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sp_help (Transact-SQL)

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance

Reports information about a database object (any object listed in the sys.sysobjects compatibility view), a user-defined data type, or a data type.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

sp_help [ [ @objname = ] N'objname' ]
[ ; ]

Arguments

[ @objname = ] N'objname'

The name of any object, in sys.sysobjects or any user-defined data type in the sys.systypes table. @objname is nvarchar(776), with a default of NULL. Database names aren't acceptable. Two or three part names might be delimited, such as Person.AddressType or [Person].[AddressType].

Return code values

0 (success) or 1 (failure).

Result set

The result sets that are returned depend on whether @name is specified, when it's specified, and which database object it is.

  1. If sp_help is executed with no arguments, summary information of objects of all types that exist in the current database is returned.

    Column name Data type Description
    Name nvarchar(128) Object name
    Owner nvarchar(128) Object owner (The database principal that owns object. Defaults to the owner of the schema that contains the object.)
    Object_type nvarchar(31) Object type

  2. If @name is a SQL Server data type or user-defined data type, sp_help returns this result set.

    Column name Data type Description
    Type_name nvarchar(128) Data type name.
    Storage_type nvarchar(128) SQL Server type name.
    Length smallint Physical length of the data type (in bytes).
    Prec int Precision (total number of digits).
    Scale int Number of digits to the right of the decimal.
    Nullable varchar(35) Indicates whether NULL values are allowed: Yes or No.
    Default_name nvarchar(128) Name of a default bound to this type.

    NULL = No default is bound.
    Rule_name nvarchar(128) Name of a rule bound to this type.

    NULL = No default is bound.
    Collation sysname Collation of the data type. NULL for non-character data types.

  3. If @name is any database object other than a data type, sp_help returns this result set and also additional result sets, based on the type of object specified.

    Column name Data type Description
    Name nvarchar(128) Table name
    Owner nvarchar(128) Table owner
    Type nvarchar(31) Table type
    Created_datetime datetime Date table created

    Depending on the database object specified, sp_help returns additional result sets.

    If @name is a system table, user table, or view, sp_help returns the following result sets. However, the result set that describes where the data file is located on a file group isn't returned for a view.

    • The following result set is also returned on column objects:

      Column name Data type Description
      Column_name nvarchar(128) Column name.
      Type nvarchar(128) Column data type.
      Computed varchar(35) Indicates whether the values in the column are computed: Yes or No.
      Length int Column length in bytes.

      Note: If the column data type is a large value type (varchar(max), nvarchar(max), varbinary(max), or xml), the value displays as -1.
      Prec char(5) Column precision.
      Scale char(5) Column scale.
      Nullable varchar(35) Indicates whether NULL values are allowed in the column: Yes or No.
      TrimTrailingBlanks varchar(35) Trim the trailing blanks. Returns Yes or No.
      FixedLenNullInSource varchar(35) This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.
      Collation sysname Collation of the column. NULL for noncharacter data types.

    • The following result set is also returned on identity columns:

      Column name Data type Description
      Identity nvarchar(128) Column name whose data type is declared as identity.
      Seed numeric Starting value for the identity column.
      Increment numeric Increment to use for values in this column.
      Not For Replication int IDENTITY property isn't enforced when a replication login, such as sqlrepl, inserts data into the table:

      1 = True
      0 = False

    • The following result set is also returned on columns:

      Column name Data type Description
      RowGuidCol sysname Name of the global unique identifier column.

    • The following result set is also returned on filegroups:

      Column name Data type Description
      Data_located_on_filegroup nvarchar(128) Filegroup in which the data is located: Primary, Secondary, or Transaction Log.

    • The following result set is also returned on indexes:

      Column name Data type Description
      index_name sysname Index name.
      Index_description varchar(210) Description of the index.
      index_keys nvarchar(2078) Column names on which the index is built. Returns NULL for memory optimized columnstore indexes.

    • The following result set is also returned on constraints:

      Column name Data type Description
      constraint_type nvarchar(146) Type of constraint.
      constraint_name nvarchar(128) Name of the constraint.
      delete_action nvarchar(9) Indicates whether the DELETE action is one of NO_ACTION, CASCADE, SET_NULL, SET_DEFAULT, or N/A.

      Only applicable to FOREIGN KEY constraints.
      update_action nvarchar(9) Indicates whether the UPDATE action is one of NO_ACTION, CASCADE, SET_NULL, SET_DEFAULT, or N/A.

      Only applicable to FOREIGN KEY constraints.
      status_enabled varchar(8) Indicates whether the constraint is enabled: Enabled, Disabled, or N/A.

      Only applicable to CHECK and FOREIGN KEY constraints.
      status_for_replication varchar(19) Indicates whether the constraint is for replication.

      Only applicable to CHECK and FOREIGN KEY constraints.
      constraint_keys nvarchar(2078) Names of the columns that make up the constraint or, in the case for defaults and rules, the text that defines the default or rule.

    • The following result set is also returned on referencing objects:

      Column name Data type Description
      Table is referenced by nvarchar(516) Identifies other database objects that reference the table.

    • The following result set is also returned on stored procedures, functions, or extended stored procedures.

      Column name Data type Description
      Parameter_name nvarchar(128) Stored procedure parameter name.
      Type nvarchar(128) Data type of the stored procedure parameter.
      Length smallint Maximum physical storage length, in bytes.
      Prec int Precision or total number of digits.
      Scale int Number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
      Param_order smallint Order of the parameter.

Remarks

The sp_help procedure looks for an object in the current database only.

When @name isn't specified, sp_help lists object names, owners, and object types for all objects in the current database. sp_helptrigger provides information about triggers.

sp_help exposes only orderable index columns; therefore, it doesn't expose information about XML indexes or spatial indexes.

Permissions

Requires membership in the public role. The user must have at least one permission on @objname. To view column constraint keys, defaults, or rules, you must have VIEW DEFINITION permission on the table.

Examples

The code samples in this article use the AdventureWorks2022 or AdventureWorksDW2022 sample database, which you can download from the Microsoft SQL Server Samples and Community Projects home page.

A. Return information about all objects

The following example lists information about each object in the master database.

USE master;
GO

EXECUTE sp_help;
GO

B. Return information about a single object

The following example displays information about the Person.Person table.

USE AdventureWorks2022;
GO

EXECUTE sp_help 'Person.Person';
GO

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