SQL Server ROWLOCK over a SELECT if not exists INSERT transaction

Question

I have upgraded from SQL Server 2005 to 2008. I remember that in 2005, ROWLOCK simply did not work and I had to use PAGELOCK or XLOCK to achieve any type of actual locking.

Answer 1

An explanation...

• ROWLOCK/PAGELOCK is granularity
• XLOCK is mode

Granularity and isolation level and mode are orthogonal.

• Granularity = what is locked = row, page, table (PAGLOCK, ROWLOCK, TABLOCK)

• Isolation Level = lock duration, concurrency (HOLDLOCK, READCOMMITTED, REPEATABLEREAD, SERIALIZABLE)

• Mode = sharing/exclusivity (UPDLOCK, XLOCK)

• "combined" eg NOLOCK, TABLOCKX

XLOCK would have locked the row exclusively as you want. ROWLOCK/PAGELOCK wouldn't have.