---
title: Transact-SQL Reference (Database Engine)
description: Transact-SQL Reference (Database Engine)
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "04/29/2020"
ms.prod: sql
ms.technology: t-sql
ms.topic: "language-reference"
f1_keywords: 
  - "sql13.tsqlref.f1"
  - "devlang-tsql"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "Transact-SQL"
author: MikeRayMSFT
ms.author: mikeray
ms.reviewer: ""
monikerRange: ">=aps-pdw-2016||=azuresqldb-current||=azure-sqldw-latest||>=sql-server-2016||>=sql-server-linux-2017||=azuresqldb-mi-current"
---

# Transact-SQL Reference (Database Engine)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md](../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md.md)]

This topic gives the basics about how to find and use the Microsoft [!INCLUDE[tsql](../includes/tsql-md.md)] (T-SQL) reference topics. T-SQL is central to using Microsoft SQL products and services. All tools and applications that communicate with a SQL database do so by sending T-SQL commands.  

## T-SQL compliance with SQL Standard
For detailed technical documents about how certain standards are implemented in [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)], see the [Microsoft SQL Server Standards Support documentation](/openspecs/sql_standards/ms-sqlstandlp/89fb00b1-4b9e-4296-92ce-a2b3f7ca01d2).

## Tools that use T-SQL
Some of the Microsoft tools that issue T-SQL commands are:

- [SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)](../ssms/download-sql-server-management-studio-ssms.md)
- [Azure Data Studio](../azure-data-studio/download-azure-data-studio.md)
- [SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)](../ssdt/download-sql-server-data-tools-ssdt.md)
- [sqlcmd](../tools/sqlcmd-utility.md)

## Locate the Transact-SQL reference topics  
To find T-SQL topics, use search at the top right of this page, or use the table of contents on the left side of the page. You can also type a T-SQL key word in the Management Studio Query Editor window, and press F1.

## Find system views
To find the system tables, views, functions, and procedures, see these links, which are in the [Using relational databases](../relational-databases/databases/databases.md) section of the SQL documentation.

- [System catalog Views](../relational-databases/system-catalog-views/catalog-views-transact-sql.md)
- [System compatibility views](../relational-databases/system-compatibility-views/system-compatibility-views-transact-sql.md)
- [System dynamic management views](../relational-databases/system-dynamic-management-views/system-dynamic-management-views.md)
- [System functions](../relational-databases/system-functions/system-functions-category-transact-sql.md)
- [System information schema views](../relational-databases/system-information-schema-views/system-information-schema-views-transact-sql.md)
- [System stored procedures](../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/system-stored-procedures-transact-sql.md)
- [System tables](../relational-databases/system-tables/system-tables-transact-sql.md)

## "Applies to" references  

The T-SQL reference topics encompass multiple versions of SQL Server, starting with 2008, and the other Azure SQL services. Near the top of each topic is a section that indicates which products and services support subject of the topic. 

For example, this topic applies to all versions, and has the following label.

[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all_md](../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md.md)]

Another example, the following label indicates a topic that applies only to Azure Synapse Analytics and Parallel Data Warehouse.

[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-xxxxxx-xxxx-asdw-pdw_md](../includes/applies-to-version/asa-pdw.md)]

In some cases, the topic is used by a product or service, but all of the arguments are not supported. In this case, other **Applies to** sections are inserted into the appropriate argument descriptions in the body of the topic.

## Get help from Microsoft Q & A

For online help, see the [Microsoft Q & A Transact-SQL Forum](/answers/topics/sql-server-transact-sql.html).

## See other language references

The SQL docs include these other language references:

- [XQuery Language Reference](../xquery/xquery-language-reference-sql-server.md)
- [Integration Services Language Reference](../integration-services/integration-services-language-reference.md)
- [Replication Language Reference](../relational-databases/replication/replication-language-reference.md)
- [Analysis Services Language Reference](../mdx/multidimensional-expressions-mdx-reference.md)

## Next steps
Now that you understand how to find the T-SQL reference topics, you're ready to:

- Work through a short tutorial about how to write T-SQL, see [Tutorial: Writing Transact-SQL Statements](../t-sql/tutorial-writing-transact-sql-statements.md).
- View the [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions (Transact-SQL)](../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md).