type = 'TR' AND B.id = C.id AND C.encrypted = 1; 

        insert into @script select '*/'; 
    END; 

    DECLARE ms_crs_syscom CURSOR LOCAL forward_only FOR 
    SELECT 
        T.objid, C.text
    FROM   
        @Triggers T, dbo.syscomments C 
    WHERE  
        T.objid = C.id 
    ORDER  BY T.objid, 
        C.colid 
    FOR READ ONLY; 

    SELECT @LFCR = 2; 
    SELECT @LineId = 1; 

    OPEN ms_crs_syscom; 

    SET @OldTrigID = -1; 

    FETCH NEXT FROM ms_crs_syscom INTO @ObjID, @SyscomText; 

    WHILE @@fetch_status = 0 
    BEGIN 

        SELECT @BasePos = 1; 
        SELECT @CurrentPos = 1; 
        SELECT @TextLength = LEN(@SyscomText); 

        IF @ObjID <> @OldTrigID 
        BEGIN 
            SET @LineID = 1; 
            SET @OldTrigID = @ObjID; 
        END; 

        WHILE @CurrentPos != 0 
        BEGIN 
            --Looking for end of line followed by carriage return         
            SELECT @CurrentPos = CHARINDEX(CHAR(13) + CHAR(10), @SyscomText, @BasePos); 

            --If carriage return found         
            IF @CurrentPos != 0 
            BEGIN 

                WHILE ( ISNULL(LEN(@Line), 0) + @BlankSpaceAdded + @CurrentPos - @BasePos + @LFCR ) > @DefinedLength 
                BEGIN 
                    SELECT @AddOnLen = @DefinedLength - (ISNULL(LEN(@Line), 0) + @BlankSpaceAdded ); 

                    INSERT 
                        @TrigText 
                    VALUES 
                        ( @ObjID, @LineId, ISNULL(@Line, N'') + ISNULL(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @AddOnLen), N'')); 

                    SELECT 
                        @Line = NULL, 
                        @LineId = @LineId + 1, 
                        @BasePos = @BasePos + @AddOnLen, 
                        @BlankSpaceAdded = 0; 
                END; 

                SELECT @Line = ISNULL(@Line, N'') + ISNULL(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @CurrentPos - @BasePos + @LFCR), N''); 

                SELECT @BasePos = @CurrentPos + 2; 

                INSERT 
                    @TrigText 
                VALUES
                    ( @ObjID, @LineId, @Line ); 

                SELECT @LineId = @LineId + 1; 

                SELECT @Line = NULL; 
            END; 
            ELSE 
            --else carriage return not found         
            BEGIN 
                IF @BasePos <= @TextLength 
                BEGIN 
                    /*If new value for @Lines length will be > then the         
                    **defined length         
                    */ 
                    WHILE ( ISNULL(LEN(@Line), 0) + @BlankSpaceAdded + @TextLength - @BasePos + 1 ) > @DefinedLength 
                    BEGIN 
                        SELECT @AddOnLen = @DefinedLength - ( ISNULL(LEN(@Line), 0 ) + @BlankSpaceAdded ); 

                        INSERT 
                            @TrigText 
                        VALUES 
                            ( @ObjID, @LineId, ISNULL(@Line, N'') + ISNULL(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @AddOnLen), N'')); 

                        SELECT 
                            @Line = NULL, 
                            @LineId = @LineId + 1, 
                            @BasePos = @BasePos + @AddOnLen, 
                            @BlankSpaceAdded = 0; 
                    END; 

                    SELECT @Line = ISNULL(@Line, N'') + ISNULL(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @TextLength - @BasePos+1 ), N''); 

                    IF LEN(@Line) < @DefinedLength AND CHARINDEX(' ', @SyscomText, @TextLength + 1) > 0 
                    BEGIN 
                        SELECT 
                            @Line = @Line + ' ', 
                            @BlankSpaceAdded = 1; 
                    END; 
                END; 
            END; 
        END; 

        FETCH NEXT FROM ms_crs_syscom INTO @ObjID, @SyscomText; 
    END; 

    IF @Line IS NOT NULL 
        INSERT 
            @TrigText 
        VALUES
            ( @ObjID, @LineId, @Line ); 

    CLOSE ms_crs_syscom; 

    insert into @script select '-- You should run this result under dbo if your triggers belong to multiple users'; 
    insert into @script select ''; 

    IF @ScriptMode = 2 
    BEGIN 

        insert into @script select '-- Dropping the Triggers'; 
        insert into @script select ''; 

        insert into @script 
        SELECT 
            'IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM sysobjects WHERE id = OBJECT_ID(''[' + username + '].[' + trigname + ']'')'
            + ' AND ObjectProperty(OBJECT_ID(''[' + username + '].[' + trigname + ']''), ''ISTRIGGER'') = 1)'
            + ' DROP TRIGGER [' + username + '].[' + trigname +']' + CHAR(13) + CHAR(10) 
            + 'GO' + CHAR(13) + CHAR(10)
        FROM   
            @Triggers; 
    END; 

    IF @ScriptMode = 0
    BEGIN   
        update 
            @TrigText 
        set 
            linetext = replace(linetext, 'CREATE TRIGGER', 'ALTER TRIGGER') 
        WHERE 
            upper(left(replace(ltrim(linetext), char(9), ''), 14)) = 'CREATE TRIGGER' 
    END

    insert into @script select '----------------------------------------------'; 
    insert into @script select '-- Creation of Triggers'; 
    insert into @script select ''; 
    insert into @script select ''; 

    DECLARE ms_users CURSOR LOCAL forward_only FOR 
    SELECT 
        T.username, 
        T.objid, 
        MAX(D.lineid) 
    FROM   
        @Triggers T, 
        @TrigText D 
    WHERE  
        T.objid = D.objid 
    GROUP BY    
        T.username, 
        T.objid 
    FOR READ ONLY; 

    OPEN ms_users; 

    FETCH NEXT FROM ms_users INTO @UserName, @ObjID, @MaxID; 

    WHILE @@fetch_status = 0 
    BEGIN 

        insert into @script select 'setuser N''' + @UserName + '''' + CHAR(13) + CHAR(10); 

        insert into @script 
        SELECT 
            '-- Text of the Trigger' = 
            CASE lineid 
                WHEN 1 THEN 'GO' + CHAR(13) + CHAR(10) + linetext 
                WHEN @MaxID THEN linetext + 'GO' 
                ELSE linetext 
            END 
        FROM   
            @TrigText 
        WHERE  
            objid = @ObjID 
        ORDER  
            BY lineid; 

        insert into @script select 'setuser'; 

        FETCH NEXT FROM ms_users INTO @UserName, @ObjID, @MaxID; 
    END; 

    CLOSE ms_users; 

    insert into @script select 'GO'; 
    insert into @script select '------End ------'; 

    DEALLOCATE ms_crs_syscom; 
    DEALLOCATE ms_users; 

    select script from @script order by id

END

How to execute it:

SET nocount ON 
DECLARE @return_value INT 

EXEC @return_value = [dbo].[SYS_ScriptAllTriggers] @InclDrop = 1 
SELECT 'Return Value' = @return_value 

GO

Answer 4

Database-> Tasks-> Generate Scripts -> Next -> Next

On Choose Script Options UI, under Table/View Options Heading, set Script Triggers to True.

Answer 5

Using my own version with the combination of answer found in here and other post(can't find the original quetion.

select OBJECT_NAME(parent_obj) AS table_name,sysobj.name AS trigger_name,
[definition],'GO'
from sys.sql_modules m
inner join sysobjects sysobj on sysobj.id=m.object_id
INNER JOIN sys.tables t ON sysobj.parent_obj = t.object_id
INNER JOIN sys.schemas s ON t.schema_id = s.schema_id
WHERE sysobj.type = 'TR' and sysobj.name like 'NAME_OF_TRIGGER'
order by sysobj.name