959
votes

What is the best way to get the names of all of the tables in a specific database on SQL Server?

17

17 Answers

1530
votes

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' 
201
votes
SELECT sobjects.name
FROM sysobjects sobjects
WHERE sobjects.xtype = 'U'

Here is a list of other object types you can search for as well:

  • AF: Aggregate function (CLR)
  • C: CHECK constraint
  • D: Default or DEFAULT constraint
  • F: FOREIGN KEY constraint
  • L: Log
  • FN: Scalar function
  • FS: Assembly (CLR) scalar-function
  • FT: Assembly (CLR) table-valued function
  • IF: In-lined table-function
  • IT: Internal table
  • P: Stored procedure
  • PC: Assembly (CLR) stored-procedure
  • PK: PRIMARY KEY constraint (type is K)
  • RF: Replication filter stored procedure
  • S: System table
  • SN: Synonym
  • SQ: Service queue
  • TA: Assembly (CLR) DML trigger
  • TF: Table function
  • TR: SQL DML Trigger
  • TT: Table type
  • U: User table
  • UQ: UNIQUE constraint (type is K)
  • V: View
  • X: Extended stored procedure
95
votes
SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES 

OR

SELECT * FROM Sys.Tables
31
votes
USE YourDBName
GO 
SELECT *
FROM sys.Tables
GO

OR

USE YourDBName
GO
SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES 
GO
11
votes
SELECT * FROM information_schema.tables
where TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'

SQL Server 2012

9
votes
exec sp_msforeachtable 'print ''?'''
9
votes
SELECT name 
FROM sysobjects 
WHERE xtype='U' 
ORDER BY name;

(SQL Server 2000 standard; still supported in SQL Server 2005.)

8
votes

select * from sysobjects where xtype='U'

6
votes
SELECT sobjects.name
FROM sysobjects sobjects
WHERE sobjects.xtype = 'U' 
5
votes

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
4
votes

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
2
votes
--for oracle
select tablespace_name, table_name from all_tables;

This link can provide much more information on this topic

2
votes

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:

  • MyDatabase.dbo.MyTable1
  • MyDatabase.dbo.MyTable2
  • MyDatabase.MySchema.MyTable3
  • MyDatabase.MySchema.MyTable4
  • etc.
2
votes

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
1
votes
SELECT TABLE_NAME 
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES 
WHERE TABLE_TYPE='BASE TABLE' 
ORDER BY TABLE_NAME
1
votes

Thanks to Ray Vega, whose response gives all user tables in a database...

exec sp_msforeachtable 'print ''?'''

sp_helptext shows the underlying query, which summarises to...

select * from dbo.sysobjects o 
join sys.all_objects syso on o.id =  syso.object_id  
where OBJECTPROPERTY(o.id, 'IsUserTable') = 1 
and o.category & 2 = 0 
1
votes

Using SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS also shows you all tables and related columns.