Question: I just installed SQL Server 2016 developer version and new samples database WideWorldImports, upon expanding the tables, I noticed a special icon on the System-Versioned table which looks like a watch. What does this special icon which looks like a watch represents in SQL Server Management Studio 2016?
Answer: Honestly, this was not asked in any interview questions, but I made it up myself. More than an interview question, this is fun trivia which we all would love to learn.
Before we answer the question, let us see an image which displays the icon which we are talking about.
Well, the answer is very simple. The new icon is introduced to indicate that the table is a System-Versioned Table. The hint of this answer is already in the image. All the tables which are System-Versioned have this special icon beside it.
Here is a quick tutorial if you want to learn what is System-Versioned table and how it works. System-Versioned tables are known as Temporal tables as well. SQL SERVER 2016: Creating Simple Temporal Table. Here are additional resources which I have mentioned in this blog post.
Download SQL Server 2016 for Free
Install New Sample Database WideWorldImporters
Installing SQL Server Management Studio 2016
Reference: Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)
