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title: "COL_NAME (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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# COL_NAME (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all_md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md.md)]

Returns the name of a column from a specified corresponding table identification number and column identification number.
  
![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)
  
## Syntax  
  
```sql
-- Syntax for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Parallel Data Warehouse  
  
COL_NAME ( table_id , column_id )  
```  
  
## Arguments  
*table_id*  
Is the identification number of the table that contains the column. *table_id* is of type **int**.
  
*column_id*  
Is the identification number of the column. *column_id* parameter is of type **int**.
  
## Return types
**sysname**
  
## Exceptions  
Returns NULL on error or if a caller does not have permission to view the object.
  
A user can only view the metadata of securables that the user owns or on which the user has been granted permission. This means that metadata-emitting, built-in functions such as COL_NAME may return NULL if the user does not have any permission on the object. For more information, see [Metadata Visibility Configuration](../../relational-databases/security/metadata-visibility-configuration.md).
  
## Remarks  
The *table_id* and *column_id* parameters together produce a column name string.
  
For more information about obtaining table and column identification numbers, see [OBJECT_ID (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/object-id-transact-sql.md).
  
## Examples  
The following example returns the name of the first column in the `Employee` table of the `AdventureWorks2012` database.
  
```sql
USE AdventureWorks2012;  
GO  
SET NOCOUNT OFF;  
GO  
SELECT COL_NAME(OBJECT_ID('HumanResources.Employee'), 1) AS 'Column Name';  
GO  
```  
  
[!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]
  
`Column Name`
  
-----------------\-
  
`BusinessEntityID`
  
## Examples

[!INCLUDE[ssSDWfull](../../includes/sssdwfull-md.md)] and [!INCLUDE[ssPDW](../../includes/sspdw-md.md)]  

The following example returns the name of the first column in a sample `Employee` table.
  
```sql
-- Uses AdventureWorks  
  
SELECT COL_NAME(OBJECT_ID('dbo.FactResellerSales'), 1) AS FirstColumnName,  
COL_NAME(OBJECT_ID('dbo.FactResellerSales'), 2) AS SecondColumnName;  
```  
  
[!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]
  
```sql
ColumnName          
------------   
BusinessEntityID  
```  
  
## See also
[Expressions (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md)  
[Metadata Functions (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/metadata-functions-transact-sql.md)  
[COLUMNPROPERTY (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/columnproperty-transact-sql.md)  
[COL_LENGTH (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/col-length-transact-sql.md)