List All Tables Across All Databases in SQL Server
Jun 29, 2026 / · 9 min read · sql server sys.databases sys.tables sys.schemas sys.partitions dynamic sql cross database catalog views table inventory sp_executesql administration metadata scripts ·A table inventory that spans every database on an instance cannot be answered from one database context, because the table catalog lives inside each database. The pattern below reads the database list from sys.databases, builds one INSERT ... SELECT per online user database against that database's sys.tables and …
Read MoreSystem-Versioned (Temporal) Tables in SQL Server
Jun 19, 2026 / · 8 min read · sql server temporal tables system versioning for system_time history table sys.tables sys.databases point in time query data audit catalog views database structure metadata scripts ·Every UPDATE and DELETE on a system-versioned table leaves a queryable copy of the previous row, with no triggers and no hand-built audit table. SQL Server records the period each row version was valid and answers point-in-time questions through a single FOR SYSTEM_TIME clause. The catalog view sys.tables lists which …
Read MoreSQL Server Database Schema and Data Dictionary Queries
Jun 18, 2026 / · 6 min read · sql server information_schema data dictionary database schema metadata sys.objects sys.columns sys.sql_modules catalog views documentation database structure ansi standard scripts ·Documenting a database starts with a data dictionary: every table, every column, its data type, length, nullability, and default. SQL Server exposes this through the ANSI-standard INFORMATION_SCHEMA views, which produce a portable schema report that reads almost like English and runs unchanged on other ISO-compliant …
Read Moresp_pkeys and Primary Key Metadata in SQL Server
Jun 16, 2026 / · 7 min read · sql server sp_pkeys sys.key_constraints sys.index_columns sys.columns sys.types sys.tables sys.objects sys.schemas information_schema primary keys catalog views metadata database structure scripts ·Which columns make up a table's primary key, and in what order are they declared? For a single table, the system stored procedure sp_pkeys answers in one line; for a database-wide inventory, the catalog views behind it give you full control. This post covers both, from the quick lookup to the complete metadata query. …
Read Moresysindexes vs sys.indexes: Legacy and Modern Catalog Views
Plenty of SQL Server scripts still in circulation read rowcnt and dpages straight out of sysindexes — a habit inherited from SQL Server 2000, where that table was the canonical place to find row counts and page totals. The object survives only as the sys.sysindexes compatibility view, is flagged for removal, and …
Read MoreSQL Server Catalog Views: sys.tables, sys.indexes, sys.objects
Jun 14, 2026 / · 9 min read · sql server catalog views system tables metadata sys.tables sys.indexes sys.objects sys.schemas sys.partitions sys.columns sys.index_columns database structure scripts ·Three catalog views, sys.objects, sys.tables, and sys.indexes, answer most day-to-day questions about what a database contains. This script joins them with sys.schemas and sys.partitions into one inventory: every user table, its schema, its dates, its row count, and each index defined on it. The row count comes from a …
Read MoreSQL Server List All Foreign Keys with Referenced Tables
Every database with foreign keys eventually needs a single inventory: each constraint, the table and column that hold it, and the table and column it points at. This T-SQL script joins sys.foreign_keys to sys.foreign_key_columns, sys.tables, and sys.columns to produce that map for the current database, with one row per …
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