If a user inserts rows into a table, i would like SQL Server to perform some additional processing - but not in the context of the user's transaction.
e.g. The user gives read access to a folder:
UPDATE Folders SET ReadAccess = 1
WHERE FolderID = 7
As far as the user is concerned i want that to be the end of the atomic operation. In reality i have to now go find all child files and folders and give them ReadAccess.
EXECUTE SynchronizePermissions
This is a potentially lengthy operation (over 2s). i want this lengthy operation to happen "later". It can happen 0 seconds later, and before the carbon-unit has a chance to think about it the asynchronous update is done.
How can i run this required operation asychronously when it's required (i.e. triggered)?
The ideal would be:
CREATE TRIGGER dbo.Folders FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE AS
EXECUTEASYNCHRONOUS SynchronizePermissions
or
CREATE TRIGGER dbo.Folders FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE AS
EXECUTE SynchronizePermissions WITH(ASYNCHRONOUS)
Right now this happens as a trigger:
CREATE TRIGGER dbo.Folders FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE AS
EXECUTE SynchronizePermissions
and the user is forced to wait the 3 seconds every time they make a change to the Folders table.
i've thought about creating a Scheduled Task on the user, that runs every minute, and check for an PermissionsNeedSynchronizing flag:
CREATE TRIGGER dbo.Folders FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE AS
UPDATE SystemState SET PermissionsNeedsSynchronizing = 1
The scheduled task binary can check for this flag, run if the flag is on:
DECLARE @FlagValue int
SET @FlagValue = 0;
UPDATE SystemState SET @FlagValue = PermissionsNeedsSynchronizing+1
WHERE PermissionsNeedsSynchronizing = 1
IF @FlagValue = 2
BEGIN
EXECUTE SynchronizePermissions
UPDATE SystemState SET PermissionsNeedsSynchronizing = 0
WHERE PermissionsNeedsSynchronizing = 2
END
The problem with a scheduled task is: - the fastest it can run is every 60 seconds - it's suffers from being a polling solution - it requires an executable
What i'd prefer is a way that SQL Server could trigger the scheduled task:
CREATE TRIGGER dbo.Folders FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE AS
EXECUTE SynchronizePermissionsAsychronous
CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.SynchronizePermissionsAsychronous AS
EXECUTE sp_ms_StartWindowsScheduledTask @taskName="SynchronousPermissions"
The problem with this is:
- there is no sp_ms_StartWinodowsScheduledTask system stored procedure
So i'm looking for ideas for better solutions.
Update: The previous example is a problem, that has has no good solution, for five years now. A problem from 3 years ago, that has no good solution is a table that i need to update a meta-data column after an insert/update. The metadata takes too long to calculate in online transaction processing, but i am ok with it appearing 3 or 5 seconds later:
CREATE TRIGGER dbo.UpdateFundsTransferValues FOR INSERT, UPDATE AS
UPDATE FundsTransfers
SET TotalOrderValue = (SELECT ....[snip]....),
TotalDropValue = (SELECT ....,[snip]....)
WHERE FundsTransfers.FundsTransferID IN (
SELECT i.FundsTransferID
FROM INSERTED i
)
And the problem that i'm having today is a way to asychronously update some metadata after a row has been transitionally inserted or modified:
CREATE TRIGGER dbo.UpdateCDRValue FOR INSERT, UPDATE AS
UPDATE LCDs
SET CDRValue = (SELECT ....[snip]....)
WHERE LCDs.LCDGUID IN (
SELECT i.LCDGUID
FROM INSERTED i
)
Update 2: i've thought about creating a native, or managed, dll and using it as an extended stored procedure. The problem with that is:
Use a queue table, and have a different background process pick things up off the queue and process them. The trigger itself is by definition a part of the user's transaction - this is precisely why they are often discouraged (or at least people are warned to not use expensive techniques inside triggers).