How to create a table with more than 1024 columns in SQL Server?

Question

How to create a table with more than 1024 columns in SQL Server?

Anonymous

Our application requires a table with 1500 columns, but SQL Server restricts tables to a maximum of 1024 columns. Is there a way to create a table with more than 1024 columns in SQL Server that meets this requirement?

Ahamed Careem 0 Reputation points

2024-01-06T01:09:20.78+00:00
Hi @Anonymous

I would advise against creating a table with more than 1024 columns in SQL Server, as it goes against the system's design limits and best practices for database schema design. SQL Server restricts the number of columns in a table to 1024 for non-wide tables and 30,000 for wide tables (using sparse columns feature).

Based on your requirement, consider below points.

If your table is trying to store multiple attributes of an entity, you can create separate tables for different groups of attributes and relate them through keys.

EAV Model: Instead of having a column for each attribute, you have rows that store the attribute name and value.

Consider normalizing your database schema by splitting the table into multiple related tables.

Otherwise the last resort would be moving into a Non Relational Database.

Lmk if I helped you on this matter
LiHongMSFT-4306 31,566 Reputation points

2024-01-08T02:32:47.06+00:00

Hi @Anonymous

As experts answered, you might use column sets.

If any answer helps on your issue, you could mark it as answer so other user with similar problem could see this easier. :)

1 answer

Your answer

Ahamed Careem 0 Reputation points

2024-01-06T01:09:20.78+00:00

Hi @Anonymous

I would advise against creating a table with more than 1024 columns in SQL Server, as it goes against the system's design limits and best practices for database schema design. SQL Server restricts the number of columns in a table to 1024 for non-wide tables and 30,000 for wide tables (using sparse columns feature).

Based on your requirement, consider below points.

If your table is trying to store multiple attributes of an entity, you can create separate tables for different groups of attributes and relate them through keys.

EAV Model: Instead of having a column for each attribute, you have rows that store the attribute name and value.

Consider normalizing your database schema by splitting the table into multiple related tables.

Otherwise the last resort would be moving into a Non Relational Database.

Lmk if I helped you on this matter
LiHongMSFT-4306 31,566 Reputation points

2024-01-08T02:32:47.06+00:00

Hi @Anonymous

As experts answered, you might use column sets.

If any answer helps on your issue, you could mark it as answer so other user with similar problem could see this easier. :)

Answer 1

Usually when you run into hard limits, you run into to hard limits. But this is your lucky day!

If you have columns that you mainly expect to be NULL values, you can define them as SPARSE. Then you also define an XML column which is a so-called column set. You can have up to 30000 sparse columns in a table. Here is a quick example:

CREATE TABLE sparse_table (
    id int NOT NULL,
    col1 int SPARSE NULL,
    col2 int SPARSE NULL,
    col3 int SPARSE NULL,
    colset xml COLUMN_SET FOR ALL_SPARSE_COLUMNS
    CONSTRAINT pk_sparse_table PRIMARY KEY(id)
)

If memory serves, you can retrieve the columns individually, or just return colset as one XML document with all columns.

You can read more about this feature here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/tables/use-sparse-columns.

If you expect all 1500 columns to mainly have non-NULL values, I don't think sparse columns are a good bet. In that case you would be better off splitting up the columns into two tables. Or make an overall review of the design that led to these 1500 columns.

Share via

How to create a table with more than 1024 columns in SQL Server?

1 answer

Your answer