How to retrieve ALIAS definitions used by SQL Server from command line

Question

Hi

I need to obtain the ALIAS definitions from a SQL Server installation for further processing. So anything that has to do with interface doesn't help.

In some installations I can fetch the ALIAS definitions from registry by executing

reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Client\ConnectTo
reg query HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Client\ConnectTo
reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Client\ConnectTo
reg query HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Client\ConnectTo

Unfortunately this doesn't work on some SQLServer installation (i.e. 14.00.3162).

Is there any other way to get the ALIAS definitions ? Maybe by running a query against a system table ?

Andreas

Answer 1

It looks like newer SQL Server versions store the ALIAS definitions somewhere else.

SQL Server don't store it, it's still a client setting in registry and independent of the used SQL Server version(s).
Nothing has changed, the alias defintion is still stored in registry at the same place.
And if you don't get one, then because no alias is defined.

Answer 2

What you are describing are "aliases" coming from the SQL Server Native Client. The SQL Server Database Engine has no knowledge of these aliases.

If you do not find any references in the registry, it is possible you are using "DNS" aliases. In which case, you will not find this in the SQL Server registry.