The snippet library.
Small, practical examples. Search by task or narrow things down below.
Find the second-highest distinct value
SQL Server: Select the maximum below the overall maximum to skip ties at the top.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Generate a bounded sequence recursively
Use a recursive CTE with a recursion limit.
recursive CTE✓ Tested
Generate every combination of two sets
SQL Server: CROSS JOIN creates one result per possible pair, so the output size is the product of the input sizes.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Give a result column a readable name
SQL Server: Use AS to label a computed result column.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Group by more than one field
SQL Server: Each distinct combination of grouping fields produces its own row.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Include every row tied for the highest score
SQL Server: Compare with MAX rather than limiting to an arbitrary number of rows.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Include missing values in a not-equal filter
SQL Server: Ordinary inequality does not include NULL; explicitly include it when that is the intended rule.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Include zero counts for missing relationships
SQL Server: Count the non-null child key after a left join so a missing relationship produces zero.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Increment a stored value in the database
SQL Server: An in-database arithmetic update avoids a separate application read-modify-write step.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Insert only keys absent from a destination
SQL Server: NOT EXISTS supports a set-based missing-row insert in a single-writer example.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Join a parent to pre-aggregated totals
SQL Server: Aggregate the child rows first to produce at most one joined row per parent.
SQL Server✓ Tested
Join related rows from two tables
SQL Server: Match a category key to its display label with an explicit join condition.
SQL Server✓ Tested