Data Transformation Services Query Designer

DTS Designer

DTS Designer Help

Data Transformation Services Query Designer

Use the simple graphical interface of the Data Transformation Services (DTS) Query Designer for building SQL commands.

The DTS Query Designer contains a selection box that lets you choose the server to connect to, and several synchronized panes that let you graphically manipulate data and enter SQL command text to build queries.

Options

Linked server

Select the server on which the connected database you want is located. Any servers you connected to in Data Transformation Services (DTS) are available, including any defined linked servers.

DTS Query Designer Panes

The DTS Query Designer contains the Table/View List pane, the Diagram pane, the Grid pane, the SQL pane, and the Results pane:

Table/View List pane
This pane displays a list of tables or views in the connected database. When you change the server, the list of tables and views refreshes. To use this pane to build queries, select a table or view and drag it onto the Diagram pane.
Diagram pane
This pane displays the tables and other table-structured objects that you are querying. Each rectangle represents a table or table-structured object and shows the available data columns as well as icons that indicate how each column is used in the query. Joins are indicated by lines between the rectangles.
Grid pane
This pane contains a spreadsheet-like grid in which you specify options, such as which data columns to display, what rows to select, how to group rows, and so on. For more information, see Grid Pane.
SQL pane
This pane displays the SQL statement for the query or view. You can edit the SQL statement created by the DTS Query Designer or you can enter your own SQL statement. It is particularly useful for typing SQL statements that cannot be created using the Diagram and Grid panes, such as Union queries. For more information, see SQL Pane.
Results pane
This pane shows a grid with data retrieved by the query or view. In the DTS Query Designer, the pane shows the results of the most recently executed Select query. You can modify the database by editing values in the cells of the grid, and you can add or delete rows. For more information, see Results Pane. In the View Designer, the results pane shows the contents of the view.

You can create a query or view by working in any of the panes: you can specify a column to display by choosing it in the Diagram pane, entering it into the Grid pane, or making it part of the SQL statement in the SQL pane. The Diagram, Grid, and SQL panes are synchronized. When you make a change in one pane, the other panes automatically reflect the change.

See Also

Diagram Pane

Grid Pane

Navigating in the Query Designer

Results Pane

SQL Pane