SQL Server: How to Join to first row

Question

i'll use a concrete, but hypothetical, example.

Each Order normally has only one line item:

Orders:

OrderGUID   OrderNumber
=========   ============
{FFB2...}   STL-7442-1      
{3EC6...}   MPT-9931-8A

LineItems:

LineItemGUID   Order ID Quantity   Description
============   ======== ========   =================================
{098FBE3...}   1        7          prefabulated amulite
{1609B09...}   2        32         spurving bearing

But occasionally there will be an order with two line items:

LineItemID   Order ID    Quantity   Description
==========   ========    ========   =================================
{A58A1...}   6,784,329   5          pentametric fan
{0E9BC...}   6,784,329   5          differential girdlespring 

Normally when showing the orders to the user:

SELECT Orders.OrderNumber, LineItems.Quantity, LineItems.Description
FROM Orders
    INNER JOIN LineItems 
    ON Orders.OrderID = LineItems.OrderID

i want to show the single item on the order. But with this occasional order containing two (or more) items, the orders would appear be duplicated:

OrderNumber   Quantity   Description
===========   ========   ====================
STL-7442-1    7          prefabulated amulite
MPT-9931-8A   32         differential girdlespring
KSG-0619-81   5          panametric fan
KSG-0619-81   5          differential girdlespring

What i really want is to have SQL Server just pick one, as it will be good enough:

OrderNumber   Quantity   Description
===========   ========   ====================
STL-7442-1    7          prefabulated amulite
MPT-9931-8A   32         differential girdlespring
KSG-0619-81   5          panametric fan

If i get adventerous, i might show the user, an ellipses to indicate that there's more than one:

OrderNumber   Quantity   Description
===========   ========   ====================
STL-7442-1    7          prefabulated amulite
MPT-9931-8A   32         differential girdlespring
KSG-0619-81   5          panametric fan, ...

So the question is how to either

• eliminate "duplicate" rows
• only join to one of the rows, to avoid duplication

First attempt

My first nieve attempt was to only join to the "TOP 1" line items:

SELECT Orders.OrderNumber, LineItems.Quantity, LineItems.Description
FROM Orders
    INNER JOIN (
       SELECT TOP 1 LineItems.Quantity, LineItems.Description
       FROM LineItems
       WHERE LineItems.OrderID = Orders.OrderID) LineItems2
    ON 1=1

But that gives the error:

The column or prefix 'Orders' does not match with a table name or alias name used in the query.

Presumably because the inner select doesn't see the outer table.

Answer 1

SELECT   Orders.OrderNumber, LineItems.Quantity, LineItems.Description
FROM     Orders
JOIN     LineItems
ON       LineItems.LineItemGUID =
         (
         SELECT  TOP 1 LineItemGUID 
         FROM    LineItems
         WHERE   OrderID = Orders.OrderID
         )

In SQL Server 2005 and above, you could just replace INNER JOIN with CROSS APPLY:

SELECT  Orders.OrderNumber, LineItems2.Quantity, LineItems2.Description
FROM    Orders
CROSS APPLY
        (
        SELECT  TOP 1 LineItems.Quantity, LineItems.Description
        FROM    LineItems
        WHERE   LineItems.OrderID = Orders.OrderID
        ) LineItems2

Answer 2

You could do:

SELECT 
  Orders.OrderNumber, 
  LineItems.Quantity, 
  LineItems.Description
FROM 
  Orders INNER JOIN LineItems 
  ON Orders.OrderID = LineItems.OrderID
WHERE
  LineItems.LineItemID = (
    SELECT MIN(LineItemID) 
    FROM   LineItems
    WHERE  OrderID = Orders.OrderID
  )

This requires an index (or primary key) on LineItems.LineItemID and an index on LineItems.OrderID or it will be slow.

Answer 3

EDIT: nevermind, Quassnoi has a better answer.

For SQL2K, something like this:

SELECT 
  Orders.OrderNumber
, LineItems.Quantity
, LineItems.Description
FROM (  
  SELECT 
    Orders.OrderID
  , Orders.OrderNumber
  , FirstLineItemID = (
      SELECT TOP 1 LineItemID
      FROM LineItems
      WHERE LineItems.OrderID = Orders.OrderID
      ORDER BY LineItemID -- or whatever else
      )
  FROM Orders
  ) Orders
JOIN LineItems 
  ON LineItems.OrderID = Orders.OrderID 
 AND LineItems.LineItemID = Orders.FirstLineItemID