in sql2005 what is master.dbo.spt_values and how do you use it?

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as startted int he title: in sql2005 what is master.dbo.spt_values and how do you use it?

possible duplicate of [What is the purpose of system table table master..spt_values and what are the meanings of its values? ](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4273723/what-is-the-purpose-of-system-table-table-master-spt-values-and-what-are-the-m) — Joe Stefanelli, Jan 24 '11 at 17:27

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Nov 13 '18 at 23:13

I've no idea what its actual purpose is but you will often see it pressed into service as a handy adhoc numbers table with numbers between 0-2047.

select number from master..spt_values where type='P'

Some examples of where this would be useful are listed here: Why should I consider using an auxiliary numbers table?

For your own code you are much better off creating your own permanent indexed numbers table though.

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