What is the best way to get the names of all of the tables in a specific database on SQL Server?
What is the best way to get the names of all of the tables in a specific database on SQL Server?
SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 or 2019:
SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES WHERE TABLE_TYPE='BASE TABLE'
To show only tables from a particular database
SELECT TABLE_NAME
FROM [<DATABASE_NAME>].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'
Or,
SELECT TABLE_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'
AND TABLE_CATALOG='dbName' --(for MySql, use: TABLE_SCHEMA='dbName' )
PS: For SQL Server 2000:
SELECT * FROM sysobjects WHERE xtype='U'
SELECT sobjects.name
FROM sysobjects sobjects
WHERE sobjects.xtype = 'U'
Here is a list of other object types you can search for as well:
SELECT name
FROM sysobjects
WHERE xtype='U'
ORDER BY name;
(SQL Server 2000 standard; still supported in SQL Server 2005.)
The downside of INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES is that it also includes system tables such as dtproperties and the MSpeer_... tables, with no way to tell them apart from your own tables.
I would recommend using sys.objects (the new version of the deprecated sysobjects view), which does support excluding the system tables:
select *
from sys.objects
where type = 'U' -- User tables
and is_ms_shipped = 0 -- Exclude system tables
Well you can use sys.objects to get all database objects.
GO
select * from sys.objects where type_desc='USER_TABLE' order by name
GO
OR
-- For all tables
select * from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
GO
--- For user defined tables
select * from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES where TABLE_TYPE='BASE TABLE'
GO
--- For Views
select * from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES where TABLE_TYPE='VIEW'
GO
Any of the T-SQL code below will work in SQL Server 2019:
-- here, you need to prefix the database name in INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
SELECT TABLE_NAME FROM [MSSQL-TEST].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES;
-- The next 2 ways will require you to point
-- to the specific database you want to list the tables
USE [MSSQL-TEST];
-- (1) Using sys.tables
SELECT * FROM sys.tables;
-- (2) Using sysobjects
SELECT * FROM sysobjects
WHERE type='U';
Here’s a working example using [Skyvia] using sys.tables.
[Skyvia] should be the link to https://skyvia.com/connectors/sql-server
[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/o3qo9.png
Your SQL GUI tool should also have a way to list down all the tables in a database like the one above.
So, whatever suits your need and taste, there’s a code or GUI tool for that.
In SSMS, to get all fully qualified table names in a specific database (E.g., "MyDatabase"):
SELECT [TABLE_CATALOG] + '.' + [TABLE_SCHEMA] + '.' + [TABLE_NAME]
FROM MyDatabase.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Tables
WHERE [TABLE_TYPE] = 'BASE TABLE' and [TABLE_NAME] <> 'sysdiagrams'
ORDER BY [TABLE_SCHEMA], [TABLE_NAME]
Results:
Please use this. You will get table names along with schema names:
SELECT SYSSCHEMA.NAME, SYSTABLE.NAME
FROM SYS.tables SYSTABLE
INNER JOIN SYS.SCHEMAS SYSSCHEMA
ON SYSTABLE.SCHEMA_ID = SYSSCHEMA.SCHEMA_ID
Using SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS also shows you all tables and related columns.
To remove tables added by replication and any other table Microsoft adds run this:
SELECT s.NAME SchemaName, t.NAME TableName
FROM [dbname].SYS.tables t
INNER JOIN [dbname].SYS.SCHEMAS s
ON t.SCHEMA_ID = s.SCHEMA_ID
WHERE t.is_ms_shipped=0 and type_desc = 'USER_TABLE'
ORDER BY s.NAME, t.NAME