Published on

June 22, 2015

Improving SQL Server Code Efficiency

When it comes to writing efficient and clean code in SQL Server, there are often multiple ways to achieve the desired result. In this blog post, we will discuss a common scenario where concatenating multiple columns into a single column can lead to lengthy and inefficient code.

Imagine a situation where you have a table with several columns, and you need to concatenate these columns to form a single column as part of the output. One approach that some developers take is to use the ISNULL function in front of every column to handle potential NULL values. While this approach may work, it can make the code unnecessarily long and difficult to maintain.

Let’s consider an example to better understand the issue. Suppose we have a temporary table called #temp with three columns: emp_name, emp_middlename, and emp_lastname. We want to concatenate these columns to form a single column called Result. Here is a simplified version of the code:

CREATE TABLE #temp (
    emp_name NVARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,
    emp_middlename NVARCHAR(200) NULL,
    emp_lastname NVARCHAR(200) NOT NULL
);

INSERT INTO #temp VALUES ('SQL', NULL, 'Authority');
INSERT INTO #temp VALUES ('SQL', 'Server', 'Authority');

SELECT emp_name + emp_middlename + emp_lastname AS Result
FROM #temp;

DROP TABLE #temp;

The output of this code will be:

Result
------
NULL
SQLServerAuthority

As you can see, the first row returns NULL because the emp_middlename column is NULL. This behavior may not be desired in some cases, and developers often resort to using the ISNULL function in front of every column to handle this situation.

However, there is a more efficient and elegant solution to this problem. Instead of using the ISNULL function, we can leverage the CONCAT function, which automatically handles NULL values without the need for additional code. Here is an updated version of the code using the CONCAT function:

SELECT CONCAT(emp_name, emp_middlename, emp_lastname) AS Result
FROM #temp;

The output of this updated code will be:

Result
------
SQLAuthority
SQLServerAuthority

By using the CONCAT function, we eliminate the need for multiple ISNULL statements and simplify the code. This not only improves the readability of the code but also enhances its performance by reducing unnecessary function calls.

Next time you encounter a similar scenario where you need to concatenate columns in SQL Server, consider using the CONCAT function instead of relying on ISNULL statements. This simple change can make your code more efficient and easier to maintain.

Do you have any other tips or tricks for improving SQL Server code efficiency? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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