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Call User-defined Function on Linked Server :SQL Server




If you try to invoke a user-defined function (UDF) through a linked server in SQL Server by using a "four-part naming" convention (server.database.dbo.Function), you may receive error message. 

The reason is User-defined function calls inside a four-part linked server query are not supported in SQL Server. Thats why error message indicates that the syntax of a Transact-SQL statement is incorrect. 

To work around this problem, use the Openquery function instead of the four-part naming convention. For example, instead of the following query

Select * from Linked_Server.database.dbo.Function(10)

run a query with the Openquery function:

Select * from Openquery(Linked_Server,'select database.dbo.Function(10)')
If the user-defined function takes variable or scalar parameters, you can use the sp_executesql stored procedure to avoid this behavior. 
For example:

exec Linked_Server.database.dbo.sp_executesql N'SELECT 
database.dbo.Function(@input)',N'@input int',@input=10
but if you want to use it in a select statement (within some Stored Procedure), then this EXEC command will create some problems for you :)
However this could be resolve easily by creating a user-defined function in your database (not the linked server one)

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].Function_Name(@Parameter INT) 

RETURNS VARCHAR(8000)

AS

BEGIN

DECLARE @word sysname

EXEC LinkedServer.DatabaseName.dbo.sp_executesql

N'SELECT DatabaseName.dbo.Function_Name(@Parameter)' --dynamic sql query to execute

,N'@Parameter int' --parameter definitions

,@Parameter=@word OUTPUT --assigning the caller procs local variable to the dynamic parameter

RETURN @word

END


In order to run the above function, you have set RPC Out value of that particular linked server to be True.


Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 20, 2013 at 6:14 PM

    The last code snipet is INCORRECT that is not possible

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sheikh M. HarisApril 3, 2013 at 5:21 PM

    Its a working sample. I have used it myself in SQL Server 2005.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Popat TesterJuly 26, 2013 at 12:55 PM

    Didnt work for me on SQL Server 2008

    ReplyDelete
  4. kchuOctober 4, 2013 at 8:27 AM

    Remote function calls are not allowed within a function.

    ReplyDelete
  5. phil sellarsNovember 7, 2013 at 12:57 PM

    I get the error Remote function calls are not allowed within a function

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sheikh M. HarisDecember 6, 2017 at 11:03 PM

    In order to run the above function, you have set RPC Out value of that particular linked server to be True. Check the attached image in the end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJanuary 17, 2018 at 7:48 PM

      already set the RPC out, still don't work for SQL 2012. "Remote function calls are not allowed within a function."

      Delete
    2. UnknownJanuary 17, 2018 at 7:48 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  7. UnknownFebruary 6, 2018 at 5:14 AM

    I get an error "Remote function calls are not allowed within a function." . I am running this in SQL Server 2016 and setup my linked server's RPC Out to True.

    Sheikh M. Haris, did you try this in SQL Server version greater than 2005 ?

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownAugust 21, 2018 at 6:44 AM

    I also received the same error "Remote function calls are not allowed within a function."
    Running from SQL 2005, linked server is SQL 2014.
    RPC Out is already True.

    ReplyDelete

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