what is view in sql server 2005

Answer 1

Hi,

A view is simply a saved select statement.   It does not contain data.  When you call a view, it executes that select statement.

let's use this sample view as an example:

CREATE VIEW vw_customer

AS

BEGIN

SELECT * FROM customer

END

 

If you make a call to the view like this:

SELECT * FROM vw_customer

it's the same as if you are executing the following:

SELECT * FROM (SELECT * FROM CUSTOMER)

Another reason to create a view is to provide a layer of abstraction for the underlying table.  This could be for security reasons, or to alias the columns, or to provide additional columns.

Derek