From a Sybase Database, how I can get table description ( field names and types)?

Question

I have access to command line isql and I like to get Meta-Data of all the tables of a given database, possibly in a formatted file. How I can achieve that?

Thanks.

Answer 1

If Sybase is SQL-92 compliant then this information is stored within the INFORMATION_SCHEMA tables.

So the following will give you a list of tables and views in any SQL-92 compliant database

SELECT TABLE_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES

Answer 2

When finding user table, in case if want the table owner name also, you can use the following:

select su.name + '.' + so.name
from   sysobjects so,
       sysusers   su
where  so.type = 'U' and
       so.uid  = su.uid
order  by su.name,
          so.name

Answer 3

Check sysobjects and syscolumns tables.

Here is a diagram of Sybase system tables.

List of all user tables:

SELECT * FROM sysobjects WHERE type = 'U'

You can change 'U' to other objects:

• C – computed column
• D – default
• F – SQLJ function
• L – log
• N – partition condition
• P – Transact-SQL or SQLJ procedure
• PR – prepare objects (created by Dynamic SQL)
• R – rule
• RI – referential constraint
• S – system table
• TR – trigger
• U – user table
• V – view
• XP – extended stored procedure

List of columns in a table:

SELECT sc.* 
FROM syscolumns sc
INNER JOIN sysobjects so ON sc.id = so.id
WHERE so.name = 'my_table_name'

Answer 4

For Sybase ASE, sp_columns table_name will return all the table metadata you are looking for.

Answer 5

You can search for column in all tables in database using:

SELECT so.name 
FROM sysobjects so
INNER JOIN syscolumns sc ON so.id = sc.id 
WHERE sc.name = 'YOUR_COLUMN_NAME'

Answer 6

In the Sybase version I use, the following gives list of columns for selected table

select *
FROM sys.syscolumns sc
where tname = 'YOUR_TABLE_NAME'
--and creator='YOUR_USER_NAME' --if you want to further restrict tables
--according to the user name that created it