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Make SQL Server Respond to an ORDER BY Clause

SQL Server Views don't support the ORDER BY clause, but that shouldn't stop you from bringing order to your data.
This article teaches you how to sort the results of a View, despite this small limitation.
by Susan Harkins and Martin W. P. Reid

ometimes, how you present data is just as important as the data itself. One of the simplest presentation
techniques is to sort the data in some meaningful way, but SQL Server Views don't support the ORDER BY clause. In
this article, you'll learn how to sort the results of a View, despite this small limitation.

About Views
The SQL Server View is one of SQL Server's simpler structures for displaying data. A View basically retrieves a
limited recordset. You can retrieve all the data, but you'll rarely need to do so. Views also are one of SQL Server's
more flexible tools because:

 They allow users to see limited data while also restricting access to the actual tables, providing a pseudo-layer of
security.
 They enable you to present a simplified version of your data, which means your user really doesn't need to be
familiar with your database structure to use your application.
 They can increase performance when transferring data across a network.

The View does have a few restrictions, however:

 You can't use the ORDER BY clause.

 You can't use parameters to pass criteria.
 You can't use a View with temporary tables.

To create a View, use the CREATE VIEW statement in the form (Arguments enclosed in brackets, [ ], are optional.):

CREATE VIEW [databasename.][owner.]viewname[(column[,n])]

[WITH attribute[,n]]
AS
selectstatement
[WITH CHECK OPTION]
The WITH CHECK OPTION clause tracks changes to the data via the View to ensure that the View is still valid once
the statement is executed. If a change invalidates the View, this option prohibits the change. Table 1 describes the
CREATE VIEW arguments.

Table 1: CREATE VIEW Arguments

Argument Explanation
databasename Identifies the database that contains the data you're viewing
owner Identifies the database owner, usually a three-letter prefix such as dbo
Identifies the columns from which you're retrieving data (in selectstatement;
column generally used only if column is the result of an expression, function, or if two
columns have the same name
One of the following:
 ENCRYPTION: Encrypts the view definition with the SQL Server system
attribute tables
 SCHEMABINDING: Restricts modifications to the underlying table
 VIEW_METADATA: Makes the View updateable
selectstatement A valid SQL statement that fully defines the View

The ORDER BY clause sorts the results of a SELECT statement. To apply a sort, add this clause in the form:

SELECT column[,n]
FROM datasource
ORDER BY sortcolumn [ASC | DESC]
Where column identifies the columns you're retrieving, datasource identifies
the tables that contain the data, and sortcolumn is the column by which you
want to sort the results. By default, the clause sorts in ascending order, but you
can sort in ascending or descending order using ASC or DESC. (For
documentation purposes, you might want to include ASC, but it isn't
necessary.) You can sort a text, numeric, or date column. Figure 1. The data doesn't sort. (Click
to enlarge)

The Simplest Solution

Using a View is as simple as creating a SELECT statement. That statement can even further restrict the View's
results, and it even offers a simple solution to the ORDER BY clause limitation because you can include the ORDER
BY clause in the calling SELECT statement. To use a view, create a SELECT statement using the following syntax:

SELECT column[,n]
FROM viewname
[WHERE criteria]
ORDER BY sortcolumn[,n]
 Where column identifies the columns you're retrieving, viewname identifies the
View from which you're pulling those columns, criteria is an expression that
limits the data, and sortcolumn identifies the column by which you want to sort
the results. As you can see, in this form, you can include an ORDER BY
clause, but you're doing so indirectly—from the calling SELECT statement,
which may not always be adequate.

The Northwind sample database that comes with SQL Server can provide a
Figure 2. The ORDER BY clause will quick example. Suppose you want to see all the products, sorted first by their
sort the results. (Click to enlarge) categories and then by product name. To do so, you might create the following
View:

CREATE VIEW dbo.viewProducts

AS
SELECT dbo.Products.ProductName, dbo.Products.CategoryID
FROM dbo.Products

Executing a simple SELECT statement returns the data, but it doesn't sort it (see Figure 1).

Call the View using a simple SELECT statement as follows:

SELECT dbo.viewProducts.ProductName,
dbo.viewProducts.CategoryID
FROM dbo.viewProducts
ORDER BY dbo.viewProducts.CategoryID, dbo.viewProducts.ProductName

The results aren't limited by a WHERE clause, and they will include all the records from both the CategoryID and
ProductName columns. However, the ORDER BY clause will sort the results, first by CategoryID and then by
ProductName (see Figure 2).

The previous solution works, but you lose a little control over the sort because you may forget to include the sort
when calling the View. A more direct approach is to add the TOP predicate to the View's SELECT statement in the
form:

CREATE VIEW [databasename.][owner.]viewname[(column[,n])]

AS
SELECT TOP 100 PERCENT column[,n]
FROM datasource
[WHERE criteria]
[ORDER BY sortcolumn[,n]
In the above context, the TOP predicate selects all the data—100 percent. You
can use this predicate to select n percent or n records from the data source.

Figure 3. The View sorts the results.

(Click to enlarge)
Following the previous example, you can add the ORDER BY clause to the View as follows:

CREATE VIEW dbo.viewProductsTop

AS
SELECT TOP 100 PERCENT dbo.Products.ProductName,
dbo.Products.CategoryID
FROM dbo.Products
ORDER BY dbo.Products.CategoryID, dbo.Products.ProductName

The results show the View sorted by CategoryID and then ProductName (see Figure 3). When calling the View with
the following statement, the ORDER BY clause in the calling SELECT statement is no longer needed:

SELECT dbo.viewProducts.ProductName,
dbo.viewProducts.CategoryID
FROM dbo.viewProductsTop

There's one problem with the TOP 100 PERCENT solution. As is, the View could drop a record from the results.
When the last value has two or more records with the same value, the View includes only one. To avoid this problem,
add the WITH TIES clause to the TOP statement in the form:

SELECT TOP 100 PERCENT WITH TIES

Circumvent the Rules

Rules are made to be broken. SQL Server doesn't support the ORDER BY clause in a View, but you've seen how to
get around that limitation by adding a TOP 100 PERCENT clause to the View. When you do, SQL Server interprets
and correctly responds to an ORDER BY clause.

Susan Sales Harkins (harkins@iglou.com) is an independent consultant who writes for a number of publishers. She
specializes in Access. "SQL: Access to SQL Server", her latest book, was released in January 2002.
Martin W. P. Reid is an analyst employed in the Queens University of Belfast. Martin was co-author with Susan
Sales Harkins of "SQL: Access to SQL Server", and their latest project "Mastering Dreamweaver MX Databases"
(Sybex) due in December 2002.

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