How to read the last row with SQL Server

Question

What is the most efficient way to read the last row with SQL Server?

The table is indexed on a unique key -- the \"bottom\" key values represent the last row.

Answer 1

In order to retrieve the last row of a table for MS SQL database 2005, You can use the following query:

select top 1 column_name from table_name order by column_name desc; 

Note: To get the first row of the table for MS SQL database 2005, You can use the following query:

select top 1 column_name from table_name;