Columns Property Page

This property page contains a set of properties for a column within a table.

Table name

Shows the name of the table containing the column whose properties you are viewing. The Table Name option is editable only within the Database Designer — not from within the Table Designer. If more than one table is selected in your diagram, only the name of the first table is visible.

Column Name

Shows the name of the selected column of the selected table in your diagram. If more than one table is selected in your diagram, only the name of the first column of the first table is visible. To show properties for a different column, expand the Column Name list.

Description

Shows the text description of the selected column.

Default Value

Shows the default for this column whenever a row with a null value for this column is inserted into the table. The value of this field can be either the value of a SQL Server default constraint or the name of a global constraint to which the column is bound. The drop-down list contains all global defaults defined in the database. To bind the column to a global default, select from the drop-down list. Alternatively, to create a default constraint for the column, enter the default value directly as text.

Precision

Shows the maximum number of digits for values of this column.

Scale

Shows the maximum number of digits that can appear to the right of the decimal point for values of this column.

Identity

Shows whether the column is used by SQL Server as an identifier column. Possible values are:

No The column is not used as an identity column.
Yes The column is used as an identity column.
Yes (Not For Replication) The column is used as an identity column, except while a replication agent is inserting data into the table.

Identity Seed

Shows the seed value of an identity column. This option applies only to columns whose Identity option is set to Yes or Yes (Not For Replication).

Identity Increment

Shows the increment value of an identity column. This option applies only to columns whose Identity option is set to Yes or Yes (Not For Replication).

Is RowGuid

Shows whether the column is used by SQL Server as a ROWGUID column. You can set this value to Yes only for a column that is an identity column.

Formula

Shows the formula for a computed column.

Collation

Shows the collating sequence that SQL Server applies by default to the column whenever the column values are used to sort rows of a query result. To use the default collating sequence for the database, choose <database default>.

Indexed

Shows whether an index exists on the column. Possible values are:

No No index exists on the column.
Yes (duplicates OK) A non-unique index exists on the column.
Yes (no duplicates) A unique index exists on the column.