[sql-server] How to ALTER multiple columns at once in SQL Server

If you do the changes in management studio and generate scripts it makes a new table and inserts the old data into that with the changed data types. Here is a small example changing two column’s data types

/*
   12 August 201008:30:39
   User: 
   Server: CLPPRGRTEL01\TELSQLEXPRESS
   Database: Tracker_3
   Application: 
*/

/* To prevent any potential data loss issues, you should review this script in detail before running it outside the context of the database designer.*/
BEGIN TRANSACTION
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
SET ARITHABORT ON
SET NUMERIC_ROUNDABORT OFF
SET CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL ON
SET ANSI_NULLS ON
SET ANSI_PADDING ON
SET ANSI_WARNINGS ON
COMMIT
BEGIN TRANSACTION
GO
ALTER TABLE dbo.tblDiary
    DROP CONSTRAINT FK_tblDiary_tblDiary_events
GO
ALTER TABLE dbo.tblDiary_events SET (LOCK_ESCALATION = TABLE)
GO
COMMIT
BEGIN TRANSACTION
GO
CREATE TABLE dbo.Tmp_tblDiary
    (
    Diary_ID int NOT NULL IDENTITY (1, 1),
    Date date NOT NULL,
    Diary_event_type_ID int NOT NULL,
    Notes varchar(MAX) NULL,
    Expected_call_volumes real NULL,
    Expected_duration real NULL,
    Skill_affected smallint NULL
    )  ON T3_Data_2
     TEXTIMAGE_ON T3_Data_2
GO
ALTER TABLE dbo.Tmp_tblDiary SET (LOCK_ESCALATION = TABLE)
GO
SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.Tmp_tblDiary ON
GO
IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM dbo.tblDiary)
     EXEC('INSERT INTO dbo.Tmp_tblDiary (Diary_ID, Date, Diary_event_type_ID, Notes, Expected_call_volumes, Expected_duration, Skill_affected)
        SELECT Diary_ID, Date, Diary_event_type_ID, CONVERT(varchar(MAX), Notes), Expected_call_volumes, Expected_duration, CONVERT(smallint, Skill_affected) FROM dbo.tblDiary WITH (HOLDLOCK TABLOCKX)')
GO
SET IDENTITY_INSERT dbo.Tmp_tblDiary OFF
GO
DROP TABLE dbo.tblDiary
GO
EXECUTE sp_rename N'dbo.Tmp_tblDiary', N'tblDiary', 'OBJECT' 
GO
ALTER TABLE dbo.tblDiary ADD CONSTRAINT
    PK_tblDiary PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED 
    (
    Diary_ID
    ) WITH( PAD_INDEX = OFF, FILLFACTOR = 86, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS = ON) ON T3_Data_2

GO
CREATE UNIQUE CLUSTERED INDEX tblDiary_ID ON dbo.tblDiary
    (
    Diary_ID
    ) WITH( PAD_INDEX = OFF, FILLFACTOR = 86, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS = ON) ON T3_Data_2
GO
CREATE NONCLUSTERED INDEX tblDiary_date ON dbo.tblDiary
    (
    Date
    ) WITH( PAD_INDEX = OFF, FILLFACTOR = 86, STATISTICS_NORECOMPUTE = OFF, IGNORE_DUP_KEY = OFF, ALLOW_ROW_LOCKS = ON, ALLOW_PAGE_LOCKS = ON) ON T3_Data_2
GO
ALTER TABLE dbo.tblDiary WITH NOCHECK ADD CONSTRAINT
    FK_tblDiary_tblDiary_events FOREIGN KEY
    (
    Diary_event_type_ID
    ) REFERENCES dbo.tblDiary_events
    (
    Diary_event_ID
    ) ON UPDATE  CASCADE 
     ON DELETE  CASCADE 

GO
COMMIT