Home >> FAQs/Tutorials >> SQL Server FAQ

SQL Server FAQ - What Are Views

By: FYIcenter.com

(Continued from previous topic...)

What Are Views?

A view is a database object that represents the data in one or more tables in the same structure as a separate table. Here are some basic rules about views:

• Tables store real data.
• Views do not store real data.
• Views must have underlying tables to provide data.
• Each view is based on a single SELECT statement to control what data to collect from tables, and how data should be represented.
• View's columns can be mapped directly to columns in underlying tables.
• View's columns can be created expressions based multiple columns in underlying tables.
• Views can be used in same way as tables in queries.

(Continued on next topic...)

1. What Are Views?
2. How To Create a View on an Existing Table?
3. How To See Existing Views?
4. How To Drop Existing Views from a Database?
5. How To Get a List of Columns in a View using "sys.columns"?
6. How To Get a List of Columns in a View using the "sp_columns" Stored Procedure?
7. How To Get a List of Columns in a View using the "sp_help" Stored Procedure?
8. How To Generate CREATE VIEW Script on an Existing View?
9. How To Get the Definition of a View Out of the SQL Server?
10. Can You Create a View with Data from Multiple Tables?
11. Can You Create a View using Data from Another View?
12. What Happens If You Delete a Table That Is Used by a View?
13. Can You Use ORDER BY When Defining a View?
14. How To Modify the Underlying Query of an Existing View?
15. Can You Insert Data into a View?
16. Can You Update Data in a View?
17. Can You Delete Data from a View?
18. How To Assign New Column Names in a View?
19. How Column Data Types Are Determined in a View?
20. How To Bind a View to the Schema of the Underlying Tables?
21. How To Create an Index on a View?