When to use exists or count in SQL Prompt?

When to use exists or count in SQL Prompt?

One of SQL Prompt’s built-in “performance” code analysis rules, PE013, states (paraphrased): Some programmers use COUNT (*) to check to see if there are any rows that match some criteria…it is recommended to use EXISTS () or NOT EXISTS () instead, for superior performance and readability.

Is there a way to get the Count of rows?

The third problem is that count () is a much better way as expertly described in the answer by gbn. Note also that ROW is in the Reserved Keywords List, so that should be avoided as well. If you want to get the exact count of rows in an efficient manner, then COUNT (*) is it.

How to properly check if a record exists?

For example if you want to check if user exists before inserting it into the database the query can look like this: If there is no record matching the condition, the resulted recordset is empty. The other answers are quite good, but it would also be useful to add LIMIT 1 (or the equivalent, to prevent the checking of unnecessary rows.

Which is the best way to check the existence of rows?

The EXISTS operator is the most natural way to check for the existence of rows based on some criteria and, in our example, it answers the question in the most concise way and reads most like the requirements statement. I will only choose an alternative, less readable solution if it pays back significantly in terms of performance and scalability.

Which is better count or count ( column name )?

Often times the assumption is that one syntax provides better performance than the others. This tip will explain the differences between the following COUNT function varieties: COUNT (*) vs. COUNT (1) vs. COUNT (column_name) to determine if there is a performance difference.

How to compare count function in SQL Server?

SQL Server COUNT () Function Performance Comparison. 1 SELECT COUNT (*) Looking at the execution plan, the Aggregate operation AggType is countstar and the ScalarString is Count (*). SQL Server is actually 2 SELECT COUNT (1) 3 SELECT COUNT (LargeColumn) 4 SELECT COUNT (ColumnWithNulls)

Which is better exists or count in Redgate?

One developer suggests a solution that uses EXISTS with a subquery, another a solution that uses COUNT (*) with a subquery, yet another proposes one that uses just JOIN s plus a DISTINCT clause in the SELECT. There are other suggestions too. They all give you the right results, but which one is “best”, or most appropriate, solution?