SQL Server List of Tables for Dev: Complete Guide, Tips, and Tricks

Dear Dev, if you’re working with SQL Server, you need to know how to manage and work with tables. Tables are the backbone of the relational databases, and they store all the data in a structured manner. In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to know about SQL Server list of tables, how to create and manage them, and how to optimize their performance.

What is a SQL Server Table?

A SQL Server table is a database object that stores data in a structured way. Each table is composed of columns and rows. Columns define the structure of the data, while rows contain the actual data. Tables are the most essential elements of a relational database because they allow you to store, manage, and manipulate data efficiently.

Tables in SQL Server are created using the CREATE TABLE statement. You need to specify the name of the table, the name of the columns, and their data types. Here’s an example:

Column Name	Data Type
id	int
name	varchar(50)
age	int

In this example, we created a table named “people” with three columns: “id”, “name”, and “age”. The “id” column has an integer data type, while the “name” column has a variable-length character data type with a maximum length of 50. The “age” column has an integer data type as well.

How to List Tables in SQL Server?

Listing tables in SQL Server is easy. You can do it using either the SQL Server Management Studio or the Transact-SQL (T-SQL) language. Here are the steps:

Using SQL Server Management Studio

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio.

2. Connect to the SQL Server instance where your tables are stored.

3. Expand the Databases folder.

4. Select the database where your tables are stored.

5. Expand the Tables folder.

6. You should see a list of all the tables in that database.

Using Transact-SQL

You can also list tables in SQL Server using Transact-SQL. Here’s an example:

SELECT TABLE_NAME FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES WHERE TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'

This query returns the names of all the base tables in the current database. You can modify it to suit your needs, depending on what information you need to retrieve.

How to Create a Table in SQL Server?

Creating a table in SQL Server is a straightforward process. Here’s an example:

CREATE TABLE dbo.People(ID INT PRIMARY KEY,FirstName VARCHAR(50),LastName VARCHAR(50),Age INT);

In this example, we created a table named “People” with four columns: “ID”, “FirstName”, “LastName”, and “Age”. The “ID” column is the primary key, which means that it uniquely identifies each row in the table. The “FirstName” and “LastName” columns have a variable-length character data type with a maximum length of 50, while the “Age” column has an integer data type.

You can also use the SQL Server Management Studio to create tables visually. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio.

2. Connect to the SQL Server instance where you want to create the table.

3. Expand the Databases folder.

4. Right-click on the database where you want to create the table and select “New Table”.

5. Enter the name of the table and the names of the columns.

6. Set the data type and other properties for each column.

7. Set the primary key and any other constraints.

8. Save the table.

How to Modify a Table in SQL Server?

You can modify a table in SQL Server using the ALTER TABLE statement. Here’s an example:

ALTER TABLE dbo.PeopleADD Email VARCHAR(50)GO

In this example, we added a new column named “Email” to the “People” table. You can also modify existing columns by changing their data type or other properties.

How to Delete a Table in SQL Server?

You can delete a table in SQL Server using the DROP TABLE statement. Here’s an example:

DROP TABLE dbo.People

In this example, we deleted the “People” table from the database. Be careful when using this statement because it is irreversible and deletes all the data in the table.

SQL Server List of Tables FAQ

Q: How do I find the size of a SQL Server table?

A: You can find the size of a SQL Server table using the sp_spaceused system stored procedure. Here’s an example:

EXEC sp_spaceused 'dbo.People'

This query returns the size of the “People” table, including the data and indexes.

Q: How do I add a primary key to a SQL Server table?

A: You can add a primary key to a SQL Server table using the ALTER TABLE statement. Here’s an example:

ALTER TABLE dbo.PeopleADD CONSTRAINT pk_People PRIMARY KEY (ID)

In this example, we added a primary key constraint to the “ID” column in the “People” table.

Q: How do I rename a SQL Server table?

A: You can rename a SQL Server table using the sp_rename system stored procedure. Here’s an example:

EXEC sp_rename 'dbo.People', 'NewPeople'

In this example, we renamed the “People” table to “NewPeople”.

Q: How do I backup a SQL Server table?

A: You can backup a SQL Server table using the SQL Server Management Studio or the T-SQL BACKUP statement. Here’s an example:

BACKUP DATABASE [YourDatabase]TODISK = N'C:\YourBackupPath.bak'WITH NOFORMAT, NOINIT,NAME = N'Full Database Backup',SKIP, NOREWIND, NOUNLOAD,STATS = 10

In this example, we backed up the entire database to a backup file named “YourBackupPath.bak”.

Q: How do I restore a SQL Server table?

A: You can restore a SQL Server table using the SQL Server Management Studio or the T-SQL RESTORE statement. Here’s an example:

RESTORE DATABASE [YourDatabase]FROMDISK = N'C:\YourBackupPath.bak'WITHFILE = 1,MOVE N'YourDataFile' TO N'C:\YourNewDataPath.mdf',MOVE N'YourLogFile' TO N'C:\YourNewLogPath.ldf',NOUNLOAD,STATS = 10

In this example, we restored the entire database from a backup file named “YourBackupPath.bak”.

Conclusion

In this article, we covered everything you need to know about SQL Server list of tables. We showed you how to create, modify, and delete tables, how to list tables using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL, and how to optimize their performance. We also provided some useful FAQ to help you solve common problems when working with tables. We hope you found this article helpful, and feel free to share your comments and feedback.