There are 2 steps to join tables from different servers. The first step is to link the SQL Servers. The next and the last step is to join the tables using the select query having the server name as prefix for the table name.
In SQL, to fetch data from multiple tables, the join operator is used. The join operator adds or removes rows in the virtual table that is used by SQL server to process data before the other steps of the query consume the data.
SQL Server allows you to join tables from different databases as long as those databases are on the same server. The join syntax is the same; the only difference is that you must fully qualify table names.
What you are looking for are Linked Servers. You can get to them in SSMS from the following location in the tree of the Object Explorer:
Server Objects-->Linked Servers
or you can use sp_addlinkedserver.
You only have to set up one. Once you have that, you can call a table on the other server like so:
select
*
from
LocalTable,
[OtherServerName].[OtherDB].[dbo].[OtherTable]
Note that the owner isn't always dbo
, so make sure to replace it with whatever schema you use.
You can do it using Linked Server.
Typically linked servers are configured to enable the Database Engine to execute a Transact-SQL statement that includes tables in another instance of SQL Server, or another database product such as Oracle. Many types OLE DB data sources can be configured as linked servers, including Microsoft Access and Excel.
Linked servers offer the following advantages:
Read more about Linked Servers.
Server Objects -> Linked Servers -> New Linked Server
Provide Remote Server Name.
Select Remote Server Type (SQL Server or Other).
Select Security -> Be made using this security context and provide login and password of remote server.
Click OK and you are done !!
Here is a simple tutorial for creating a linked server.
OR
You can add linked server using query.
Syntax:
sp_addlinkedserver [ @server= ] 'server' [ , [ @srvproduct= ] 'product_name' ]
[ , [ @provider= ] 'provider_name' ]
[ , [ @datasrc= ] 'data_source' ]
[ , [ @location= ] 'location' ]
[ , [ @provstr= ] 'provider_string' ]
[ , [ @catalog= ] 'catalog' ]
Read more about sp_addlinkedserver.
You have to create linked server only once. After creating linked server, we can query it as follows:
select * from LinkedServerName.DatabaseName.OwnerName.TableName
SELECT
*
FROM
[SERVER2NAME].[THEDB].[THEOWNER].[THETABLE]
You can also look at using Linked Servers. Linked servers can be other types of data sources too such as DB2 platforms. This is one method for trying to access DB2 from a SQL Server TSQL or Sproc call...
Querying across 2 different databases is a distributed query. Here is a list of some techniques plus the pros and cons:
These are all fine answers, but this one is missing and it has it's own powerful uses. Possibly it doesn't fit what the OP wanted, but the question was vague and I feel others may find their way here. Basically you can use 1 window to simultaneously run a query against multiple servers, here's how:
In SSMS open Registered Servers and create a New Server Group under Local Server Groups.
Under this group create New Server Registration for each server you wish to query. If the DB names are different ensure to set a default for each in the properties.
Now go back to the Group you created in the first step, right click and select New Query. A new query window will open and any query you run will be executed on each server in the group. The results are presented in a single data set with an extra column name indicating which server the record came from. If you use the status bar you will note the server name is replaced with multiple.
try this:
SELECT * FROM OPENROWSET('SQLNCLI', 'Server=YOUR SERVER;Trusted_Connection=yes;','SELECT * FROM Table1') AS a
UNION
SELECT * FROM OPENROWSET('SQLNCLI', 'Server=ANOTHER SERVER;Trusted_Connection=yes;','SELECT * FROM Table1') AS a
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