Getting Approximate Count in Microsoft SQL Server

Sometimes performance is more important than exact accuracy. Learn how to get an approximate count in SQL Server with better performance.

There is a New COUNT in Town

Now that SQL Server 2019 is on the way, it’s time to start learning about the new capabilities. In this article, Greg Larson tests the new APPROX_COUNT_DISTINCT function for performance and accuracy.

Basic COUNTs 4

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Stairway to DAX and Power BI - Level 12: Function / Iterator Function Pairs: The DAX CountA() and CountAX() Functions

Business Intelligence Architect, Analysis Services Maestro, eight-year Microsoft Data Platform MVP and author Bill Pearson introduces the DAX CountA() and CountAX() functions, discussing the syntax, uses and operation of each. He then provides hands-on exposure to CountA() and CountAX(), in counting non-empty cells in a column, and in counting nonblank results when evaluating the result of an expression over a table, respectively.

The COUNT Function in T-SQL

The COUNT function is among the most used functions in the T-SQL codes. Even though COUNT is easy to use, it should be used carefully because it could often not return the desired result. For the big tables, the counting of the rows could cause blocking as well as take some more time.

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