These are all the tables Windows Installer defines for an installation database, in
Microsoft’s order, with Microsoft’s description of each. A package holds only the tables
it needs. The system tables (_Columns, _Storages,
_Streams, _Tables, _TransformView,
_Validation) are described on the
database page. Each table’s
columns, keys and column data types are given on its own page in the Windows Installer
documentation; they are not repeated here.
Database tables
| Table | Holds |
|---|---|
ActionText | Text shown in a progress dialog box or action log. |
AdminExecuteSequence | ADMIN actions in sequence. |
AdminUISequence | User-interface ADMIN actions in sequence. |
AdvtExecuteSequence | ADVERTISE actions in sequence. |
AdvtUISequence | Not used by Windows Installer; should be absent or empty. |
AppId | DCOM servers for the installer to configure and register. |
AppSearch | Properties set by searching for file signatures. |
BBControl | Controls shown on each billboard. |
Billboard | Billboards shown in the full user interface. |
Binary | Binary data for bitmaps and icons. |
BindImage | Executables bound to their DLLs. |
CCPSearch | File signatures for the Compliance Checking Program. |
CheckBox | Values for check boxes. |
Class | COM server information for product advertisement. |
ComboBox | Values for each combo box. |
CompLocator | Searches for a file or folder by installer configuration data. |
Complus | Information needed to install COM+ applications. |
Component | The installation components. |
Condition | Conditions that change feature selection states. |
Control | Controls on each dialog box. |
ControlCondition | Actions applied to controls depending on a property. |
ControlEvent | What controls in dialog boxes do. |
CreateFolder | Folders that must be created for a component. |
CustomAction | Custom actions integrated into the installation. |
Dialog | Dialog boxes of the user interface. |
Directory | The application’s folder layout. |
DrLocator | File searches through the folder tree. |
DuplicateFile | Files to duplicate. |
Environment | Environment variables. |
Error | Error message formatting templates. |
EventMapping | Events that controls subscribe to. |
Extension | File name extension server information. |
Feature | The tree of features. |
FeatureComponents | Which components belong to which features. |
File | Every source file, with its attributes. |
FileSFPCatalog | Files associated with catalog files. |
Font | Registry information for font files. |
Icon | Icon files. |
IniFile | Values to set in .ini files. |
IniLocator | Searches for a file or folder through an .ini file. |
InstallExecuteSequence | INSTALL actions in sequence. |
InstallUISequence | User-interface INSTALL actions in sequence. |
IsolatedComponent | Isolated components. |
LaunchCondition | Conditions that must hold for the installation to begin. |
ListBox | Values for list boxes. |
ListView | Values for list views. |
LockPermissions | Locked-down parts of the application. |
Media | Source media disks for the installation. |
MIME | MIME content types, extensions or CLSIDs. |
MoveFile | Files to move or copy. |
MsiAssembly | Settings for .NET Framework and Win32 assemblies. |
MsiAssemblyName | The parts of a strong assembly cache name. |
MsiDigitalCertificate | Certificates as binary streams, each with a key. |
MsiDigitalSignature | Signature information for every signed object in the database. |
MsiEmbeddedChainer | Functions that install several packages from one (Windows Installer 4.5 and later). |
MsiEmbeddedUI | A user interface embedded in the package (4.5 and later). |
MsiFileHash | 128-bit hashes of source files. |
MsiLockPermissionsEx | Security for services, files, registry keys and created folders (5.0 and later). |
MsiPackageCertificate | Certificates that verify the packages of a multiple-package installation (4.5 and later). |
MsiPatchCertificate | Information for User Account Control patching (3.0 and later). |
MsiPatchHeaders | Binary patch header streams used to validate patches. |
MsiPatchMetadata | Information needed to remove a patch, also used by Add/Remove Programs (3.0 and later). |
MsiPatchOldAssemblyName | Old names of assemblies. |
MsiPatchOldAssemblyFile | Links a file in the File table to an assembly name. |
MsiPatchSequence | Where a small update patch falls in the order of all patches (3.0 and later). |
MsiServiceConfig | Configuration of a service installed by the package (5.0 and later). |
MsiServiceConfigFailureActions | What to do after a service fails, from the next system start (5.0 and later). |
MsiSFCBypass | Files that bypass Windows File Protection on Windows Me. |
ODBCAttribute | Attributes of ODBC drivers and translators. |
ODBCDataSource | ODBC data sources of the installation. |
ODBCDriver | ODBC drivers of the installation. |
ODBCSourceAttribute | Attributes of data sources. |
ODBCTranslator | ODBC translators of the installation. |
Patch | Files that receive a particular patch. |
PatchPackage | Every patch package applied to the product. |
ProgId | Program ID information. |
Property | Names and values of all properties. |
PublishComponent | Information for publishing components. |
RadioButton | Buttons of all radio button groups. |
Registry | The application’s registry information. |
RegLocator | Searches for a file or folder through the registry. |
RemoveFile | Files removed by the RemoveFiles action. |
RemoveIniFile | Values to delete from .ini files. |
RemoveRegistry | Values to delete from the registry. |
ReserveCost | Disk space reserved in any folder, conditionally. |
SelfReg | Self-registering modules. |
ServiceControl | Control of installed or removed services. |
ServiceInstall | Information to install a service. |
SFPCatalog | SFP catalogs. |
Shortcut | Information needed to create shortcuts. |
Signature | Unique file signatures that identify files. |
TextStyle | Text styles used in text controls. |
TypeLib | Registry information for type libraries. |
UIText | Localised versions of some user-interface strings. |
Upgrade | Information used when upgrading an application. |
Verb | Command verbs for file name extensions. |
Microsoft gives the minimum version of some tables as “not supported in Windows Installer 4.0 and earlier” (MsiEmbeddedChainer, MsiEmbeddedUI) or “… 4.5 and earlier” (MsiLockPermissionsEx, MsiServiceConfig, MsiServiceConfigFailureActions), read above as 4.5 and 5.0 and later.
Sources
Microsoft Learn, Windows Installer: “Database Tables” (the list and descriptions) and the version notes on it.