UNION vs. UNION ALL: When Should You Use Each?
UNION and UNION ALL: A Detailed Comparison
In SQL database management, UNION
and UNION ALL
are powerful tools for merging result sets from multiple queries into a single table. While functionally similar, a key difference lies in their treatment of duplicate rows.
Understanding UNION ALL
UNION ALL
directly concatenates rows from the source queries without any deduplication. This means duplicate rows are preserved in the final output. This is advantageous when complete data preservation is vital, such as during data extraction or the generation of comprehensive reports.
Understanding UNION
Unlike UNION ALL
, UNION
removes duplicate rows before combining the result sets. It performs a column-by-column comparison to identify and eliminate identical rows, resulting in a consolidated table containing only unique entries. This is ideal for scenarios requiring a deduplicated output, common in filtered reports or data analysis.
Performance Implications
While UNION
offers the advantage of deduplication, it incurs a performance overhead compared to UNION ALL
. The extra processing required for duplicate removal can significantly impact query execution time. Therefore, UNION ALL
is generally preferred when duplicate rows are acceptable or when performance is critical.
Illustrative Examples
The following examples demonstrate the difference:
-- UNION ALL preserves duplicates SELECT 'foo' AS bar UNION ALL SELECT 'foo' AS bar; -- UNION removes duplicates SELECT 'foo' AS bar UNION SELECT 'foo' AS bar;
The UNION ALL
example yields two identical rows, whereas UNION
produces a single row, effectively eliminating the duplicate.
By understanding the nuances of UNION
and UNION ALL
, database administrators can choose the optimal operator to achieve the desired outcome, whether it's preserving all data or ensuring a unique result set.
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