Tag: t-sql

SQL Server SHOW TABLES Equivalent

Posted on by Ian

Every now and then I find myself typing SHOW TABLES in SQL Server, expecting to get a list of tables.

That would make perfect sense if I was using MySQL or MariaDB. But SQL Server/T-SQL doesn’t have a SHOW TABLES statement like MySQL or MariaDB, so it never works. And I keep forgetting. But fortunately, SQL Server does have alternatives.

Here are five options for getting a list of tables in SQL Server. These can be used whenever you’re trying to find that elusive SHOW TABLES statement in SQL Server.

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How to Get the Recovery Model of a Database in SQL Server using T-SQL

Posted on by Ian

In SQL Server, a recovery model is a database property that controls how transactions are logged, whether the transaction log requires (and allows) backing up, and what kinds of restore operations are available. Databases can use one of the following three recovery models: simple, full, and bulk-logged.

You can query the sys.databases catalog view to get a list of databases and their recovery models.

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Fix Msg 241 “Conversion failed when converting date and/or time from character string” in SQL Server

Posted on by Ian

If you’re getting SQL Server error Msg 241 that reads Conversion failed when converting date and/or time from character string, it’s probably because you’re trying to convert a string to a date/time value, but that particular string can’t be converted to the date/time type specified.

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Fix Msg 529 “Explicit conversion from data type int to xml is not allowed” in SQL Server

Posted on by Ian

If you’re getting SQL Server error Msg 529 that reads something like Explicit conversion from data type int to xml is not allowed, it’s probably because you’re trying to perform a data type conversion that’s not permitted.

SQL Server doesn’t allow certain conversions. If you try to perform such a conversion, you’ll get this error.

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