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view-the-table-definition.md

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title View the Table Definition
description Learn how to view the definition of a database table.
author WilliamDAssafMSFT
ms.author wiassaf
ms.date 07/19/2024
ms.service sql
ms.subservice table-view-index
ms.topic how-to
ms.custom
ignite-2025
helpviewer_keywords
showing table properties
displaying table properties
tables [SQL Server], properties
viewing table properties
monikerRange >=aps-pdw-2016 || =azuresqldb-current || =azure-sqldw-latest || >=sql-server-2016 || >=sql-server-linux-2017 || =azuresqldb-mi-current || =fabric-sqldb

View the Table Definition

[!INCLUDE sqlserver2016-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw-fabricsqldb]

You can display properties for a table in [!INCLUDE ssnoversion] by using [!INCLUDE ssManStudioFull] or [!INCLUDE tsql].

Permissions

You can only see properties in a table if you either own the table or have been granted permissions to that table.

Use SQL Server Management Studio

Show table properties in the Properties window

  1. In Object Explorer, select the table for which you want to show properties.

  2. Right-click the table and select Properties from the shortcut menu. For more information, see Table Properties - SSMS.

Generate the CREATE TABLE script for an existing table

You can script out existing objects from the Object Explorer in SSMS. For more information, see Generate Scripts.

Use Transact-SQL

Use sp_help

  1. In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of [!INCLUDE ssDE].

  2. On the Standard bar, select New Query.

  3. Copy and paste the following example into the query window and select Execute. The example executes the system stored procedure sp_help to return all column information for the specified object. For more information, see sp_help.

EXEC sp_help 'dbo.mytable';

Tip

By default, SSMS maps a keyboard shortcut for sp_help to the Alt-F1. Highlight the name of the object in a script you want to see, for example dbo.mytable, and hit Alt-F1 to execute the previous script sample. For more information, see SSMS keyboard shortcuts.

Use system catalog views

You could alternatively query the system catalog views directly to query object metadata information about tables, schema, and columns. For example:

SELECT s.name as schema_name, t.name as table_name, c.* FROM sys.columns AS c
INNER JOIN sys.tables AS t ON t.object_id = c.object_id
INNER JOIN sys.schemas AS s ON s.schema_id = t.schema_id
WHERE t.name = 'mytable' AND s.name = 'dbo';

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