When we go for cross apply and when we go for inner join in SQL Server 2012

Question

I have small question about SQL Server. When do we use cross apply, and when do we use inner join? Why use cross apply at all in SQL S

Answer 1

INNER JOIN and CROSS APPLY (same with LEFT JOIN and OUTER APPLY) are very closely related. In your example I'd assume, that the engine will find the same execution plan.

• A JOIN is a link between two sets over a condition
• an APPLY is a row-wise sub-call

But - as mentioned above - the optimizer is very smart and will - at least in such easy cases - understand, that it comes down to the same.

• The JOIN will try to collect the sub-set and link it over the specified condition
• The APPLY will try to call the related result with the current row's values over and over.

Differences are in calling table-valued-functions (should be inline-syntax!), with XML-method .nodes() and with more complex scenarios.

One example how one could use APPLY to simulate variables

...to use the result of a row-wise calculation like you'd use a variable:

DECLARE @dummy TABLE(ID INT IDENTITY, SomeString VARCHAR(100));
INSERT INTO @dummy VALUES('Want to split/this at the two/slashes.'),('And/this/also');

SELECT d.ID
      ,d.SomeString
      ,pos1
      ,pos2
      ,LEFT(d.SomeString,pos1-1)
      ,SUBSTRING(d.SomeString,pos1+1,pos2-pos1-1)
      ,SUBSTRING(d.SomeString,pos2+1,1000)
FROM @dummy AS d
CROSS APPLY(SELECT CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString) AS pos1) AS x
CROSS APPLY(SELECT CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString,x.pos1+1) AS pos2) AS y

This is the same as the following, but much easier to read (and type):

SELECT d.ID
      ,d.SomeString
      ,LEFT(d.SomeString,CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString)-1)
      ,SUBSTRING(d.SomeString,CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString)+1,CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString,(CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString)+1))-(CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString)+1))
      ,SUBSTRING(d.SomeString,CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString,(CHARINDEX('/',d.SomeString)+1))+1,1000)
FROM @dummy AS d

One example with XML-method .nodes()

DECLARE @dummy TABLE(SomeXML XML)
INSERT INTO @dummy VALUES
(N'<root>
  <a>a1</a>
  <a>a2</a>
  <a>a3</a>
  <b>Here is b!</b>
</root>');

SELECT All_a_nodes.value(N'.',N'nvarchar(max)')
FROM @dummy
CROSS APPLY SomeXML.nodes(N'/root/a') AS A(All_a_nodes);

The result

a1
a2
a3

And one example for an inlined function call

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.TestProduceRows(@i INT)
RETURNS TABLE
AS
RETURN
    SELECT TOP(@i) ROW_NUMBER() OVER(ORDER BY (SELECT NULL)) AS Nr FROM master..spt_values
GO

CREATE TABLE dbo.TestData(ID INT IDENTITY, SomeString VARCHAR(100),Number INT);
INSERT INTO dbo.TestData VALUES
 ('Show me once',1)
,('Show me twice',2)
,('Me five times!',5);

SELECT *
FROM TestData
CROSS APPLY dbo.TestProduceRows(Number) AS x;

GO
DROP TABLE dbo.TestData;
DROP FUNCTION dbo.TestProduceRows;

The result

1   Show me once    1   1
2   Show me twice   2   1
2   Show me twice   2   2
3   Me five times!  5   1
3   Me five times!  5   2
3   Me five times!  5   3
3   Me five times!  5   4
3   Me five times!  5   5