How to keep history of SQL Server stored procedure revisions

While I am in full agreement that source control is the right way to do this, I also understand that not all environments are disciplined enough to rely on that alone (if at all), and that sometimes changes have to made directly to keep the app running, save a client, what have you.

You can use a DDL trigger to keep all revisions in a table in a separate database (and of course back up that database frequently). Assuming you have a utility database:

USE Utility;
GO


CREATE TABLE dbo.ProcedureChanges
(
    EventDate    DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    EventType    NVARCHAR(100),
    EventDDL     NVARCHAR(MAX),
    DatabaseName NVARCHAR(255),
    SchemaName   NVARCHAR(255),
    ObjectName   NVARCHAR(255),
    HostName     NVARCHAR(255),
    IPAddress    VARCHAR(32),
    ProgramName  NVARCHAR(255),
    LoginName    NVARCHAR(255)
);

Now in your database, first let's grab what we'll call "initial control" - the current version of the stored procedures:

USE YourDB;
GO

INSERT Utility.dbo.ProcedureChanges
(
    EventType,
    EventDDL,
    DatabaseName,
    SchemaName,
    ObjectName
)
SELECT
    N'Initial control',
    OBJECT_DEFINITION([object_id]),
    DB_NAME(),
    OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME([object_id]),
    OBJECT_NAME([object_id])
FROM
    sys.procedures;

Now to capture subsequent changes, add a DDL trigger to the database:

USE YourDB;
GO

CREATE TRIGGER CaptureStoredProcedureChanges
    ON DATABASE
    FOR CREATE_PROCEDURE, ALTER_PROCEDURE, DROP_PROCEDURE
AS
BEGIN
    SET NOCOUNT ON;

    DECLARE @EventData XML = EVENTDATA(), @ip VARCHAR(32);

    SELECT @ip = client_net_address
        FROM sys.dm_exec_connections
        WHERE session_id = @@SPID;

    INSERT Utility.dbo.ProcedureChanges
    (
        EventType,
        EventDDL,
        SchemaName,
        ObjectName,
        DatabaseName,
        HostName,
        IPAddress,
        ProgramName,
        LoginName
    )
    SELECT
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/EventType)[1]',   'NVARCHAR(100)'), 
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/TSQLCommand)[1]', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'),
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/SchemaName)[1]',  'NVARCHAR(255)'), 
        @EventData.value('(/EVENT_INSTANCE/ObjectName)[1]',  'NVARCHAR(255)'),
        DB_NAME(), HOST_NAME(), @ip, PROGRAM_NAME(), SUSER_SNAME();
END
GO

Over time it will become easy to see and compare changes to procedures, watch new procedures get added to the system, see procedures get dropped, and have a good idea of who to talk to about any of these events.

More information here:

http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/2085/sql-server-ddl-triggers-to-track-all-database-changes/

I don't think that there is any way to automatigally keep your SQL Source Code under version control. I mean with Native SQL Server tools. I think you could end up using git or svn, but the best solution for me was to buy Red Gate's Source Control for keeping databases (and stored procedures) under version control.