title: What are views good for?
body: <p>I'm just trying to get a general idea of what views are used for in RDBMSes.  That is to say, I know what a view is and how to make one.  I also know what I've used them for in the past.</p>
  <p>But I want to make sure I have a thorough understanding of what a view is useful for and what a view shouldn't be useful for.  More specifically:</p>
  <ol>
  <li>What is a view useful for?</li>
  <li>Are there any situations in which it is tempting to use a view when you shouldn't use one?</li>
  <li>Why would you use a view in lieu of something like a table-valued function or vice versa?</li>
  <li>Are there any circumstances that a view might be useful that aren't apparent at first glance?</li>
  </ol>
  <p>(And for the record, some of these questions are intentionally naive.  This is partly a concept check.)</p>