Abrar Ahmad_ (6/8/2010)
Please, let try to be focus on generic questions stated in start of thread, so we can all benefit from it.
The answer to your generic question is 'it depends'. You cannot say, 100% for certain in all cases that subqueries (and I assume you mean correlated subqueries in the select clause) are slower or faster than joins. It depends on what you're doing, data volumes, indexes, selected execution plans and likely a whole bunch of other things.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability