The ORDER BY clause is invalid in views, inline functions, derived tables, subqueries, and common table expressions

Pagination using ORDER BY, OFFSET, and FETCH

For handling massive datasets, pagination becomes our best friend. SQL Server's OFFSET and FETCH clauses are uber helpful with ORDER BY. Here's your exemplar of pagination:

SELECT *
FROM YourTable
ORDER BY YourColumn
OFFSET 10 ROWS FETCH NEXT 10 ROWS ONLY;


With this pagination done right, the first 10 items are skipped, and the following 10 are fetched (like browsing page 2 of Google search results!)

Using ROW_NUMBER() for ordering hacks

When ORDER BY just doesn't play ball in subqueries and CTEs, summon ROW_NUMBER(). It assigns a unique sequential integer to each row within your result set. For instance:

SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY YourColumn) AS Row, *
FROM YourTable


The assigned row numbers can help you find your way around the data labyrinth.

Sneak peek: Advanced sorting for subqueries

Sometimes you want a subset of your data to march to a different drummer. In that case, combine ORDER BY with TOP or use it with FOR XML:

SELECT TOP 10 * FROM YourTable ORDER BY YourColumn


Here you have it! The perfect plan for targeted sorting within our cheeky little subquery.

Steering ORDER BY in functions

Do you have a table variable within your user-defined functions (UDFs)? Well, you're in luck. Populate it with data as you like and then use an ORDER BY when returning your results. Here’s a handy example:

CREATE FUNCTION MySortedData()
RETURNS @MySortedTable TABLE
(
    MyColumn INT
)
AS
BEGIN
  -- Populate it and they will come...in order
    INSERT INTO @MySortedTable
    SELECT MyColumn FROM MyTable ORDER BY MyColumn
    RETURN 
END


Structuring complex queries

'Tis not uncommon to face a wall in complex queries involving multiple subqueries or UNIONs. But don't worry — CTEs have got your back! CTEs enable structuring your queries so that the final SELECT statement is where all the ordering takes place. This way, you can avoid the traffic jam caused by ORDER BY.

Ordering gotchas and workarounds

Here are some of the smart fixes for using ORDER BY better:

• Nest subqueries: This gives an opportunity to order your data before they are processed further up in the query structure.
• Use ROW_NUMBER() with ORDER BY: This combination is perfect for numbering rows in an order, all set to be screened or processed in the outer query.
• OFFSET and FETCH NEXT to the rescue: When you need to serve a slice of your data, server-side pagination comes in handy.
• Table variables in UDF: When UDFs come into play, table variables are heroes set to take advantage of ORDER BY when returning results.