Joining Tables from Different Databases in SQL Server
SQL Server is a powerful relational database management system that allows users to store, manipulate, and retrieve data in a secure and efficient manner. In many cases, businesses and organizations may need to work with data that is stored in different databases.
SQL Server provides a simple and effective way to join tables from different databases, allowing users to quickly and easily access the information they need. In this article, we will explore the steps involved in joining tables from different databases in SQL Server and provide an example to illustrate the process.
Creating the First Database and Table
To join tables from different databases, we first need to create the databases and tables that will hold the data. Let’s begin by creating the first database and table.
We can do this using the CREATE TABLE and INSERT INTO statements, which will create the table and add some sample data to it.
CREATE DATABASE FirstDatabase;
USE FirstDatabase;
CREATE TABLE Table1(
ID int PRIMARY KEY,
Name varchar(255),
Address varchar(255)
INSERT INTO Table1(ID,Name,Address)
VALUES(1,'John Doe','123 Main St'),
(2,'Jane Smith','456 Oak Ave'),
(3,'Bob Brown','789 Maple St');
The above code creates a database named FirstDatabase, creates a table named Table1 with three columns (ID, Name, and Address), and inserts some sample data into the table.
Creating the Second Database and Table
Next, let’s create the second database and table. We can do this using the CREATE DATABASE and CREATE TABLE statements, as shown below.
CREATE DATABASE SecondDatabase;
USE SecondDatabase;
CREATE TABLE Table2(
ID int PRIMARY KEY,
Phone varchar(255),
Email varchar(255)
INSERT INTO Table2(ID,Phone,Email)
VALUES(1,'123-456-7890','[email protected]'),
(2,'456-789-1234','[email protected]'),
(3,'789-123-4560','[email protected]');
The above code creates a database named SecondDatabase, creates a table named Table2 with three columns (ID, Phone, and Email), and inserts some sample data into the table.
Joining Tables from Different Databases in SQL Server
Now that we have created our databases and tables, we can join them together to retrieve data that is stored in different databases. We can do this using the JOIN statement, which allows us to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column between them.
To join our tables, we will use a LEFT JOIN. A LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table and any matching rows from the right table.
If there are no matching rows in the right table, the result will contain NULL in the columns from the right table. To join our two tables, we can use the following code:
USE FirstDatabase;
SELECT Table1.ID, Table1.Name, Table1.Address, Table2.Phone, Table2.Email
FROM Table1
LEFT JOIN SecondDatabase.dbo.Table2 ON Table1.ID = Table2.ID;
The above code joins our two tables using a LEFT JOIN on the ID column. It returns all columns from Table1 and the Phone and Email columns from Table2.
Optional: Dropping the Databases Created
If you no longer need the databases that you created, you can drop them using the DROP DATABASE statement. Dropping a database will permanently delete all of its data and cannot be undone.
To drop our databases, we can use the following code:
USE master;
DROP DATABASE FirstDatabase;
DROP DATABASE SecondDatabase;
The above code drops the FirstDatabase and SecondDatabase databases.
Example of Joining Tables from Different Databases in SQL Server
To illustrate the process of joining tables from different databases in SQL Server, we can use a hypothetical example of a company that stores employee data in one database and project data in another database.
Assuming the company has created two databases with the following tables:
- EmployeeDatabase with a table named Employee that contains columns for ID, Name, and Address.
- ProjectDatabase with a table named Project that contains columns for ID, Name, and Description.
To join these tables together, we can use the following code:
USE EmployeeDatabase;
SELECT Employee.ID, Employee.Name, Employee.Address, Project.Name, Project.Description
FROM Employee
LEFT JOIN ProjectDatabase.dbo.Project ON Employee.ID = Project.ID;
The above code joins our two tables using a LEFT JOIN on the ID column. It returns all columns from the Employee table and the Name and Description columns from the Project table.
Conclusion
Joining tables from different databases in SQL Server can be a useful technique for combining data and gaining insights into your data. By using the JOIN statement, you can easily retrieve data from multiple tables and databases.
While the process may seem complex at first, following the steps outlined in this article can help you get started with joining tables from different databases in SQL Server. Joining tables from different databases in SQL Server is a powerful technique that allows users to access data stored in multiple databases and gain insights into their data.
By creating databases and tables, then using the JOIN statement to combine the rows, users can compare data sets, identify trends, and improve decision-making. The process involves creating the databases and tables, joining the tables using a JOIN statement and then optionally dropping the databases.
With this technique, businesses and organizations can use data to drive informed decisions that can help them achieve their goals.