SQL SERVER order by random in series

Question

Aryan Kumar · Answer

Sure, here is how to order by random in series in SQL Server:

SQL

USE MyDatabase;

SELECT CustomerID, FirstName, LastName
FROM Customers
ORDER BY NEWID();

The NEWID() function returns a unique identifier, which is a random number that is guaranteed to be unique. The ORDER BY clause orders the rows by the NEWID() function, which will sort the rows in a random order.

The NEWID() function is a database-specific function, so it may not be available in all databases. If the NEWID() function is not available, you can use the RAND() function, which returns a pseudo-random number.

The following query is equivalent to the previous query, but it uses the RAND() function instead of the NEWID() function:

SQL

USE MyDatabase;

SELECT CustomerID, FirstName, LastName
FROM Customers
ORDER BY RAND();

The RAND() function is not guaranteed to be unique, so it is possible that the rows will be sorted in the same order every time the query is executed. If you need to ensure that the rows are sorted in a different order every time the query is executed, you can use the NEWID() function.

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SQL SERVER order by random in series

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