When working with SQL Server, it’s important to have a good understanding of the server’s properties and settings. One useful system function that can provide valuable information is SERVERPROPERTY. This function allows you to retrieve various system values, such as the server’s collation, edition, and version.

Let’s take a closer look at how we can use SERVERPROPERTY to explore SQL Server.

Retrieving Server Properties

To retrieve server properties using SERVERPROPERTY, you can simply call the function with the desired property name as the argument. For example, to get the server’s collation, you can use the following query:

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('Collation') AS Collation;

This will return the collation setting for the SQL Server instance.

Similarly, you can retrieve other properties like the server’s edition, version, and instance name. Here are a few examples:

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('Edition') AS Edition;
SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') AS ProductVersion;
SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('InstanceName') AS InstanceName;

By using SERVERPROPERTY, you can easily access important information about your SQL Server environment.

Exploring Server Properties

Now, let’s run a script that retrieves all the available server properties using SERVERPROPERTY:

SELECT 'BuildClrVersion' AS ColumnName, SERVERPROPERTY('BuildClrVersion') AS ColumnValue
UNION ALL
SELECT 'Collation', SERVERPROPERTY('Collation')
UNION ALL
SELECT 'CollationID', SERVERPROPERTY('CollationID')
-- Add more properties here...

This script will return a result set with the column names and their corresponding values for each server property.

Some of the properties you might find interesting include:

• Edition: The edition of SQL Server being used (e.g., Developer Edition, Standard Edition, etc.)
• ProductVersion: The version number of SQL Server (e.g., 9.00.3054.00)
• InstanceName: The name of the SQL Server instance

These properties can provide valuable insights into your SQL Server environment and help you troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

Conclusion

SERVERPROPERTY is a powerful system function in SQL Server that allows you to retrieve various server properties. By using this function, you can easily access important information about your SQL Server environment, such as the collation, edition, and version. This knowledge can be invaluable when troubleshooting issues or optimizing your SQL Server setup.

So, the next time you need to explore your SQL Server, don’t forget to leverage the power of SERVERPROPERTY!