Create a Basic SQL Server 2005 Trigger to Send E-mail Alerts

Feb 5, 2008 · 2 min read  ·
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For as many times as I have read about sending e-mails using SQL Server triggers, I've rarely come across actual code samples. After someone asked for a "Triggers for Dummies" example in a Facebook SQL group, I created the following example which uses a trigger to alert a manager that an expensive item has been entered into inventory.

First, if SQL Mail isn't enabled and a profile hasn't been created, we must do so.

use master go sp_configure 'show advanced options',1 go reconfigure with override go sp_configure 'Database Mail XPs',1 go reconfigure go

--//Now create the mail profile. CHANGE @email_address,@display_name and @mailserver_name VALUES to support your environment EXECUTE msdb.dbo.sysmail_add_account_sp @account_name = 'DBMailAccount', @email_address = '[email protected]', @display_name = 'SQL Server Mailer', @mailserver_name = 'exchangeServer'

EXECUTE msdb.dbo.sysmail_add_profile_sp @profile_name = 'DBMailProfile'

EXECUTE msdb.dbo.sysmail_add_profileaccount_sp @profile_name = 'DBMailProfile', @account_name = 'DBMailAccount', @sequence_number = 1 ;

Now that SQL will support sending e-mails, let's create the sample table. This is not a useful or well designed table by any means -- it's just a simple example table:

CREATE TABLE dbo.inventory ( item varchar(50), price money ) GO

Now that SQL mail and the table are setup, we will create a trigger that does the following:

  • Creates an AFTER INSERT trigger named expensiveInventoryMailer on the inventory table. This means that the trigger will be executed after the data has been entered.
  • Checks for items being entered that have a price of $1000 or more
  • If there is a match, an email is sent using the SQL Mail profile we used above.

CREATE TRIGGER expensiveInventoryMailer ON dbo.inventory AFTER INSERT AS

DECLARE @price money DECLARE @item varchar(50)

SET @price = (SELECT price FROM inserted) SET @item = (SELECT item FROM inserted)

IF @price >= 1000 BEGIN DECLARE @msg varchar(500) SET @msg = 'Expensive item "' + @item + '" entered into inventory at $' + CAST(@price as varchar(10)) + '.' --// CHANGE THE VALUE FOR @recipients EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_send_dbmail @recipients=N'[email protected]', @body= @msg, @subject = 'SQL Server Trigger Mail', @profile_name = 'DBMailProfile' END GO

The only way to test a trigger is to add actual data, so let's do that here: insert into inventory (item,price) values ('Vase',100) insert into inventory (item,price) values ('Oven',1000)

Your email should arrive very quickly. If it doesn't, check the SQL Server mail log in SQL Management Studio by running SELECT * FROM sysmail_allitems.

Have fun!