{"id":17171,"date":"2024-03-15T14:26:12","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T14:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T09:06:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T09:06:17","slug":"what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the usage of &#8220;alter&#8221; in SQLServer?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The ALTER statement is used to change the structure of database objects, such as tables, columns, constraints, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>ALTER TABLE is used to change the structure of a table, such as adding, modifying, or deleting columns, adding or deleting constraints, etc.<\/p>\n<p>I can&#8217;t make it to the meeting today because I&#8217;m feeling under the weather.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Add a column:<br \/>\nALTER TABLE table_name<br \/>\nADD column_name data_type [constraint];<\/li>\n<li>Change column:<br \/>\nALTER TABLE table_name<br \/>\nALTER COLUMN column_name new_data_type;<\/li>\n<li>Delete a column:<br \/>\nALTER TABLE table_name<br \/>\nDROP COLUMN column_name;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>ALTER DATABASE: Used to modify the properties of a database, such as changing the database name or setting the database status.<\/p>\n<p>\u539f\u53e5\uff1a\u6211\u6628\u5929\u7ed9\u5979\u6253\u4e86\u4e2a\u7535\u8bdd\uff0c\u4f46\u5979\u6ca1\u6709\u63a5\u3002<\/p>\n<p>Paraphrase: I called her yesterday, but she didn&#8217;t pick up.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Change the database name:<br \/>\nALTER DATABASE old_database_name<br \/>\nMODIFY NAME = new_database_name;<\/li>\n<li>Set the database status to offline:<br \/>\nALTER DATABASE database_name<br \/>\nSET OFFLINE;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>ALTER VIEW: Used to modify the definition of a view.<\/p>\n<p>Modify the view named VIEW NAME to select columns 1, 2, &#8230; from table name with the specified conditions.<\/p>\n<p>ALTER INDEX: Used to modify the definition of an index.<\/p>\n<p>An example would be:<br \/>\nREBUILD the index with the specified name on the table.<\/p>\n<p>Hold on.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, ALTER statements can be used to modify the structure of database objects by specifying different operation keywords and parameters. Depending on specific requirements, the appropriate ALTER statement should be selected for the operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ALTER statement is used to change the structure of database objects, such as tables, columns, constraints, and so on. ALTER TABLE is used to change the structure of a table, such as adding, modifying, or deleting columns, adding or deleting constraints, etc. I can&#8217;t make it to the meeting today because I&#8217;m feeling under [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_import_markdown_pro_load_document_selector":0,"_import_markdown_pro_submit_text_textarea":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[453,1402,299,1404,1403],"class_list":["post-17171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-development","tag-guide","tag-programming","tag-technology","tag-tutorial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.5 (Yoast SEO v21.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is the usage of &quot;alter&quot; in SQLServer? - Blog - Silicon Cloud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about what is the usage of &quot;alter&quot; in sqlserver?. Comprehensive guide with examples and best practices.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is the usage of &quot;alter&quot; in SQLServer?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn about what is the usage of &quot;alter&quot; in sqlserver?. Comprehensive guide with examples and best practices.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog - Silicon Cloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SiliCloudGlobal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-15T14:26:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-07T09:06:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ava Mitchell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SiliCloudGlobal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SiliCloudGlobal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ava Mitchell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ava Mitchell\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a3e2658c2cb9fb2be95ae0a8861f4a64\"},\"headline\":\"What is the usage of &#8220;alter&#8221; in SQLServer?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-15T14:26:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-07T09:06:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/\"},\"wordCount\":249,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Development\",\"guide\",\"programming\",\"technology\",\"tutorial\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/\",\"name\":\"What is the usage of \\\"alter\\\" in SQLServer? - Blog - Silicon Cloud\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-15T14:26:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-07T09:06:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn about what is the usage of \\\"alter\\\" in sqlserver?. Comprehensive guide with examples and best practices.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is the usage of &#8220;alter&#8221; in SQLServer?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Cloud Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Silicon Cloud Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/EN-SILICON-Full.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/EN-SILICON-Full.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"Silicon Cloud Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SiliCloudGlobal\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SiliCloudGlobal\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a3e2658c2cb9fb2be95ae0a8861f4a64\",\"name\":\"Ava Mitchell\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15c63cd0564b4a2e07d611bcdffa296f6ea80e8db07c3091f43a84010514899d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15c63cd0564b4a2e07d611bcdffa296f6ea80e8db07c3091f43a84010514899d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ava Mitchell\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/author\/avamitchell\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is the usage of \"alter\" in SQLServer? - Blog - Silicon Cloud","description":"Learn about what is the usage of \"alter\" in sqlserver?. Comprehensive guide with examples and best practices.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is the usage of \"alter\" in SQLServer?","og_description":"Learn about what is the usage of \"alter\" in sqlserver?. Comprehensive guide with examples and best practices.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/","og_site_name":"Blog - Silicon Cloud","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SiliCloudGlobal\/","article_published_time":"2024-03-15T14:26:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-07T09:06:17+00:00","author":"Ava Mitchell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SiliCloudGlobal","twitter_site":"@SiliCloudGlobal","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ava Mitchell","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/"},"author":{"name":"Ava Mitchell","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a3e2658c2cb9fb2be95ae0a8861f4a64"},"headline":"What is the usage of &#8220;alter&#8221; in SQLServer?","datePublished":"2024-03-15T14:26:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-07T09:06:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/"},"wordCount":249,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Development","guide","programming","technology","tutorial"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/","url":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/","name":"What is the usage of \"alter\" in SQLServer? - Blog - Silicon Cloud","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-03-15T14:26:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-07T09:06:17+00:00","description":"Learn about what is the usage of \"alter\" in sqlserver?. Comprehensive guide with examples and best practices.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/what-is-the-usage-of-alter-in-sqlserver\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is the usage of &#8220;alter&#8221; in SQLServer?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/","name":"Silicon Cloud Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Silicon Cloud Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/EN-SILICON-Full.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/EN-SILICON-Full.png","width":1024,"height":1024,"caption":"Silicon Cloud Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SiliCloudGlobal\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/SiliCloudGlobal"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a3e2658c2cb9fb2be95ae0a8861f4a64","name":"Ava Mitchell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15c63cd0564b4a2e07d611bcdffa296f6ea80e8db07c3091f43a84010514899d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15c63cd0564b4a2e07d611bcdffa296f6ea80e8db07c3091f43a84010514899d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ava Mitchell"},"url":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/author\/avamitchell\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17171"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50766,"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17171\/revisions\/50766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silicloud.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}