Sequential Numbering

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the content posted at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/glarsen/sequentialnumbering.asp

    Gregory A. Larsen, MVP

  • Some good techniques if you really need to do this in SQL, but my argument often for this process is to have the client do it. VB, Crystal, ASP, etc. all process the rows sequentially and it is very easy and much less resource intensive to have the client calculate the sequential numbers.

    Steve Jones

    sjones@sqlservercentral.com

    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/sjones

    The Best of SQL Server Central.com 2002 - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/bestof/

    http://www.dkranch.net

  • I whole heartly agree with the client side solution when ever possible.

    Gregory A. Larsen, DBA

    Contributor to 'The Best of SQLServerCentral.com 2002' book. Get a copy here: http:www.sqlservercentral.com/bestof/purchase.asp

    Need SQL Server Examples check out my website at http://www.geocities.com/sqlserverexamples

    Gregory A. Larsen, MVP

  • Another way to do this is using Indentity, not using it as a property of a column, but as function in a TSQL statement. Using your example:

    select Identity(int,1,1) as rank, Hiredate, LastName, Firstname

    into #hireDate

    from northwind.dbo.employees

    where Title = 'Sales Representative'

    order by HireDate

    Select cast(rank as char(4)) as Rank,

    cast(hiredate as varchar(23)) as HireDate,

    LastName,

    FirstName from #HireDate order by 1

    Drop table #HireDate

    I think this could be a good function to have in mind, specially when you want a quickly solution.

    Roberto Figueroa

    figaroATgcmexDOTcom

  • Just a note... The IDENTITY function can only be used when the INTO clause (as Figaro did) is also present or you will get the following error...

    Server: Msg 177, Level 15, State 1, Line 1

    The IDENTITY function can only be used when the SELECT statement has an INTO clause.

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • There is another technique. Gert Drapers did a straw poll of the audience at one of his PASS presentations this year to see who knew about this technique and very few did...hence its probably worth passing on here.

    Stick the following into QA and run:

    --I have a table:

    USE tempdb

    GO

    CREATE TABLE MyTable (

       MyTableID int NULL,

       [Name] varchar(35) NOT NULL

    )

    --I populate some data

    INSERT MyTable ([Name]) VALUES ('Jamie')

    INSERT MyTable ([Name]) VALUES ('David')

    INSERT MyTable ([Name]) VALUES ('Harold')

    GO

    --I then run the following to populate MyTableID

    DECLARE @vKeyCounter int

    SET @vKeyCounter = (SELECT ISNULL(MAX(MyTableID), 0) FROM MyTable)

    UPDATE MyTable

    SET @vKeyCounter = MyTableID= @vKeyCounter + 1

    WHERE MyTableID IS NULL

    OPTION (MAXDOP 1)

    --View the results

    SELECT *

    FROM MyTable

    The clever bit is the SET part of the UPDATE statement which also changes the variable @vKeyCounter.

    Have a go with this and let me know what you think. I'd appreciate feedback.

     

  • I've just realised that this thread is over a year old. I hope someone reads it!!!

    There was a link to it in the 2004-12-06 newsletter which is why I happen to be replying to it now!

     

     

  • Jamie --

       I like the approach because of its simplicity; however, if the records are numbered in the order that they appear in the table. This may be good approach if coupled with a temporary table built on some select statement (in a SP for example) so that the records are ordered before the sequential number is applied for some display purpose.

    Art

    DOH! I just noticed that your comment was two years old.

  • Heh... better late than never...

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

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