COLUMNS (T-SQL)

Contains one row for each column accessible to the current user in the current database. The INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS view is based on the sysobjects, spt_data type_info, systypes, syscolumns, syscomments, sysconfigures, and syscharsets system tables.

To retrieve information from these views, specify the fully qualified name of INFORMATION_SCHEMA view_name.

Column name Data type Description
TABLE_CATALOG nvarchar(128) Table qualifier.
TABLE_SCHEMA nvarchar(128) Table owner.
TABLE_NAME nvarchar(128) Table name.
COLUMN_NAME nvarchar(128) Column name.
ORDINAL_POSITION smallint Column identification number.
COLUMN_DEFAULT nvarchar(4000) Default value of the column.
IS_NULLABLE varchar(3) Nullability of the column. If this column allows NULL,  this column returns YES. Otherwise, NO is returned.
DATA_TYPE nvarchar(128) System-supplied data type.
CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH smallint Maximum length, in characters, for binary data, character data, or text and image data. Otherwise, NULL is returned. For more information, see Data Types.
CHARACTER_OCTET_LENGTH smallint Maximum length, in bytes, for binary data, character data, or text and image data. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
NUMERIC_PRECISION tinyint Precision of approximate numeric data, exact numeric data, integer data, or monetary data. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
NUMERIC_PRECISION_RADIX smallint Precision radix of approximate numeric data, exact numeric data, integer data, or monetary data. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
NUMERIC_SCALE tinyint Scale of approximate numeric data, exact numeric data, integer data, or monetary data. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
DATETIME_PRECISION smallint Subtype code for datetime and SQL-92 interval data types. For other data types, NULL is returned.
CHARACTER_SET_CATALOG varchar(6) Returns master, indicating the database in which the character set is located, if the column is character data or text data type. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
CHARACTER_SET_SCHEMA varchar(3) Returns DBO, indicating the owner name of the character set, if the column is character data or text data type. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
CHARACTER_SET_NAME nvarchar(128) Returns the unique name for the character set if this column is character data or text data type. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
COLLATION_CATALOG varchar(6) Returns master, indicating the database in which the sort order is defined, if the column is character data or text data type. Otherwise, this column is NULL.
COLLATION_SCHEMA varchar(3) Returns DBO, indicating the owner of the sort order for character data or text data type. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
COLLATION_NAME nvarchar(128) Returns the unique name for the sort order if the column is character data or text data type. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
DOMAIN_CATALOG nvarchar(128) If the column is a user-defined data type, this column is the database name in which the user-defined data type was created. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
DOMAIN_SCHEMA nvarchar(128) If the column is a user-defined data type, this column is the creator of the user-defined data type. Otherwise, NULL is returned.
DOMAIN_NAME nvarchar(128) If the column is a user-defined data type, this column is the name of the user-defined data type. Otherwise, NULL is returned.

See Also
syscharsets sysconfigures
syscolumns sysobjects
syscomments systypes

  


(c) 1988-98 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.