SQL Server: Extract Table Meta-Data (description, fields and their data types)

Question

I am trying to find a way to extract information about my tables in SQL Server (2008).
The data I need needs to include the description of the table (filled from the Description property in the Properties Window), a list of fields of that table and their respective data types.

Is there any way I can extract such meta-data? I presume I have to use some sys sp but I'n not sure which one.

Answer 1

To get the description data, you unfortunately have to use sysobjects/syscolumns to get the ids:

SELECT      u.name + '.' + t.name AS [table],
            td.value AS [table_desc],
            c.name AS [column],
            cd.value AS [column_desc]
FROM        sysobjects t
INNER JOIN  sysusers u
    ON      u.uid = t.uid
LEFT OUTER JOIN sys.extended_properties td
    ON      td.major_id = t.id
    AND     td.minor_id = 0
    AND     td.name = 'MS_Description'
INNER JOIN  syscolumns c
    ON      c.id = t.id
LEFT OUTER JOIN sys.extended_properties cd
    ON      cd.major_id = c.id
    AND     cd.minor_id = c.colid
    AND     cd.name = 'MS_Description'
WHERE t.type = 'u'
ORDER BY    t.name, c.colorder

You can do it with info-schema, but you'd have to concatenate etc to call OBJECT_ID() - so what would be the point?