> **TL;DR:** When modifying table structures in SQL Designer, the management tools may prevent you from saving changes that require table recreation. Here's the workaround.

When modifying table structures in SQL Designer—such as reordering columns or changing data types—the management tools may prevent you from saving changes that require table recreation. The error message states: "You have either made changes to a table that can't be re-created or enabled the option Prevent saving changes that require the table be re-created."

Here's a workaround solution, though I assume no responsibility for data loss if you fail to back up your tables before attempting it.

## The Fix

In SQL Management Studio:

1. Navigate to **Tools → Options**
2. Uncheck the checkbox shown in the screenshot below
3. Click **Ok**

![Prevent saving changes option](/posts/save-not-permitted/sql-prevent-saving-changes.png)

After completing your modifications, consider re-enabling this setting to prevent accidental changes.

## Alternative Approach

Rather than using the GUI workaround, you can write an ALTER statement using T-SQL, which avoids this issue entirely—though deadlines often make this less practical.