SA0202 : The text and image functions TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID are deprecated

Using deprecated functions like TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID in SQL Server may lead to compatibility issues as they could be removed in future versions.

Description

In SQL Server, the use of deprecated functions can lead to compatibility issues and maintenance challenges. Functions like TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID are outdated and may be removed in future releases. This could disrupt applications that rely on them.

For example:

SQL
Copy
1-- Example of deprecated function usage
2SELECT TEXTVALID('SomeTable', SomeColumn) FROM SomeTable;

Using such functions is problematic because:

  • They create future compatibility issues since they might not be supported in upcoming SQL Server versions.

  • They hinder performance optimization and modern code practices which leverage new SQL Server features.

How to fix

Avoid using deprecated functions like TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID in SQL Server to ensure compatibility and performance optimization.

Follow these steps to address the issue:

  1. Identify any queries using TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID by searching your database scripts or application code.

  2. Replace the deprecated functions with modern alternatives or refactor the logic using supported SQL Server features. Consider using varbinary(max), nvarchar(max), or other suitable data types and functions.

  3. Test the updated queries to ensure they return the expected results and perform optimally.

  4. Plan to regularly review and update your codebase to maintain compatibility with the latest SQL Server versions.

For example:

SQL
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1-- Example of corrected query using modern SQL Server features
2SELECT DATALENGTH(SomeColumn) FROM SomeTable;

Scope

The rule has a Batch scope and is applied only on the SQL script.

Parameters

Rule has no parameters.

Remarks

The rule does not need Analysis Context or SQL Connection.

Effort To Fix
3 hours per issue.
Categories

Deprecated Features, Bugs

Additional Information
Example Test SQL
SQL
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1select  pub_id,
2        TEXTPTR(pr_info),
3        'Valid (if 1) Text data' = TEXTVALID('pub_info.logo',TEXTPTR(logo))
4from pub_info
5order by pub_id;
Analysis Results
  Message Line Column
1 SA0202 : The text and image functions TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID are deprecated. 2 8
2 SA0202 : The text and image functions TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID are deprecated. 3 35
3 SA0202 : The text and image functions TEXTPTR and TEXTVALID are deprecated. 3 61
See Also

Other Resources

Analysis Rules