Collection node filters give you the ability to control exactly which child nodes appear under a particular collection node. For example, a filter can be created that shows only Table nodes beginning with the letter A, under the Tables collection node.

To enable a filter, right-click on a collection node such as Tables node and choose Filters. This launches the Filters Tab on the Connection Dialog where you can construct filters of varying levels of complexity.

When filtering is enabled, the collection node icon changes to reflect this. The property page for the collection node contains information about the filters.

Connections can be filtered so that they only show particular schemas by changing the Displayed Schemas property in the Filters Tab on the Connection Dialog.

Databases typically have hundreds of public synonyms. By default, these are not displayed in Server Explorer. To enable or disable public synonyms, modify the Display Public Synonyms property in the Filters Tab on the Connection Dialog.

The Data Connections Options Page allows you to limit the number of objects that can appear under Server Explorer collection nodes (Tables, Views, Procedures, Functions, and so on). If the number of objects exceeds the chosen maximum value, a message box appears to alert you that not all objects were displayed. This can improve performance and prevent hangs in the case of schemas that have a large number of objects.