How to Efficiently Select Only the First Line Item for Each Order When Joining Database Tables?

Database Table Joins: Selecting Only the First Line Item per Order

In database operations, a common challenge arises when joining tables like Orders and LineItems, where one order can have multiple associated line items. This often results in redundant data in the joined result set. The goal is to efficiently retrieve only one line item per order.

A naive approach might involve using TOP 1, but this can lead to errors without proper table referencing within subqueries.

Effective Solutions: CROSS APPLY and JOIN with ORDER BY

Two robust methods effectively address this:

Method 1: Using CROSS APPLY

This approach uses CROSS APPLY to join the Orders table with a subquery that selects the top line item for each order:

<code class="language-sql">SELECT Orders.OrderNumber, LineItems2.Quantity, LineItems2.Description
FROM Orders
CROSS APPLY
(
    SELECT TOP 1 LineItems.Quantity, LineItems.Description
    FROM LineItems
    WHERE LineItems.OrderID = Orders.OrderID
) LineItems2;</code>

Method 2: Using JOIN with ORDER BY

This method employs a JOIN clause, where the join condition selects the LineItemGUID from a subquery that orders line items and selects the top one for each order:

<code class="language-sql">SELECT Orders.OrderNumber, LineItems.Quantity, LineItems.Description
FROM Orders
JOIN LineItems
ON LineItems.LineItemGUID =
(
    SELECT TOP 1 LineItemGUID
    FROM LineItems
    WHERE OrderID = Orders.OrderID
    ORDER BY LineItemGUID
);</code>

Both methods ensure that only a single line item is returned for each order. Crucially, including an ORDER BY clause within the subquery is essential for deterministic results. Omitting ORDER BY with TOP 1 leads to unpredictable results, as the "first" line item may vary across query executions. Using ORDER BY guarantees consistent selection of a specific line item based on the chosen ordering criteria.

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