Filtering Tables in #SQLServer Management Studio

This is my fourth post in a series of entry-level posts, as suggested by Tim Ford (b|l|t) in this challenge.
I have not set any scope for the topics of my, at least, twelve (12) posts in this blog category of mine, but I can assure, it’ll be focused on SQL Server stuff. This one os about a neat trick in SQL Server Management Studio.

As a quick tip, this on is one of these tool tips, that just makes your everyday much easier. Sometimes, more than often, you run into databases that contains a huge number of tables – all listed alphabetically. This can, at times, be cumbersome and annoying to browse. SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) actually has a feature that will assist you in getting your job done, quicker; It’s called Filtering.

When you right-click the table collection node in SSMS, you are presented with the option to Filter.

Filter OptionIn this dialog, you are able to filter the available tables (some can be hidden on account of security) by several attributes. In this quick example, I will just filter out the tables in the Schema: facebook.

Filter Options Dialog

This will lead to a list of tables, where none (Does not contain) of the tables in the Facebook Schema is listed. Tables where facebook is part of the name still shows up (Support.FacebookAPI).

Filter Options Result Right clicking again will allow you to edit or remove the current Filter. The node Tables is also post fixed (filtered), so you won’t be pulling your hair looking for your lost tables.

Loading

2 thoughts on “Filtering Tables in #SQLServer Management Studio

  1. Donta Reply

    This is a great tip and a quick way to find the specific tables that you are looking for. I would give this article a 7 out of 10. I think there is still room for improvement here since there are multiple things to filter on that we’re not covered

  2. Pingback: Backing up your VM’s in Azure on a Schedule – T-SQL.dk

Leave a Reply to DontaCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.