What is sort order in Dependencies Tree ?

msq

What order are objects sorted in the "Uses" section of the Dependencies tree ? I would have expected them to be either in the same order as they are accessed by the calling object or possibly in alphabetical order. However, they appear to be sorted in a random order.

If you are tracking the operation of a stored procedure by using Dependency Tracker, then it is important to know the order in which objects are accessed, otherwise the outcome would be completely different.

Brian Donahue

Dependency Tracker simply arranges the objects so that they fit in the grid. It uses an algorithm for doing so which is not specifically designed to sort SQL server objects, but rather to keep related objects together as closely as possible. There are a number of layout options, but none of them consider any aspect of the SQL object other than how close related objects should be.

msq

That's a shame, as I think the order in which objects appear has a relevance. If you are looking at the objects used by a stored procedure, the order in which they are called/referenced determines the whole operation of the stored procedure.

Could I suggest that a sort option be provided in a later version of the product. Alternatives could include alphabetic and logical order.

jroh

I would also like to see the used by / uses objects sorted by name. I'm working with a db with many SP's tied to one table