Customizing Display Columns in SQL Server Management Studio Table Designer

TLDR

• The native SSMS interface does not provide a feature to modify the display columns in the table designer.
• You must customize the display columns by modifying the Windows Registry.
• You must close SSMS before making changes; otherwise, the settings will not take effect and may be overwritten.
• The core setting is located at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SQL Server Management Studio\{Version}_IsoShell\DataProject.
• Modify the value of SSVPropViewColumnsSQL80 to customize the column list.

Problem Scenario

When do you encounter this issue? When a developer uses the "Design" feature in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to view a table structure, they find that the default interface only displays "Column Name", "Data Type", and "Allow Nulls". It is impossible to directly view advanced properties like Description, Identity, or Default Value, and the SSMS software itself does not provide UI options to adjust these display columns.

Customizing Display Columns via Registry

To adjust the display columns, you need to configure them using the Windows Registry Editor (regedit.exe).

Configuration Steps

1. Close all open SSMS windows.
2. Open "regedit.exe".
3. Navigate to the following path (20.0_IsoShell is the path for SSMS 20; for older versions, please map to {Version}_IsoShell):

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SQL Server Management Studio\20.0_IsoShell\DataProject

4. Modify the value of SSVPropViewColumnsSQL80. The default value is 1,2,6. Please enter the corresponding combination of numbers (separated by commas) based on the table below:

Value	Display Column
1	Column Name
2	Data Type
3	Length
4	Precision
5	Scale
6	Allow Nulls
7	Default Value
8	Identity
9	Identity Seed
10	Identity Increment
11	Row GUID
12	Nullable
13	Condensed Type
14	Not for Replication
15	Formula
16	Collation
17	Description

Recommended Configuration

The recommended combination is 1,2,6,7,8,17 for the following reasons:

• Column 2 (Data Type) automatically includes length, precision, and scale information.
• Once column 8 (Identity) is set, the seed and increment are usually 1 by default, so there is no need to display them separately.
• This configuration covers the properties most frequently viewed during daily development.


After the modification is complete, restart SSMS to see the customized column display:


WARNING

When setting the registry key, ensure that SSMS is not running; otherwise, the changes will not take effect. If you modify it while SSMS is open, the values will revert to the old settings when you click to edit again, and they may even be restored after a reboot.

About SSVPropViewColumnsSQL70

In the registry, besides SSVPropViewColumnsSQL80, there is also SSVPropViewColumnsSQL70. This item is primarily used for compatibility with SQL Server 7.0; generally, there is no need to modify it in modern development environments.

References

• SQL Server Management Studio Table Designer Display Column Description

Change Log

• 2024-07-15 Initial document creation.