sysindexes 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 Restore Database Script with MOVE
Apr 9, 2026 / · 6 min read · restore database backup recovery dynamic sql sql server restore filelistonly move option database administration scripts ·Restoring a SQL Server database to a different server or folder fails when the file paths recorded in the backup do not exist on the target. The MOVE option of RESTORE DATABASE redirects each data and log file to a path you choose, and this script builds that statement from four variables so it can be previewed before …
Read Moresp_pkeys: SQL Server Primary Key Discovery Script
Aug 9, 2025 / · 3 min read · sql server primary keys database administration scripts sysobjects sp_pkeys dynamic sql sysobjects sys.tables sys.key_constraints INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS ·SQL Server Primary Key Discovery Script Using sp_pkeys and sysobjects Purpose This SQL Server script generates dynamic SQL statements that can be executed to discover primary keys across all user tables in a database. It's a powerful administrative tool that helps database administrators quickly identify primary key …
Read MoreGenerate DBCC SHOWCONTIG Commands for All SQL Server Tables
Before sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats existed, checking fragmentation across a database meant looking up every user table's object ID and running DBCC SHOWCONTIG against each one individually. This script closes that gap for the sysobjects-based era of SQL Server administration: it queries sysobjects for every table of …
Read MoreSQL Server Scripts and Database Commands 6.5, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 10.50, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, 15.0, 16.0, 17.0 The corresponding version numbers: SQL Server 6.5, SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000 (8.0), SQL Server 2005 (9.0), SQL Server 2008 (10.0), SQL Server 2008 R2 (10.50), SQL Server 2012 (11.0), SQL Server 2014 …
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