tsql - How to list the source table name of columns in a VIEW (SQL Server 2005)

Question

Just wondering how to list column name and table name in one query for a view.

For example:

A view named as viewC, create by tbl1 inner join tbl2, contain a,b,c,d columns (a,b from tbl1 and c,d from tbl2).

How to

Select COLUMN_NAME, DATA_TYPE, column_default, character_maximum_length, sourceTableNAME 
FROM information_schema.columns 
where table_name='viewC'

together?

Answer 1

This information is available from the INFORMATION_SCHEMA views:

SELECT * 
FROM    INFORMATION_SCHEMA.VIEW_COLUMN_USAGE AS cu
JOIN    INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS AS c
ON      c.TABLE_SCHEMA  = cu.TABLE_SCHEMA
AND     c.TABLE_CATALOG = cu.TABLE_CATALOG
AND     c.TABLE_NAME    = cu.TABLE_NAME
AND     c.COLUMN_NAME   = cu.COLUMN_NAME
WHERE   cu.VIEW_NAME    = '<your view name>'
AND     cu.VIEW_SCHEMA  = '<your view schema>'

If your view includes tables from more than one database, the query will become considerably more complex