Temporarily disable all foreign key constraints

Question

I am running an SSIS package which will replace data for a few tables from FlatFiles to existing tables in a database.

My package will truncate the tables and then insert the new data. When I run my SSIS package, I get an exception because of the foreign keys.

Can I disable the constraints, run my import, then re-enable them?

Answer 1

To disable foreign key constraints:

DECLARE @sql NVARCHAR(MAX) = N'';

;WITH x AS 
(
  SELECT DISTINCT obj = 
      QUOTENAME(OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(parent_object_id)) + '.' 
    + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_NAME(parent_object_id)) 
  FROM sys.foreign_keys
)
SELECT @sql += N'ALTER TABLE ' + obj + ' NOCHECK CONSTRAINT ALL;
' FROM x;

EXEC sp_executesql @sql;

To re-enable:

DECLARE @sql NVARCHAR(MAX) = N'';

;WITH x AS 
(
  SELECT DISTINCT obj = 
      QUOTENAME(OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(parent_object_id)) + '.' 
    + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_NAME(parent_object_id)) 
  FROM sys.foreign_keys
)
SELECT @sql += N'ALTER TABLE ' + obj + ' WITH CHECK CHECK CONSTRAINT ALL;
' FROM x;

EXEC sp_executesql @sql;

However, you will not be able to truncate the tables, you will have to delete from them in the right order. If you need to truncate them, you need to drop the constraints entirely, and re-create them. This is simple to do if your foreign key constraints are all simple, single-column constraints, but definitely more complex if there are multiple columns involved.

Here is something you can try. In order to make this a part of your SSIS package you'll need a place to store the FK definitions while the SSIS package runs (you won't be able to do this all in one script). So in some utility database, create a table:

CREATE TABLE dbo.PostCommand(cmd NVARCHAR(MAX));

Then in your database, you can have a stored procedure that does this:

DELETE other_database.dbo.PostCommand;

DECLARE @sql NVARCHAR(MAX) = N'';

SELECT @sql += N'ALTER TABLE ' + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(fk.parent_object_id))
   + '.' + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_NAME(fk.parent_object_id)) 
   + ' ADD CONSTRAINT ' + fk.name + ' FOREIGN KEY (' 
   + STUFF((SELECT ',' + c.name
    FROM sys.columns AS c 
        INNER JOIN sys.foreign_key_columns AS fkc 
        ON fkc.parent_column_id = c.column_id
        AND fkc.parent_object_id = c.[object_id]
    WHERE fkc.constraint_object_id = fk.[object_id]
    ORDER BY fkc.constraint_column_id 
    FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'nvarchar(max)'), 1, 1, '')
+ ') REFERENCES ' + 
QUOTENAME(OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(fk.referenced_object_id))
+ '.' + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_NAME(fk.referenced_object_id))
+ '(' + 
STUFF((SELECT ',' + c.name
    FROM sys.columns AS c 
        INNER JOIN sys.foreign_key_columns AS fkc 
        ON fkc.referenced_column_id = c.column_id
        AND fkc.referenced_object_id = c.[object_id]
    WHERE fkc.constraint_object_id = fk.[object_id]
    ORDER BY fkc.constraint_column_id 
    FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'nvarchar(max)'), 1, 1, '') + ');
' FROM sys.foreign_keys AS fk
WHERE OBJECTPROPERTY(parent_object_id, 'IsMsShipped') = 0;

INSERT other_database.dbo.PostCommand(cmd) SELECT @sql;

IF @@ROWCOUNT = 1
BEGIN
  SET @sql = N'';

  SELECT @sql += N'ALTER TABLE ' + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(fk.parent_object_id))
    + '.' + QUOTENAME(OBJECT_NAME(fk.parent_object_id)) 
    + ' DROP CONSTRAINT ' + fk.name + ';
  ' FROM sys.foreign_keys AS fk;

  EXEC sp_executesql @sql;
END

Now when your SSIS package is finished, it should call a different stored procedure, which does:

DECLARE @sql NVARCHAR(MAX);

SELECT @sql = cmd FROM other_database.dbo.PostCommand;

EXEC sp_executesql @sql;

If you're doing all of this just for the sake of being able to truncate instead of delete, I suggest just taking the hit and running a delete. Maybe use bulk-logged recovery model to minimize the impact of the log. In general I don't see how this solution will be all that much faster than just using a delete in the right order.

In 2014 I published a more elaborate post about this here:

• Drop and Re-Create All Foreign Key Constraints in SQL Server