---
description: "IDENT_SEED (Transact-SQL)"
title: "IDENT_SEED (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "03/14/2017"
ms.prod: sql
ms.prod_service: "database-engine, sql-database"
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ms.technology: t-sql
ms.topic: reference
f1_keywords: 
  - "IDENT_SEED_TSQL"
  - "IDENT_SEED"
dev_langs: 
  - "TSQL"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "identity columns [SQL Server], IDENT_SEED function"
  - "seed values [SQL Server]"
  - "IDENT_SEED function"
ms.assetid: e4cb8eb8-affb-4810-a8a9-0110af3c247a
author: VanMSFT
ms.author: vanto
---
# IDENT_SEED (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE [SQL Server SQL Database](../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-asdb.md)]

  Returns the original seed value specified when creating an identity column in a table or a view. Changing the current value of an identity column by using DBCC CHECKIDENT doesn't change the value returned by this function.  
  
 ![Article link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Article link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```syntaxsql  
IDENT_SEED ( 'table_or_view' )  
```  
  
[!INCLUDE[sql-server-tsql-previous-offline-documentation](../../includes/sql-server-tsql-previous-offline-documentation.md)]

## Arguments
 **'** *table_or_view* **'**  
 Is an [expression](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md) that specifies the table or view to check for an identity seed value. *table_or_view* can be a character string constant enclosed in quotation marks, a variable, a function, or a column name. *table_or_view* is **char**, **nchar**, **varchar**, or **nvarchar**.  
  
## Return Types  
**numeric**([@@MAXPRECISION](../../t-sql/functions/max-precision-transact-sql.md),0))  
  
## Exceptions  
 Returns NULL on error or if a caller doesn't have permission to view the object.  
  
 In [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)], a user can only view the metadata of securables that the user either owns or is granted permission on. This security means that metadata-emitting, built-in functions such as IDENT_SEED may return NULL if the user doesn't have any permission on the object. For more information, see [Metadata Visibility Configuration](../../relational-databases/security/metadata-visibility-configuration.md).  
  
## Examples  
  
### A. Returning the seed value from a specified table  
 The following example returns the seed value for the `Person.Address` table in the [!INCLUDE[ssSampleDBnormal](../../includes/sssampledbnormal-md.md)] database.  
  
```sql  
USE AdventureWorks2012;  
GO  
SELECT IDENT_SEED('Person.Address') AS Identity_Seed;  
GO  
```  
  
### B. Returning the seed value from multiple tables  
 The following example returns the tables in the [!INCLUDE[ssSampleDBnormal](../../includes/sssampledbnormal-md.md)] database with an identity column with a seed value.  
  
```sql  
USE AdventureWorks2012;  
GO  
SELECT TABLE_SCHEMA, TABLE_NAME,   
   IDENT_SEED(TABLE_SCHEMA + '.' + TABLE_NAME) AS IDENT_SEED  
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES  
WHERE IDENT_SEED(TABLE_SCHEMA + '.' + TABLE_NAME) IS NOT NULL;  
GO  
```  
  
 Here is a partial result set.  
  
 ```
 TABLE_SCHEMA       TABLE_NAME                   IDENT_SEED  
------------       ---------------------------  -----------  
Person             Address                                1  
Production         ProductReview                          1  
Production         TransactionHistory                100000  
Person             AddressType                            1  
Production         ProductSubcategory                     1  
Person             vAdditionalContactInfo                 1  
dbo                AWBuildVersion                         1
```  
  
## See Also  
 [Expressions (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md)   
 [System Functions (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-functions/system-functions-category-transact-sql.md)   
 [IDENT_CURRENT (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/ident-current-transact-sql.md)   
 [IDENT_INCR (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/ident-incr-transact-sql.md)   
 [DBCC CHECKIDENT (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/database-console-commands/dbcc-checkident-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.identity_columns (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/sys-identity-columns-transact-sql.md)