This question comes up quit often. For example in this thread from dbForums SQL Server forum they are looking to do just that.
The simplest answer is to create a history for every table, then create a trigger for each that will move the entire row of the before image information into history when a DELETE or UPDATE Modification occurs. You could type all of this out manually if you'd like. But I hate typing. So the code below will generate all of the tables and the triggers for you. Now I just have to write one of these things for DB2.
USE Northwind
SET NOCOUNT ON
GO
-- For example purposes, create a sample tables
CREATE TABLE myTable99(Col1 int IDENTITY(1,1), Col2 char(1), Col3 datetime DEFAULT(GetDate()), Col4 decimal(5,2))
CREATE TABLE x002548.myTable99(Col1 int IDENTITY(1,1), Col2 char(1), Col3 datetime DEFAULT(GetDate()), Col4 decimal(5,2))
GO
-- Give the sample tables some data
INSERT INTO myTable99(Col2, Col4)
SELECT 'x', 1 UNION ALL SELECT 'y', 2 UNION ALL SELECT 'z', 3
INSERT INTO x002548.myTable99(Col2, Col4)
SELECT 'a', 24 UNION ALL SELECT 'b', 25 UNION ALL SELECT 'c', 26
--Lets have a look
SELECT 'x002548' AS Source, * FROM x002548.myTable99
UNION ALL
SELECT 'dbo' AS Source, * FROM myTable99
GO
-- CREATE A Driver Table for all Tables in your catalog you wish to audit
CREATE TABLE myAudit99(TABLE_CATALOG sysname, TABLE_SCHEMA sysname, TABLE_NAME sysname)
GO
-- Populate the audit driver table with the table you want...you can use any type of process for this
INSERT INTO myAudit99(TABLE_CATALOG, TABLE_SCHEMA, TABLE_NAME)
SELECT TABLE_CATALOG, TABLE_SCHEMA, TABLE_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Tables
WHERE TABLE_NAME LIKE 'myTable99%'
-- Lets create some audit tables based on the Driver
DECLARE myCursor99 CURSOR
FOR
SELECT TABLE_CATALOG, TABLE_SCHEMA, TABLE_NAME
FROM myAudit99
DECLARE @TABLE_CATALOG sysname, @TABLE_SCHEMA sysname, @TABLE_NAME sysname, @COLUMN_NAMES varchar(8000), @sql varchar(8000)
SELECT @COLUMN_NAMES = ''
OPEN myCursor99
FETCH NEXT FROM myCursor99 INTO @TABLE_CATALOG, @TABLE_SCHEMA, @TABLE_NAME
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
SELECT @SQL = 'CREATE TABLE ' + @TABLE_CATALOG + '.' + @TABLE_SCHEMA + '.' + @TABLE_NAME + '_H ('
+ ' HIST_ADD_DT datetime DEFAULT (getDate()), HIST_ADD_TYPE char(1) NOT NULL'
+ ', HIST_ADD_SYSTEM_USER sysname NOT NULL, HIST_ADD_USER_NAME sysname NOT NULL'
+ ', HIST_ADD_HOSTNAME sysname NOT NULL, HIST_ADD_SPID int NOT NULL, HIST_ADD_DESC varchar(50) '
, @COLUMN_NAMES = @COLUMN_NAMES + ', ' + COLUMN_NAME
+ ' ' + DATA_TYPE
+ CASE WHEN CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH IS NOT NULL THEN '(' + CONVERT(varchar(20),CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH) + ')'
WHEN DATA_TYPE = 'decimal' THEN '(' + CONVERT(varchar(20),NUMERIC_PRECISION) + ','
+ CONVERT(varchar(20),NUMERIC_SCALE) + ')'
ELSE ''
END
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Columns
WHERE TABLE_CATALOG = @TABLE_CATALOG AND TABLE_SCHEMA = @TABLE_SCHEMA AND TABLE_NAME = @TABLE_NAME
ORDER BY ORDINAL_POSITION
SELECT @SQL = @SQL + @COLUMN_NAMES + ')'
EXEC(@SQL)
SELECT @SQL = '', @COLUMN_NAMES = ''
FETCH NEXT FROM myCursor99 INTO @TABLE_CATALOG, @TABLE_SCHEMA, @TABLE_NAME
END
CLOSE myCursor99
DEALLOCATE myCursor99
GO
SELECT *
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Columns
WHERE TABLE_NAME Like 'myTable99%'
ORDER BY TABLE_CATALOG, TABLE_SCHEMA, TABLE_NAME, ORDINAL_POSITION
-- Now Lets create the audit TRIGGERS
DECLARE myCursor99 CURSOR
FOR
SELECT TABLE_CATALOG, TABLE_SCHEMA, TABLE_NAME
FROM myAudit99
DECLARE @TABLE_CATALOG sysname, @TABLE_SCHEMA sysname, @TABLE_NAME sysname, @COLUMN_NAMES varchar(8000), @sql varchar(8000)
SELECT @COLUMN_NAMES = ''
OPEN myCursor99
FETCH NEXT FROM myCursor99 INTO @TABLE_CATALOG, @TABLE_SCHEMA, @TABLE_NAME
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
SELECT @COLUMN_NAMES = @COLUMN_NAMES + ', ' + COLUMN_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Columns
WHERE TABLE_CATALOG = @TABLE_CATALOG AND TABLE_SCHEMA = @TABLE_SCHEMA AND TABLE_NAME = @TABLE_NAME
ORDER BY ORDINAL_POSITION
SELECT @SQL = 'CREATE TRIGGER ' + @TABLE_SCHEMA + '_' + @TABLE_NAME + '_TR ON ' + @TABLE_SCHEMA + '.' +@TABLE_NAME
+ ' FOR UPDATE, DELETE AS '
+ ' DECLARE @HOSTNAME sysname, @DESC varchar(50) '
+ ' SELECT @HOSTNAME = hostname from master.dbo.sysprocesses where spid = @@SPID '
+ ' IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM ' + @TABLE_NAME + ') SELECT @DESC = '
+ '''' + '''' + ' ELSE SELECT @DESC = ' + '''' + 'MASS DELETE' + ''''
+ ' If Exists (Select * From Inserted) And Exists (Select * From Deleted) '
+ ' INSERT INTO ' + @TABLE_NAME + '_H ( '
+ ' HIST_ADD_TYPE, HIST_ADD_SYSTEM_USER, HIST_ADD_USER_NAME, HIST_ADD_HOSTNAME, HIST_ADD_SPID, HIST_ADD_DESC'
+ @COLUMN_NAMES + ')'
+ ' SELECT ''U'', SYSTEM_USER, USER_NAME(), @HOSTNAME, @@SPID, @DESC'
+ @COLUMN_NAMES + ' FROM deleted'
+ ' If Not Exists (Select * From Inserted) And Exists (Select * From Deleted) And @DESC = '''' '
+ ' INSERT INTO ' + @TABLE_NAME + '_H ( '
+ ' HIST_ADD_TYPE, HIST_ADD_SYSTEM_USER, HIST_ADD_USER_NAME, HIST_ADD_HOSTNAME, HIST_ADD_SPID, HIST_ADD_DESC'
+ @COLUMN_NAMES + ')'
+ ' SELECT ''D'', SYSTEM_USER, USER_NAME(), @HOSTNAME, @@SPID, @DESC'
+ @COLUMN_NAMES + ' FROM deleted'
+ ' If Not Exists (Select * From Inserted) And Exists (Select * From Deleted) And @DESC <> '''' '
+ ' INSERT INTO ' + @TABLE_NAME + '_H ( '
+ ' HIST_ADD_TYPE, HIST_ADD_SYSTEM_USER, HIST_ADD_USER_NAME, HIST_ADD_HOSTNAME, HIST_ADD_SPID, HIST_ADD_DESC'
+ @COLUMN_NAMES + ')'
+ ' SELECT TOP 1 ''D'', SYSTEM_USER, USER_NAME(), @HOSTNAME, @@SPID, @DESC'
+ @COLUMN_NAMES + ' FROM deleted'
EXEC(@SQL)
SELECT @SQL = '', @COLUMN_NAMES = ''
FETCH NEXT FROM myCursor99 INTO @TABLE_CATALOG, @TABLE_SCHEMA, @TABLE_NAME
END
CLOSE myCursor99
DEALLOCATE myCursor99
GO
-- Now let's pretend to be an ignorant boss...not to much of a stretch there....
UPDATE myTable99 SET Col2 = 'G'
SELECT * FROM myTable99_H
DELETE FROM myTable99 WHERE Col1 = 1
SELECT * FROM myTable99_H
DELETE FROM x002548.myTable99
SELECT * FROM x002548.myTable99_H
SELECT * FROM myTable99
SELECT * FROM x002548.myTable99
GO
SET NOCOUNT OFF
DROP TABLE myAudit99
DROP TRIGGER dbo_myTable99_TR
DROP TRIGGER x002548_myTable99_TR
DROP TABLE dbo.myTable99
DROP TABLE x002548.myTable99
DROP TABLE dbo.myTable99_H
DROP TABLE x002548.myTable99_H
GO