Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

When a Default Is Applied

Defaults are applied only when no value is specified for a column during an insertion. They can also be applied during insertions and updates when the DEFAULT keyword is used. To demonstrate the application of defaults, consider the following examples:

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CREATE TABLE test_default(id int IDENTITY NOT NULL, tmstmp timestamp NOT NULL, password char(13) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'defaultpw', Shortdesc VARCHAR(50) NULL)

The table in this example has a unique characteristic: each column has some sort of default value associated with it. One column has a default of NULL because it is nullable. The IDENTITY and TIMESTAMP columns automatically generate values because of their data type, and the password column ...