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UsingMetadata
ByBillGraziano

on24March2003|2Comments|Tags:DatabaseDesign

ThesimplestdefinitionIcanfindformetadataissimply"dataaboutdata".SQLServerhasanumberof
differentfunctionsthatyoucanusetoqueryyourdatabasestructure.Thisarticlesdiscussesthe
InformationSchemaviewsandfunctionssuchasObjectPropertyandColumnProperty.
TheInformationSchemaviewsarepartoftheSQL92standard.Wepublishedashortarticleonthem
earlier.TheSQL92standarddefinedanumberofviewsthatwouldprovideinformationaboutthe
database.Forexample,there'saviewcalledTABLESthatprovidesinformationaboutthetablesina
database.Youcanqueryitjustlikeanyotherview.Thequery
select *
from pubs.information_schema.tables

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willreturninformationonallthetablesandviewsinthepubsdatabase:
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TABLE_CATALOG
--------------pubs
pubs
...
pubs

TABLE_SCHEMA
--------------dbo
dbo

TABLE_NAME
------------------------authors
discounts

TABLE_TYPE
---------BASE TABLE
BASE TABLE

dbo

titleview

VIEW

Resources
SQLServerResources

Myresultsetalsoincludedsomesystemobjectsthatareusedforreplication.Theseincludetablessuch

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assysarticlesandsyspublications.TheTABLE_CATALOGisthedatabasenameandTABLE_SCHEMAisthe
objectowner.BesuretoincludeINFORMATION_SCHEMAastheowneroftheview.

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AnotherinterestingviewistheCOLUMNSview.Thefollowingquery
select

TABLE_CATALOG,
TABLE_SCHEMA,
TABLE_NAME,
COLUMN_NAME,
DATA_TYPE,
CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH
from pubs.information_schema.columns
where table_name = 'authors'
willreturninformationaboutthecolumnsintheauthorstable:
TABLE_CATALOG
------------pubs
pubs
pubs
pubs
pubs
pubs
pubs
pubs
pubs

TABLE_SCHEMA
-----------dbo
dbo
dbo
dbo
dbo
dbo
dbo
dbo
dbo

TABLE_NAME
---------authors
authors
authors
authors
authors
authors
authors
authors
authors

COLUMN_NAME
----------au_id
au_lname
au_fname
phone
address
city
state
zip
contract

DATA_TYPE
---------varchar
varchar
varchar
char
varchar
varchar
char
char
bit

CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH
-----------------------11
40
20
12
40
20
2
5
NULL

There'sactuallyquiteabitmoreinformationthanthatbutthisisallIcouldfitonthescreen.Thereare
columnsforcolumnordinalposition,nullability,numericprecision,defaults,characterset,sortorder
andanyinformationonuserdefineddatatypes.BelowisatablelistingalltheINFORMATION_SCHEMA
views:
ViewName

Description

CHECK_CONSTRAINTS

Holdsinformationaboutconstraintsinthedatabase

COLUMN_DOMAIN_USAGE

Identifieswhichcolumnsinwhichtablesareuserdefineddatatypes

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COLUMN_PRIVILEGES

Hasonerowforeachcolumnlevelpermissiongrantedtoorbythe
currentuser

COLUMNS

Listsonerowforeachcolumnineachtableorviewinthedatabase

CONSTRAINT_COLUMN_USAGE Listsonerowforeachcolumnthathasaconstraintdefinedonit
CONSTRAINT_TABLE_USAGE

Listsonerowforeachtablethathasaconstraintdefinedonit

DOMAIN_CONSTRAINTS

Liststheuserdefineddatatypesthathaverulesboundtothem

DOMAINS

Liststheuserdefineddatatypes

KEY_COLUMN_USAGE

Listsonerowforeachcolumnthat'sdefinedasakey

PARAMETERS

Listsonerowforeachparameterinastoredprocedureoruserdefined
function

REFERENTIAL_CONSTRAINTS

Listsonerowforeachforeignconstraint

ROUTINES

Listsonerowforeachstoredprocedureoruserdefinedfunction

ROUTINE_COLUMNS

Containsonerowforeachcolumnreturnedbyanytablevalued
functions

SCHEMATA

Containsonerowforeachdatabase

TABLE_CONSTRAINTS

Listsonerowforeachconstraintdefinedinthecurrentdatabase

TABLE_PRIVILEGES

Hasonerowforeachtablelevelpermissiongrantedtoorbythe
currentuser

TABLES

Listsonerowforeachtableorviewinthecurrentdatabase

VIEW_COLUMN_USAGE

Listsonerowforeachcolumninaviewincludingthebasetableofthe
columnwherepossible

VIEW_TABLE_USAGE

Listsonerowforeachtableusedinaview

VIEWS

Listsonerowforeachview

BooksOnlinehasdetailsofeachviewincludingacompletedescriptionoftheresultseteachview
returns.
MetaDataFunctions
SQLServeralsohasanumberoffunctionsthatreturninformationaboutobjectsinthedatabase.One
thatIrecentlyhadanopportunitytouseistheCOLUMNPROPERTYfunction.Runningthefollowingquery
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inNorthwind
SELECT COLUMNPROPERTY( OBJECT_ID('Categories'),'CategoryID','IsIdentity')
returns1whichindicatesthatCategoryIDisanidentitycolumn.Thereareadditionalfunctionsthat
returninformationabouttheidentitycolumn.TheColumnPropertyfunctionhasquiteafewpropertiesit
cancheckincludingnullability,precision,scale,etc.Manyofthesearealsointheinformationschema
viewsbutsomearen't.BooksOnlinehasthecompletelist.
WealsousedtheOBJECT_IDfunctioninthatquery.ManyofthesefunctionsonlyacceptanobjectID
andweusethisfunctiontoreturnanobjectIDgivenanobjectname.TheOBJECT_NAMEfunctionwill
returnthenamegivenanobjectID.
AnotherhandyfunctionistheObjectPropertyfunction.ItworksliketheColumnPropertybuthasmany
morepropertiesitcancheck.Forexample,thefollowingquerywillshowyouwhichtableshave
identities,clusteredindexesandprimarykeys.
select

table_name,
IDNTY = objectproperty(object_id(TABLE_NAME), 'TableHasIdentity'),
CLSTRD = objectproperty(object_id(TABLE_NAME), 'TableHasClustIndex'),
PK = objectproperty(object_id(TABLE_NAME), 'TableHasPrimaryKey')
from information_schema.tables
where table_type = 'base table'
Youcanalsocheckpropertiesforwhetherornotaprimarykeyisaclusteredindex.Prettyhandyona
projectwheredeveloperscancreatetheirowntables.AdditionalfunctionsincludeIndexProperty,
DatabaseProperty,FileGroupProperty,FullTextPropertyandafewothers.BooksOnlinehasadditional
informationaboutthese.
That'smylittletourthroughsomeofthemetadatafunctionsthatSQLServerprovidestogiveyou
informationaboutwhatthestructureofthedatabaselookslike.

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