Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2008 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies®

II.1.4. Understanding the Major Database Objects

When you're connected to your database server and a specific instance of a database, you see all sorts of interesting objects. Figure 1-3 shows these objects from the SQL Server Management Studio. Note: This sample database doesn't ship with SQL Server; we created it as an example.

Figure II.1-3. The SQL Server Management Studio displaying major database objects.

Here's what each one contains:

• Database Diagrams: Here's where you get a graphical view of your information, including the relationships you've defined among objects in your database.

  When you first expand this folder, SQL Server might ask you for permission to create the necessary internal objects to support database diagramming. These diagrams are very helpful, so it's a good idea to answer yes to this question.

• Tables: The contents of this folder are divided between system tables, which are provided for and looked after by SQL Server, and user tables. Each table further breaks down into columns and indexes.

• Views: Views are virtual tables, composed of information from one or more real tables. If you expand this folder, you see a list of both system and user-defined views. Opening a particular view yields a list of the columns that make up that view.

• Synonyms: These are ...