existsChecking If a Table Exists in MSSQL Using IF EXISTS（mssqlsqlif）

In the world of database development, one of the inevitable tasks is existence checking. Many times we want to know if an object or a structure exists or not. It’s not always easy to determine tables existence in MSSQL. But we can make use of the “IF EXISTS()“ syntax to find out if a table exists in MSSQL.

When it comes to existence checking in MSSQL, the most commonly used method is to use IF EXISTS() syntax. It basically checks for the existence of objects like tables, columns, views and so on in the database. It is a very useful tool and can be used in a variety of scenarios.

The simplest form of “IF EXISTS()“ syntax is to check for the existence of a particular table. It looks something like this:

“`sql

IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES

WHERE TABLE_NAME = ‘YourTableName’

AND TABLE_SCHEMA = ‘YourSchemaName’)

BEGIN

–TABLE EXISTS

END

ELSE

BEGIN

–TABLE DOES NOT EXIST

END

The syntax first checks if the table exists or not in the ``INFORMATION_SCHEMA``. If it does exist, the ``IF`` statement prints out the message ``TABLE EXISTS`` else ``TABLE DOES NOT EXIST``.

Another way to find out if a table exists is to use the ``sp_tables`` function. This function returns the table information for a given schema in sys.tables

```sql
if exists(select * from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES 
left outer join 
sys.tables on INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES.TABLE_NAME = sys.tables.name
where sys.tables.name is not null 
and INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES.TABLE_NAME = 'YourTableName') 
BEGIN
    --TABLE EXISTS
END
ELSE
BEGIN
    --TABLE DOES NOT EXIST
END

In this query, the function “exists()“ is used to check the existence of the table. If the table exists in the sys.tables, the statement prints out the message “TABLE EXISTS“ else “TABLE DOES NOT EXIST“.

In conclusion, if we need to perform a simple “existsChecking“ in MSSQL, we can make use of the IF EXISTS() syntax to find out if a table exists or not. Using the “IF“ statement and “sp_tables“ function, we can effectively check the existence of a table in MSSQL.