How do I preserve the order of a SQL query using the IN command

Question

SELECT * FROM tblItems
WHERE itemId IN (9,1,4)

Returns in the order that SQL finds them in (which happens to be 1, 4, 9) however, I want them retur

Answer 1

Use a CASE expression to map the ID values to an increasing sequence:

... ORDER BY CASE itemId
             WHEN 9 THEN 1
             WHEN 1 THEN 2
             ELSE        3
             END