Views Depends On and Used By

For each database object, Database Explorer contains:

• Depends On – Lists the objects that the current object relies on. For example, if the vw_DepartmentEmployees view selects data from Employees and Departments table, those tables will appear under Depends On.
• Used By – Lists the objects that reference or depend on the current object. For example, if the Departments table is used in the vw_DepartmentEmployees view, that view will appear under Used By for the table.

In Database Explorer, you can perform operations on objects by using the shortcut menu. Right-click an object to access options, such as filtering objects.

Filter objects

1. In Database Explorer, right-click the Depends On or Used By node and select Filter.

2. In the Filter Settings dialog, configure the filter parameters.

3. Click OK to apply the filter.

Note

When you open the Depends On and Used By nodes, the number of objects they contain appears in parentheses next to the node name. This number changes based on your filter settings.

Refresh objects

To update objects to reflect the latest changes, in Database Explorer, right-click the Depends On or Used By node and select Refresh, or press F5.

View object properties

To view object properties, in Database Explorer, right-click the Depends On or Used By node and select Show Details.

Object Viewer opens, displaying detailed information about the object.

Shortcut menu options for an object

Based on the object listed under the Depends On or Used By node, use the corresponding topic for the object:

• Tables
• Views
• Procedures
• Functions
• Database triggers
• Sequences
• Assemblies
• Rules
• Defaults
• User types
• Service Broker
• Storage
• Security

Shortcut menu options for the Depends On and Used By nodes

The following table describes the shortcut menu options available for the Depends On and Used By nodes in Database Explorer.

Name	Description
Filter	Opens the Filter Settings dialog to control which referenced or dependent objects should appear in Database Explorer. When you open the Depends On and Used By node, the number of objects it contains appears in parentheses next to the node name. This number changes based on your filter settings.
Show Details	Opens Object Viewer that displays object details.
Refresh	Updates the object to reflect the latest changes. Shortcut: F5

Bulk operations

In Database Explorer, hold down Ctrl and select multiple objects. Then right-click the selection and select the required option.

Note

The shortcut menu options differ based on the selected objects.