How to generate CREATE TABLE scripts for a List of table names in SQL Server

Question

Can someone help me with a tool/script that generates CREATE TABLE script for a bunch of table names that are listed either as comma separated or in an excel file.

We often have to selectively generate scripts for several tables that user submits (sometimes with no alphabetical order) and scrolling through tables & selecting checkbox in SSMS is becoming tedious. SQL Server version is 2017.

I used Profiler to see how SSMS generates so that I can tweak it to accept the list but Profiler didn't show up useful matter.

Am looking for script/tool that is fail-proof and generate the script like SSMS. --In 'thoughts'...

Answer 1

Let's suppose you have comma separated string with table names: 'tablename1, tablename2, tablename3, ..., tablenameN'.

Create this function (I took it here ):

USE YOUR_DB
GO

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.FN_GET_SQL
    (
        @TABLE_NAME SYSNAME
    )
RETURNS VARCHAR(MAX)
BEGIN

    SELECT @table_name = @TABLE_NAME

    DECLARE 
          @object_name SYSNAME
        , @object_id INT

    SELECT 
          @object_name = '[' + s.name + '].[' + o.name + ']'
        , @object_id = o.[object_id]
    FROM sys.objects o WITH (NOWAIT)
    JOIN sys.schemas s WITH (NOWAIT) ON o.[schema_id] = s.[schema_id]
    WHERE s.name + '.' + o.name = @table_name
        AND o.[type] = 'U'
        AND o.is_ms_shipped = 0

    DECLARE @SQL NVARCHAR(MAX) = ''

    ;WITH index_column AS 
    (
        SELECT 
              ic.[object_id]
            , ic.index_id
            , ic.is_descending_key
            , ic.is_included_column
            , c.name
        FROM sys.index_columns ic WITH (NOWAIT)
        JOIN sys.columns c WITH (NOWAIT) ON ic.[object_id] = c.[object_id] AND ic.column_id = c.column_id
        WHERE ic.[object_id] = @object_id
    ),
    fk_columns AS 
    (
         SELECT 
              k.constraint_object_id
            , cname = c.name
            , rcname = rc.name
        FROM sys.foreign_key_columns k WITH (NOWAIT)
        JOIN sys.columns rc WITH (NOWAIT) ON rc.[object_id] = k.referenced_object_id AND rc.column_id = k.referenced_column_id 
        JOIN sys.columns c WITH (NOWAIT) ON c.[object_id] = k.parent_object_id AND c.column_id = k.parent_column_id
        WHERE k.parent_object_id = @object_id
    )
    SELECT @SQL = 'CREATE TABLE ' + @object_name + CHAR(13) + '(' + CHAR(13) + STUFF((
        SELECT CHAR(9) + ', [' + c.name + '] ' + 
            CASE WHEN c.is_computed = 1
                THEN 'AS ' + cc.[definition] 
                ELSE UPPER(tp.name) + 
                    CASE WHEN tp.name IN ('varchar', 'char', 'varbinary', 'binary', 'text')
                           THEN '(' + CASE WHEN c.max_length = -1 THEN 'MAX' ELSE CAST(c.max_length AS VARCHAR(5)) END + ')'
                         WHEN tp.name IN ('nvarchar', 'nchar', 'ntext')
                           THEN '(' + CASE WHEN c.max_length = -1 THEN 'MAX' ELSE CAST(c.max_length / 2 AS VARCHAR(5)) END + ')'
                         WHEN tp.name IN ('datetime2', 'time2', 'datetimeoffset') 
                           THEN '(' + CAST(c.scale AS VARCHAR(5)) + ')'
                         WHEN tp.name = 'decimal' 
                           THEN '(' + CAST(c.[precision] AS VARCHAR(5)) + ',' + CAST(c.scale AS VARCHAR(5)) + ')'
                        ELSE ''
                    END +
                    CASE WHEN c.collation_name IS NOT NULL THEN ' COLLATE ' + c.collation_name ELSE '' END +
                    CASE WHEN c.is_nullable = 1 THEN ' NULL' ELSE ' NOT NULL' END +
                    CASE WHEN dc.[definition] IS NOT NULL THEN ' DEFAULT' + dc.[definition] ELSE '' END + 
                    CASE WHEN ic.is_identity = 1 THEN ' IDENTITY(' + CAST(ISNULL(ic.seed_value, '0') AS CHAR(1)) + ',' + CAST(ISNULL(ic.increment_value, '1') AS CHAR(1)) + ')' ELSE '' END 
            END + CHAR(13)
        FROM sys.columns c WITH (NOWAIT)
        JOIN sys.types tp WITH (NOWAIT) ON c.user_type_id = tp.user_type_id
        LEFT JOIN sys.computed_columns cc WITH (NOWAIT) ON c.[object_id] = cc.[object_id] AND c.column_id = cc.column_id
        LEFT JOIN sys.default_constraints dc WITH (NOWAIT) ON c.default_object_id != 0 AND c.[object_id] = dc.parent_object_id AND c.column_id = dc.parent_column_id
        LEFT JOIN sys.identity_columns ic WITH (NOWAIT) ON c.is_identity = 1 AND c.[object_id] = ic.[object_id] AND c.column_id = ic.column_id
        WHERE c.[object_id] = @object_id
        ORDER BY c.column_id
        FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 2, CHAR(9) + ' ')
        + ISNULL((SELECT CHAR(9) + ', CONSTRAINT [' + k.name + '] PRIMARY KEY (' + 
                        (SELECT STUFF((
                             SELECT ', [' + c.name + '] ' + CASE WHEN ic.is_descending_key = 1 THEN 'DESC' ELSE 'ASC' END
                             FROM sys.index_columns ic WITH (NOWAIT)
                             JOIN sys.columns c WITH (NOWAIT) ON c.[object_id] = ic.[object_id] AND c.column_id = ic.column_id
                             WHERE ic.is_included_column = 0
                                 AND ic.[object_id] = k.parent_object_id 
                                 AND ic.index_id = k.unique_index_id     
                             FOR XML PATH(N''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 2, ''))
                + ')' + CHAR(13)
                FROM sys.key_constraints k WITH (NOWAIT)
                WHERE k.parent_object_id = @object_id 
                    AND k.[type] = 'PK'), '') + ')'  + CHAR(13)
        + ISNULL((SELECT (
            SELECT CHAR(13) +
                 'ALTER TABLE ' + @object_name + ' WITH' 
                + CASE WHEN fk.is_not_trusted = 1 
                    THEN ' NOCHECK' 
                    ELSE ' CHECK' 
                  END + 
                  ' ADD CONSTRAINT [' + fk.name  + '] FOREIGN KEY(' 
                  + STUFF((
                    SELECT ', [' + k.cname + ']'
                    FROM fk_columns k
                    WHERE k.constraint_object_id = fk.[object_id]
                    FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 2, '')
                   + ')' +
                  ' REFERENCES [' + SCHEMA_NAME(ro.[schema_id]) + '].[' + ro.name + '] ('
                  + STUFF((
                    SELECT ', [' + k.rcname + ']'
                    FROM fk_columns k
                    WHERE k.constraint_object_id = fk.[object_id]
                    FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 2, '')
                   + ')'
                + CASE 
                    WHEN fk.delete_referential_action = 1 THEN ' ON DELETE CASCADE' 
                    WHEN fk.delete_referential_action = 2 THEN ' ON DELETE SET NULL'
                    WHEN fk.delete_referential_action = 3 THEN ' ON DELETE SET DEFAULT' 
                    ELSE '' 
                  END
                + CASE 
                    WHEN fk.update_referential_action = 1 THEN ' ON UPDATE CASCADE'
                    WHEN fk.update_referential_action = 2 THEN ' ON UPDATE SET NULL'
                    WHEN fk.update_referential_action = 3 THEN ' ON UPDATE SET DEFAULT'  
                    ELSE '' 
                  END 
                + CHAR(13) + 'ALTER TABLE ' + @object_name + ' CHECK CONSTRAINT [' + fk.name  + ']' + CHAR(13)
            FROM sys.foreign_keys fk WITH (NOWAIT)
            JOIN sys.objects ro WITH (NOWAIT) ON ro.[object_id] = fk.referenced_object_id
            WHERE fk.parent_object_id = @object_id
            FOR XML PATH(N''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)')), '')
        + ISNULL(((SELECT
             CHAR(13) + 'CREATE' + CASE WHEN i.is_unique = 1 THEN ' UNIQUE' ELSE '' END 
                    + ' NONCLUSTERED INDEX [' + i.name + '] ON ' + @object_name + ' (' +
                    STUFF((
                    SELECT ', [' + c.name + ']' + CASE WHEN c.is_descending_key = 1 THEN ' DESC' ELSE ' ASC' END
                    FROM index_column c
                    WHERE c.is_included_column = 0
                        AND c.index_id = i.index_id
                    FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 2, '') + ')'  
                    + ISNULL(CHAR(13) + 'INCLUDE (' + 
                        STUFF((
                        SELECT ', [' + c.name + ']'
                        FROM index_column c
                        WHERE c.is_included_column = 1
                            AND c.index_id = i.index_id
                        FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)'), 1, 2, '') + ')', '')  + CHAR(13)
            FROM sys.indexes i WITH (NOWAIT)
            WHERE i.[object_id] = @object_id
                AND i.is_primary_key = 0
                AND i.[type] = 2
            FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)')
        ), '');

    RETURN @SQL;
END
GO

A script for each table name can be obtained like this:

SELECT  T.value                         AS TABLE_NAME,
        dbo.FN_GET_SQL(TRIM(T.value))   AS  SQL_SCRIPT
FROM    string_split('tablename1, tablename2, tablename3, ..., tablenameN', ',') T