Enable table design changes in Management Studio
summary
In SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2, attempting to rename or type a table column by default by default is not allowed. This section describes how to enable changes.
Operation confirmation version
Supported SQL Server versions
- 2008
- 2008 R2
Check SQL Server version
- 2008
- 2008 R2
substance
If you want to create or modify a table in SQL Server Management Studio, use the input layout shown. You can safely add columns to new or created tables.
However, you may want to change the column name, change the data type, sort the columns, etc. for a table that you create once.
If you try to save the table after the change, you will see a warning dialog because you are not authorized to save the changes as shown. These operations occur because the table is recreated and is not allowed to change by default so that it cannot be inadvertently modified.
To allow changes, select Tools → Options from the menu.
When the options dialog appears, select Designers → Table Designers and Database Designers from the tree on the left, and uncheck "Prevent saving changes that require re-creation of tables" from the options on the right.