JOINS in Sql Server with Examples

Join facilitates the retrieval of information from multiple tables. In Sql server we
have following 6 types of Joins:

1. INNER JOIN
2. LEFT OUTER JOIN
3. RIGHT OUTER JOIN
4. FULL OUTER JOIN
5. CROSS JOIN
6. SELF JOIN

To demo these features let us first create the Customers and Orders table as
depicted in the below image by using the following script:

CREATE DATABASE SqlHintsJoinDemo

GO
USE SqlHintsJoinDemo
GO
--Create Customers Table and Insert records
CREATE TABLE Customers
( CustomerId INT, Name VARCHAR(50) )
GO
INSERT INTO Customers(CustomerId, Name) VALUES(1,'Shree')
INSERT INTO Customers(CustomerId, Name) VALUES(2,'Kalpana')
INSERT INTO Customers(CustomerId, Name) VALUES(3,'Basavaraj')
GO

--Create Orders Table and Insert records into it

CREATE TABLE Orders
(OrderId INT, CustomerId INT, OrderDate DateTime)
GO
INSERT INTO Orders(OrderId, CustomerId, OrderDate)
VALUES(100,1,Getdate()-1)

INSERT INTO Orders VALUES(200,4,Getdate())

INSERT INTO Orders VALUES(300,3,Getdate()+1)
GO
1. INNER JOIN in Sql Server
Inner Join returns only the matching rows in both the tables (i.e. returns only
those rows for which the join condition satisfies).

Demo 1: As per the data in our demo tables, Customers with CustomerId 1 and 3
in Customers table have the orders in the Orders table. Where as the customer
with CustomerId 2 doesnt have any order in the Orders table. So the Inner Join on
the CustomerId column between Customers and Orders table will return the
Customer and Order details of the Customers with CustomerId 1 and 3 only.

SELECT *
FROM Customers C
INNER JOIN Orders O
ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId
RESULT:

Demo 2: Below Inner Join query demonstrates how to get name of all the
Customer who have at-least one order in the Orders table.

SELECT C.Name
FROM Customers C
INNER JOIN Orders O
ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId
RESULT:
Name
-
Basavaraj
Shree

2. Left OUTER JOIN in Sql Server

Left Outer Join/Left Join returns all the rows from the LEFT table and the
corresponding matching rows from the right table. If right table doesnt have the
matching record then for such records right table column will have NULL value in
the result.

Demo 1: As per the data in our demo tables, Customers with CustomerId 1 and 3
in Customers table have the orders in the Orders table. Where as the customer
with CustomerId 2 doesnt have any order in the Orders table. So the Left join on
the CustomerId column between Customers and Orders table will return the
Customer and Order details of the Customers with CustomerId 1 and 3 and for
CustomerId 2 the Order Table columns will have NULL value in the result.

SELECT *
FROM Customers C
LEFT OUTER JOIN Orders O
ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId

RESULT:
Demo 2: Below query demonstrates how to get the name of the Customer who
dont have Orders using LEFT OUTER JOIN.

SELECT C.CustomerId, C.Name

FROM Customers C
LEFT OUTER JOIN Orders O
ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId
WHERE O.OrderId IS NULL

RESULT:
CustomerId Name

2 Kalpana

3. RIGHT OUTER JOIN in Sql Server

Right Outer Join/Right Join returns all the rows from the RIGHT table and the
corresponding matching rows from the left table. If left table doesnt have the
matching record then for such records left table column will have NULL value in
the result.

Demo 1: As per the data in our demo tables, only for the order with OrderId 200
we dont have its corresponding customer info with CustomerId 4 in the
Customers table. And for the other two orders, the corresponding customer info is
present in the Customers Table. So for the orders with CustomerId 1 and 3 will
have customer details and for the order with CustomerId 4, the Customers table
columns will have NULL value in the result.

SELECT *
FROM Customers C
RIGHT OUTER JOIN Orders O
ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId
RESULT:

Demo 2: Below query demonstrates how to get the Orders with a CustomerId, for
which we dont have a mapping any record in the Customers Table:

SELECT O.*
FROM Customers C
RIGHT OUTER JOIN Orders O
ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId
WHERE C.CustomerId IS NULL

RESULT:
OrderId CustomerId OrderDate

200 4 2014-01-31 23:48:32.853

4. FULL OUTER JOIN in Sql Server

It returns all the rows from both the tables, if there is no matching row in either of
the sides then it displays NULL values in the result for that table columns in such
rows.

Full Outer Join = Left Outer Join + Right Outer Join

Demo 1: As per the data in our Demo tables the Customer with CustomerId 2
doesnt have order in the Orders table. So in the result of FULL Outer join between
Customers and Orders table on the CustomerId column will have NULL values for
the Orders table columns for the Customer with CustomerId 2.

And for the Order with OrderId 200 having CustomerId 4 doesnt have a matching
record in the customer table with CustomerId 4. So in the result of FULL Outer
join between Customers and Orders table on the CustomerId column will have
NULL values for the Customers table columns for the Order with OrderId 200.

SELECT *
FROM Customers C
FULL OUTER JOIN Orders O
ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId

RESULT:

Demo 2: Below query demonstrates how to get the list of all the Customers
without Orders and also the Orders which doesnt have corresponding customer
in the Customers Table.

SELECT *
FROM Customers C
FULL OUTER JOIN Orders O
 ON O.CustomerId = C.CustomerId
WHERE C.CustomerId IS NULL OR O.OrderId IS NULL

RESULT:

5. CROSS JOIN in Sql Server

Cross join is also referred to as Cartesian Product. For every row in the LEFT
Table of the CROSS JOIN all the rows from the RIGHT table are returned and Vice-
Versa (i.e.result will have the Cartesian product of the rows from join tables).

No.of Rows in the Result of CRoss Join = (No. of Rows in LEFT Table) * (No. of
Rows in RIGHT Table)

SELECT *
FROM Customers C
CROSS JOIN Orders O
RESULT:

6. SELF JOIN in Sql Server

If a Table is joined to itself using one of the join types explained above, then such
a type of join is called SELF JOIN.

To demo this join let us create an Employee table with data as depicted in the
below image by the following script:

CREATE TABLE Employee

(EmployeeId INT, Name NVARCHAR(50), ManagerId INT)
GO
INSERT INTO Employee VALUES(1,'Shree',1)
INSERT INTO Employee VALUES(2,'Kalpana',1)
INSERT INTO Employee VALUES(3,'Basavaraj',2)
INSERT INTO Employee VALUES(4,'Monty',2)
GO
Demo 1: Now if we need to get the name of the Employee and his Manager name
for each employee in the Employee Table. Then we have to Join Employee Table to
itself as Employee and his Manager data is present in this table only as shown in
the below query:

SELECT E.EmployeeId,
E.Name 'Employee Name', M.Name 'Manager Name'
FROM dbo.Employee E
INNER JOIN Employee M
ON M.EmployeeId = E.ManagerId

RESULT: