Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

Using the table Data Type

The table data type can be used to define table variables in stored procedures and elsewhere in SQL code. Table variables are defined similarly to regular tables, except you define them using a DECLARE statement, rather than using CREATE TABLE:

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DECLARE @table_variable  TABLE ({ column_definition | table_constraint }                                  [ ,...n ])

The following simple example shows how to use a table variable in a stored procedure:

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-- proc to get year-to-date sales for all books published since specified date-- with ytd_sales greater than specified thresholdcreate proc tab_var_test @orderDate datetime = null,                         @sales_minimum ...