Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Internals

Chapter 5. Tables

Kalen Delaney

In this chapter, we’ll start with a basic introduction to tables and continue into some very detailed examinations of their internal structures. Simply put, a table is a collection of data about a specific entity (a person, place, or thing) that has a discrete number of named attributes (for example, quantity or type). Tables are at the heart of Microsoft SQL Server and the relational model in general. In SQL Server, a table is often referred to as a base table to emphasize where data is stored. Calling it a base table also distinguishes it from a view—a virtual table that’s an internal query referencing one or more base tables or other views.

Attributes of a table’s data (such as color, size, quantity, order date, ...