Summary

3 4

In this chapter, you've learned that a view is an auxiliary data structure that can be used to create virtual tables. These virtual tables look like actual database tables, but they're really just stored SQL queries. These queries are joined with other queries to access the underlying table or tables.

You can reference a view in T-SQL statements in the same way you reference tables. Views can be used as a security measure to shield sensitive data. They can also provide an easier way to access data. What's more, views enable the logical presentation of data. You can also use views to create a virtual table from individual partitions.

In this chapter, you've also learned about a few restrictions and guidelines that apply to using views. And you've seen that in certain situations, you should create indexes on your views. In Chapter 19, we'll look at transactions and transaction locking.