Advanced query techniques with APPLY operators in SQL Server

SQL Server is one of the most popular database management systems, and for a good reason. It provides extensive functionality for data storage, retrieval, management, and analysis. One of the core functionalities in SQL Server is the ability to perform JOIN operations, which allow for combining rows from two or more tables based on related columns. JOIN operations come in various types, such as INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN, and FULL OUTER JOIN, each serving specific purposes in data retrieval.

Although JOIN operations are helpful, they have limitations that can pose significant challenges when dealing with complex queries that require access to multiple rows from a related table or performing intricate operations. To address these limitations, SQL Server introduces the APPLY operator, which provides a more flexible and powerful way to handle such scenarios. In this article, we will talk about CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLY and demonstrate their functionality with the help of dbForge Studio for SQL Server — the perfect GUI tool that can make any database experience better: https://www.devart.com/dbforge/sql/studio/sql-server-apply-operators.html