Synonyms - SQL Server

Synonyms in SQL Server are database objects that provide an alias or alternate name for an existing database object. Synonyms are similar to views, but instead of defining a SELECT statement to return data, they provide a pointer to the actual object.

A synonym can be created for a variety of database objects, including tables, views, stored procedures, functions, and even other synonyms. Synonyms can be used to simplify database object naming, to provide more meaningful names, to abstract the underlying database structure, and to simplify code maintenance.

Here are some examples of how to create and use synonyms in SQL Server:

1) Creating a table synonym:

CREATE SYNONYM MyCustomers FOR SalesDB.dbo.Customers;

This creates a synonym named "MyCustomers" that points to the "Customers" table in the "SalesDB" database. You can now refer to this table using the synonym name:

SELECT * FROM MyCustomers;

2) Creating a view synonym:

CREATE SYNONYM MySalesReport FOR SalesDB.dbo.SalesReport;

This creates a synonym named "MySalesReport" that points to the "SalesReport" view in the "SalesDB" database. You can now refer to this view using the synonym name:

SELECT * FROM MySalesReport;

3) Creating a stored procedure synonym:

CREATE SYNONYM GetCustomers FOR SalesDB.dbo.GetCustomerData;

This creates a synonym named "GetCustomers" that points to the "GetCustomerData" stored procedure in the "SalesDB" database. You can now call this stored procedure using the synonym name:

EXEC GetCustomers;

4) Creating a function synonym:

CREATE SYNONYM OrderTotal FOR SalesDB.dbo.GetOrderTotal;

This creates a synonym named "OrderTotal" that points to the "GetOrderTotal" function in the "SalesDB" database. You can now call this function using the synonym name:

SELECT OrderTotal(OrderID) FROM Orders;

Synonyms are a useful tool in SQL Server that can help simplify and streamline code by providing more concise and meaningful names for database objects. However, it's important to use synonyms judiciously and to ensure that they don't introduce confusion or unnecessary complexity into your database schema.