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sp_help_category (Transact-SQL)

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Applies to: SQL Server

Provides information about the specified classes of jobs, alerts, or operators.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

  
sp_help_category [ [ @class = ] 'class' ]   
     [ , [ @type = ] 'type' ]   
     [ , [ @name = ] 'name' ]   
     [ , [ @suffix = ] suffix ]

Arguments

[ @class = ] 'class' The class about which information is requested. class is varchar(8), with a default value of JOB. class can be one of these values.

Value Description
JOB Provides information about a job category.
ALERT Provides information about an alert category.
OPERATOR Provides information about an operator category.

[ @type = ] 'type' The type of category for which information is requested. type is varchar(12), with a default of NULL, and can be one of these values.

Value Description
LOCAL Local job category.
MULTI -SERVER Multiserver job category.
NONE Category for a class other than JOB.

[ @name = ] 'name' The name of the category for which information is requested. name is sysname, with a default of NULL.

[ @suffix = ] suffix Specifies whether the category_type column in the result set is an ID or a name. suffix is bit, with a default of 0. 1 shows the category_type as a name, and 0 shows it as an ID.

Return Code Values

0 (success) or 1 (failure)

Result Sets

When @suffix is 0, sp_help_category returns the following result set:

Column name Data type Description
category_id int Category ID
category_type tinyint Type of category:

1 = Local

2 = Multiserver

3 = None
name sysname Category name

When @suffix is 1, sp_help_category returns the following result set:

Column name Data type Description
category_id int Category ID
category_type sysname Type of category. One of LOCAL, MULTI-SERVER, or NONE
name sysname Category name

Remarks

sp_help_category must be run from the msdb database.

If no parameters are specified, the result set provides information about all of the job categories.

Permissions

By default, members of the sysadmin fixed server role can execute this stored procedure. Other users must be granted one of the following SQL Server Agent fixed database roles in the msdb database:

  • SQLAgentUserRole

  • SQLAgentReaderRole

  • SQLAgentOperatorRole

For details about the permissions of these roles, see SQL Server Agent Fixed Database Roles.

Examples

A. Returning local job information

The following example returns information about jobs that are administered locally.

USE msdb ;  
GO  
  
EXEC dbo.sp_help_category  
    @type = N'LOCAL' ;  
GO

B. Returning alert information

The following example returns information about the Replication alert category.

USE msdb ;  
GO  
  
EXEC dbo.sp_help_category  
    @class = N'ALERT',  
    @name = N'Replication' ;  
GO

See Also

sp_add_category (Transact-SQL)
sp_delete_category (Transact-SQL)
sp_update_category (Transact-SQL)
System Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)