Multi-statement Table Valued Function vs Inline Table Valued Function
- by AndyC
ie:
CREATE FUNCTION MyNS.GetUnshippedOrders()
RETURNS TABLE
AS
RETURN SELECT a.SaleId, a.CustomerID, b.Qty
FROM Sales.Sales a INNER JOIN Sales.SaleDetail b
ON a.SaleId = b.SaleId
INNER JOIN Production.Product c ON b.ProductID = c.ProductID
WHERE a.ShipDate IS NULL
GO
versus:
CREATE FUNCTION MyNS.GetLastShipped(@CustomerID INT)
RETURNS @CustomerOrder TABLE
(SaleOrderID INT NOT NULL,
CustomerID INT NOT NULL,
OrderDate DATETIME NOT NULL,
OrderQty INT NOT NULL)
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @MaxDate DATETIME
SELECT @MaxDate = MAX(OrderDate)
FROM Sales.SalesOrderHeader
WHERE CustomerID = @CustomerID
INSERT @CustomerOrder
SELECT a.SalesOrderID, a.CustomerID, a.OrderDate, b.OrderQty
FROM Sales.SalesOrderHeader a INNER JOIN Sales.SalesOrderHeader b
ON a.SalesOrderID = b.SalesOrderID
INNER JOIN Production.Product c ON b.ProductID = c.ProductID
WHERE a.OrderDate = @MaxDate
AND a.CustomerID = @CustomerID
RETURN
END
GO
Is there an advantage to using one over the other? Is there certain scenarios when one is better than the other or are the differences purely syntactical? I realise the 2 example queries are doing different things but is there a reason I would write them in that way?
Reading about them and the advantages/differences haven't really been explained.
Thanks
