How to: Open Table Designer
The Table Designer is a visual tool that allows you to design and visualize database tables to which you are connected. You can use Table Designer to create, edit, or delete tables, columns, keys, indexes, relationships, and constraints.
You can open Table Designer by opening a new or existing table.
Note
A new version of Table Designer appears for databases in the SQL Server 2012 format. This topic describes the old version of Table Designer, which you use with databases in earlier formats of SQL Server.
In the new version, you can change a table definition through a graphical interface or directly in a script pane. If you use the graphical interface, the table’s definition is automatically updated in the script pane. To apply the SQL code in the script pane, choose the Update button. For more information about the new version, see How to: Create Database Objects Using Table Designer.
Note
Your computer might show different names or locations for some of the Visual Studio user interface elements in the following instructions. The Visual Studio edition that you have and the settings that you use determine these elements. For more information, see Visual Studio Settings.
Open a new table
Right-click the Tables node of your connection in Server Explorer.
From the drop-down menu, click Add New Table.
In the Add Table dialog box, choose tables to work with.
Note
If you choose Close without adding tables, you can go back and add tables later.
The Table Designer menu will be added to the main menu and the designer panes will open.
Open an existing table
Right-click the table under the Tables node of your connection in Server Explorer.
From the drop-down menu, click Open Table Definition.
The Table Designer menu will be added to the main menu and the table will open in the designer panes.