---
title: "Create Self-Joins Automatically (Visual Database Tools) | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
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ms.technology: ssms
ms.topic: conceptual
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "automatic joins"
  - "self-joins"
  - "joins [SQL Server], self"
ms.assetid: f9ec90e8-3aad-415c-a5c4-8dfa9540e37f
author: stevestein
ms.author: sstein
manager: craigg
---
# Create Self-Joins Automatically (Visual Database Tools)
  If a table has a reflexive relationship in the database, you can join it to itself automatically.  
  
### To create a self-join automatically  
  
1.  Add to the [Diagram pane](visual-database-tools.md) the table you want to work with.  
  
2.  Add the same table again, so that the Diagram pane shows the same table twice within the Diagram pane.  
  
     The [Query and View Designer](query-and-view-designer-tools-visual-database-tools.md) assigns an alias to the second instance by adding a sequential number to the table name. In addition, the Query and View Designer creates a join line between the two rectangles representing the two different ways the table participates in the query.  
  
## See Also  
 [Query with Joins (Visual Database Tools)](query-with-joins-visual-database-tools.md)