Skip to main content

Include External Tables

Determines if External Tables are included in the generated SSDT Project.

When disabled (the default), the external (EXT) table definitions are skipped when the SSDT projects are generated. When enabled, the external table DDL is included in the project for each database that stages data through external tables.

When to Change This Setting

Keep the default N when external tables are created and managed outside the SSDT projects. Enable it for PolyBase-style external staging — for example Azure Synapse Analytics loading from Blob Storage — so the external table definitions deploy with the rest of the database project.

SettingInteraction
Include Master KeyIncludes the master key script the external access relies on
Include CredentialIncludes the database scoped credential script
Include External Data SourceIncludes the external data source script
Include External File FormatIncludes the external file format script
Overwrite External Table DefaultsControls whether existing default artifact scripts are overwritten

Notes

  • This setting is part of the SSDT settings category.
  • The default value for this setting is N.