Presents your 
SQL SERVER E-NEWSLETTER for July 22, 2003

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FOLLOW THESE TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTING VIEWS

A view's value lies in its ability to create a virtual table of data
from underlying tables in your database. Even though views have physical
limits--a view can reference a maximum of 1,024 columns--they're still
powerful, time-saving mechanisms for data manipulation.

To keep your views working properly, you need to pay attention to their
structure and performance. Here are some tips for keeping your views tip-top:

* Don't create views based on other views. Though it's tempting,
layering views can hide a myriad of problems. If you're the slightest bit
tempted to create a "view-on-view," take a closer look at your needs; 
perhaps your initial view should be changed or altered.

* Be very careful when dropping objects from your database. Dropping a
referenced object can cause your view to become essentially useless.
Always execute the sp_depends system stored procedure first to make 
sure your views don't depend on the object you're getting ready to drop.

* Develop a naming convention for your views that helps you distinguish
them from tables.

* The syscomments system table contains information for each view, rule,
default, trigger, CHECK constraint, DEFAULT constraint, and stored
procedure in your database. This is where you can find the text of the SQL
definition statement. Do NOT delete comments from this table. If an entry is
manually deleted, the view will no longer function properly. If you want
to protect the view definition, use the WITH ENCRYPTION option with
either the CREATE VIEW or ALTER VIEW statement. (Remember to save your 
script definition before you encrypt the script.)

* When you create a view, specify the owner of the view as dbo. In
addition, make dbo own all of the objects referenced by the view. If 
you don't, you'll have to specify the owner name when you query the view.

By following these helpful hints, you'll be able to keep your views
working like clockwork.

J.E. Harvey, MCSD, MCDBA, has been tinkering with and writing about
technology for more than two decades.

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