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Microsoft sql server naming conventions best practices edit button Edit

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Murugan Andezuthu Dharmaratnam | calendar 09 May 2023 | 983

SQL Server naming conventions are a set of guidelines that prescribe a consistent approach to naming database objects, such as tables, columns, and stored procedures. Consistent naming conventions provide several benefits. First, they make it easier for developers to understand and navigate the database structure, which can improve productivity and reduce errors. Second, they help maintain data integrity by making it clear which columns should contain which types of data. Finally, they improve the maintainability of the database by making it easier to modify the structure without introducing errors. Best practices for SQL Server naming conventions include using descriptive and consistent names, avoiding abbreviations, using PascalCase or snake_case for naming conventions, and using a naming convention that is appropriate for the organization or development team. By following these best practices, developers can create databases that are easy to understand, maintain, and modify over time.

Commonly used suffixes for naming database tables

These are just conventions, and the actual suffix used may vary depending on the naming conventions followed by the organization or development team. It's important to choose a suffix that accurately reflects the purpose of the table and is consistent with the naming conventions used in the database.

NameDescription
AuditUsed for tables that store audit trail data, such as user actions or system events
HistoryUsed for tables that store historical data, such as changes to records over time
LookupUsed for tables that store reference data, such as lists of codes or descriptions
LogUsed for tables that store log data, such as system events or error messages
MapUsed for tables that store relationships between different entities, such as a mapping table between two other tables
QueueUsed for tables that store data for message queues or other forms of asynchronous processing
SettingsUsed for tables that store configuration or settings data, such as application settings or user preferences
TransactionUsed for tables that store transactional data, such as orders or financial transactions
UserUsed for tables that store user data, such as login information or user profiles
ViewUsed for tables that are actually views, which are virtual tables that are based on the results of a query
SetupUsed for tables that contain data used for initializing or configuring the system or application, such as default values or configuration settings.

Commonly used naming conventions for tables in Microsoft SQL Server

  1. Use descriptive and meaningful names that accurately reflect the purpose of the table.
  2. Use singular nouns to name tables, rather than plural nouns.
  3. Avoid using spaces, special characters, or reserved words in table names.
  4. Use PascalCase or snake_case for table names, depending on the naming convention followed by the organization or development team.
  5. Use abbreviations sparingly and only if they are widely understood and do not reduce the clarity of the name.
  6. Consider using a prefix or suffix to indicate the type of data stored in the table, such as "tbl_" or "_data".
  7. Use consistent naming conventions across all tables in the database.
  8. Avoid using excessively long names for tables, as this can make queries and other operations more difficult to write and read.
  9. Consider using a naming convention that indicates the relationship between tables, such as "parent_child" or "many_to_many".
  10. If the database contains multiple schemas, consider using schema-qualified names for tables to avoid naming conflicts.

Commonly used naming conventions for stored procedures

  1. Use descriptive and meaningful names that accurately reflect the purpose of the stored procedure.
  2. Use verbs to name stored procedures, rather than nouns.
  3. Use PascalCase or snake_case for stored procedure names, depending on the naming convention followed by the organization or development team.
  4. Use prefixes or suffixes to indicate the purpose or type of stored procedure, such as "sp_" or "_proc".
  5. Use consistent naming conventions across all stored procedures in the database.
  6. Consider using a naming convention that indicates the relationship between stored procedures, such as:
    • "get_" or "select_" for procedures that retrieve data
    • "insert_" for procedures that add new data to the database
    • "update_" for procedures that modify existing data in the database
    • "delete_" or "remove_" for procedures that delete data from the database
  7. "validate_" for procedures that validate input data before processing
  8. "calculate_" for procedures that perform calculations on data in the database
  9. Avoid using excessively long names for stored procedures, as this can make queries and other operations more difficult to write and read.
  10. Consider using schema-qualified names for stored procedures if the database contains multiple schemas to avoid naming conflicts.

Commonly used naming conventions for functions

  1. Use descriptive and meaningful names that accurately reflect the purpose of the function.
  2. Use PascalCase or snake_case for function names, depending on the naming convention followed by the organization or development team.
  3. Use prefixes or suffixes to indicate the purpose or type of function, such as "fn_" or "_func".
  4. Use verbs to name functions that perform an action, rather than nouns that describe an object.
  5. Use nouns to name functions that return a result or value, rather than verbs.
  6. Use consistent naming conventions across all functions in the database.
  7. Consider using a naming convention that indicates the type of function or the data type returned by the function, such as "string_" or "int_".
  8. Avoid using excessively long names for functions, as this can make queries and other operations more difficult to write and read.
  9. Consider using schema-qualified names for functions if the database contains multiple schemas to avoid naming conflicts.

Commonly used naming conventions for user-defined table types

  1. Use descriptive and meaningful names that accurately reflect the purpose of the user-defined table type.
  2. Use PascalCase or snake_case for user-defined table type names, depending on the naming convention followed by the organization or development team.
  3. Use a consistent naming convention across all user-defined table types in the database.
  4. Consider using a prefix or suffix to indicate the purpose or type of user-defined table type, such as "udt_" or "_type".
  5. Use nouns to name user-defined table types, as they represent a structured data type.
  6. Avoid using abbreviations or acronyms that may not be clear to other developers.
  7. Consider using singular nouns for user-defined table types, as they represent a single structured data type.
  8. Use descriptive column names for the fields within the user-defined table type, following the same naming conventions used for database tables and other database objects.

Commonly used naming conventions for views

  1. Use descriptive and meaningful names that accurately reflect the purpose of the view.
  2. Use PascalCase or snake_case for view names, depending on the naming convention followed by the organization or development team.
  3. Use a consistent naming convention across all views in the database.
  4. Consider using a prefix or suffix to indicate the purpose or type of view, such as "vw_" or "_view".
  5. Use nouns to name views, as they represent a set of data.
  6. Avoid using abbreviations or acronyms that may not be clear to other developers.
  7. Consider using singular nouns for views, as they represent a single set of data.
  8. Use descriptive column names for the fields within the view, following the same naming conventions used for database tables and other database objects.
  9. Consider including the name of the table or tables that the view is based on, to make it easier to identify the source of the data.
  10. Avoid including spaces or special characters in view names, as this can cause issues with querying and other operations.