if you think you need a cursor in a trigger, you're always, and i mean ALWAYS, looking at the problem wrong.

one of the new feature sin SQL2005 is the COLUMNS_UPDATED function, where you can say, audit changes only of columns 2,4,5 or 6 in your table have been changed.

here's an example to play with:

CREATE TABLE MYADDRESSES(

EMPNO INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,

ENAME VARCHAR(100), --column 2 will not track changes

ADDR1 VARCHAR(100),

ADDR2 VARCHAR(100),

CITY VARCHAR(100),

STATECODE VARCHAR(2),

ZIPCODE VARCHAR(100),

PHONE VARCHAR(20),

MOREDATA VARCHAR(100)) --column 9 will not track changes

CREATE TABLE ADDRESSCHANGES(

EMPNO INT ,

COLCHANGEDBITMASK INT, --example: saved so you can audit which cols actually changed, but they are both here anyway!

OLDENAME VARCHAR(100),

OLDADDR1 VARCHAR(100),

OLDADDR2 VARCHAR(100),

OLDCITY VARCHAR(100),

OLDSTATECODE VARCHAR(2),

OLDZIPCODE VARCHAR(100),

OLDPHONE VARCHAR(20),

NEWENAME VARCHAR(100),

NEWADDR1 VARCHAR(100),

NEWADDR2 VARCHAR(100),

NEWCITY VARCHAR(100),

NEWSTATECODE VARCHAR(2),

NEWZIPCODE VARCHAR(100),

NEWPHONE VARCHAR(20))

GO

--modified from http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic593727-148-1.aspx#bm595054

CREATE TRIGGER TR_MYADDRESSES

ON MYADDRESSES

AFTER UPDATE AS

/*Check whether columns 2 thru 8 have been updated. If any or all

columns 2, 3 or 4 have been changed, create an audit record. The

bitmask is: power(2,(2-1))+power(2,(3-1))+power(2,(4-1)) = 14. To test

whether all columns 2, 3, and 4 are updated, use = 14 instead of > 0

(below).

this one specifically is for 3 thru 8 is:

select power(2,(3-1))

+ power(2,(4-1))

+ power(2,(5-1))

+ power(2,(6-1))

+ power(2,(7-1))

+ power(2,(8-1)) = 252*/

--IF (COLUMNS_UPDATED()) <> 0

IF (substring(COLUMNS_UPDATED(),1,1) & 252 )>0

BEGIN

--inside a trigger, two special tables exist for the duration of the trigger:

--the table INSERTED and the table DELETED

--an UPDATE would have data in both tables...the value WAS DELETED to be replaced with the value from INSERTED

INSERT INTO ADDRESSCHANGES(EMPNO, COLCHANGEDBITMASK, OLDENAME, OLDADDR1, OLDADDR2, OLDCITY, OLDSTATECODE, OLDZIPCODE, OLDPHONE, NEWENAME, NEWADDR1, NEWADDR2, NEWCITY, NEWSTATECODE, NEWZIPCODE, NEWPHONE)

SELECT

DELETED.EMPNO,

COLUMNS_UPDATED(),

DELETED.ENAME,

DELETED.ADDR1,

DELETED.ADDR2,

DELETED.CITY,

DELETED.STATECODE,

DELETED.ZIPCODE,

DELETED.PHONE,

INSERTED.ENAME,

INSERTED.ADDR1,

INSERTED.ADDR2,

INSERTED.CITY,

INSERTED.STATECODE,

INSERTED.ZIPCODE,

INSERTED.PHONE

FROM DELETED

INNER JOIN INSERTED

ON DELETED.EMPNO = DELETED.EMPNO

END;

GO

--insert some test data

INSERT INTO MYADDRESSES( ENAME, ADDR1, ADDR2, CITY, STATECODE, ZIPCODE, PHONE, MOREDATA)

SELECT 'Kalvin','123 My Imagination St','','Miami','FL','33024','555-1212','likes snowmen'

UNION

SELECT 'Hobbes','123 My Imagination St','','Miami','FL','33024','555-1222','likes to tease calvin'

--renaming Calvin doesn't raise the trigger

UPDATE MYADDRESSES SET ENAME='Calvin' where ENAME='Kalvin'

--changing the Address DOES:

UPDATE MYADDRESSES SET ADDR1='123 G.R.O.S.S. Clubhouse' where ENAME='Calvin'

--changing multiple rows at the same time does trigger

UPDATE MYADDRESSES SET STATECODE='NY'

--setting the value to the same value repeating a previous insert:

UPDATE MYADDRESSES SET ADDR1='123 G.R.O.S.S. Clubhouse' where ENAME='Calvin'

select * from MYADDRESSES

select * from ADDRESSCHANGES

drop trigger TR_MYADDRESSES

drop table MYADDRESSES

drop table ADDRESSCHANGES