---
title: "Select Table or View in SQL Spreads"
slug: "selecting-a-table-or-view"
description: "Load a SQL Server table or view into Excel from the Database tab, and use separate worksheets to work with several tables in one document."
updated: 2026-11-09T14:26:17Z
published: 2026-11-09T14:26:17Z
canonical: "sqlspreads.com/selecting-a-table-or-view"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sqlspreads.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Selecting your Table or View

When SQL Spreads is connected to SQL Server, the available Databases, Tables, and Views will be shown in the Database Tab in the SQL Spreads Designer.

Select a Table or View in the list in the Database tab to load it into Excel: ![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/image%2867%29.png)

Working with several tables in the same Excel document

To load multiple tables into the same Excel document, switch to an empty Worksheet in Excel and select the second table there.

SQL Server Views

To update data in SQL Server Views you will need **SQL Spreads Pro** or a higher plan

## Preview of 50 rows in the SQL Spreads Designer

When the SQL Spreads Designer is opened, SQL Spreads will preview only the first 50 rows in the table.

You can turn off the Preview and also see the total number of rows in the table at the top in the Columns tab in the SQL Spreads Designer. ![Preview of 50 rows.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/Preview%20of%2050%20rows.png)

#### Turn off the Preview of 50 rows

To turn off the preview in the SQL Spreads Designer and show all rows, click the Show all rows checkbox.

When you close the Design mode and click Refresh, all rows from the table will be loaded into Excel.

Data Editor Mode

Data Editor mode users will automatically see all data regardless of the Preview configuration in the Designer.

## Quickly filter your databases and tables

If you have large numbers of databases and tables in your SQL Servers it can be hard to find a specific table or database.

SQL Spreads has a database and table filtering feature that makes it really easy to find the database and table you are looking for.

#### Filter the list with databases and tables

1. Click the filter icon in the Database tab in the Designer to show the filter fields: ![DBfilter2.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/DBfilter2.png)
2. Enter a filter for either the databases or the tables to be shown, or both if needed: ![DBfilter3.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/DBfilter3.png)
3. The tree-list with databases and tables will be instantly updated to reflect your filter criteria. ![DBfilter1.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/DBfilter1.png)

SQL Spreads **will remember the last entered filter criteria** and will automatically show the filtered list next time you open Excel.

#### To clear the filter and show all databases and tables

To clear the filter and show all databases and tables, click the filter icon with the red cross: ![DBfilter4.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/DBfilter4.png)

## Selecting Key columns for the table

SQL Spreads requires a unique key for each row in the selected Table or View. The key can be a single column or a combination of multiple columns.

Auto-detection of key columns

If the key columns in the database are either an **Identity column** or a **Primary Key column**, SQL Spreads will automatically detect these columns as key columns.

The key columns are marked with a key symbol in the left-side row header: ![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/image%2868%29.png)

When you load a new table into SQL Spreads, and the key column(s) are not automatically detected, you will see a key selection dialog to manually specify which columns are the key column(s).

Duplicates in your data

There cannot be any duplicate data in the key columns that you are selecting. If there is no combination of key columns that is allowing you to continue, check that there are no duplicates in any of those rows in your data in SQL Server and if there are, remove the duplicates before trying the combination of key columns again.

#### Manually selecting the key columns

To manually select the key columns:

1. Click the right-side cog in the Columns tab:  

![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/image%2869%29.png)
2. Then click the Select key columns button:  

![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/image%2870%29.png)
3. You will now see the Key selection dialog and can check the columns that are your key columns:  

![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/ad9d65b3-9cdd-4b28-8cb8-86cb149873bc/Images/Documentation/image%2871%29.png)

To update data in SQL Server Views, see [Working with SQL Server Views](https://sqlspreads.com/docs/working-with-sql-server-views).