You Should Never Use IN In SQL To JOIN With Another Table

Do you use the following syntax?

SELECT *
FROM TABLE
WHERE CoLumn IN (SELECT Column FROM TABLE)

OR this?

SELECT *
FROM TABLE
WHERE CoLumn NOT IN (SELECT Column FROM TABLE)

Do NOT use that, it will cause problems sooner or later. Don't believe me? Let's take a look

First create these 2 tables and populate them with some sample data

CREATE TABLE TestTable1 (id1 int)
CREATE TABLE TestTable2 (id2 int)

INSERT TestTable1 VALUES(1)
INSERT TestTable1 VALUES(2)
INSERT TestTable1 VALUES(3)


INSERT TestTable2 VALUES(1)
INSERT TestTable2 VALUES(2)


Now let's run the IN query

SELECT *
FROM TestTable1
WHERE id1 IN (SELECT id2 FROM TestTable2)
-----
id1
1
2

No problems here right?


What if by mistake you wrote id1 instead of id2?

SELECT *
FROM TestTable1
WHERE id1 IN (SELECT id1 FROM TestTable2)
-----
id1
1
2
3

Oops all 3 rows are returned, if you just run this SELECT id1 FROM TestTable2 you will get this error
Server: Msg 207, Level 16, State 3, Line 1
Invalid column name 'id1'.

So what happens? SQL Server sees column id1 and says "yes I have that it is in the TestTable1 table, I can use that"
What can we do? Use EXISTS because you will get an error instead of a wrong resultset

SELECT *
FROM t1
WHERE EXISTS (SELECT * FROM TestTable2 t2 WHERE t2.id2 = t1.id1 )
-----
id1
1
2


A JOIN will do the same as EXISTS

SELECT t1.*
FROM TestTable1 t1
JOIN TestTable2 t2 ON t2.id2 = t1.id1
-----
id1
1
2



Now let's try NOT IN


SELECT *
FROM TestTable1
WHERE id1 NOT IN (SELECT id2 FROM TestTable2)
-----
id1
3

No problem right?

Add a NULL value to the TestTable2 table

INSERT TestTable2 VALUES(NULL)


Let's try running it again

SELECT *
FROM TestTable1
WHERE id1 NOT IN (SELECT id2 FROM TestTable2)

Where are my rows? Nowhere, since NULL is not equal to anything including another NULL SQL just returns nothing

What happens when you use NOT EXISTS?
SELECT *
FROM TestTable1 t1
WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM TestTable2 t2 WHERE t2.id2 = t1.id1 )
-----
id1
3

That works without a problem



What about a LEFT JOIN?

SELECT t1.*
FROM TestTable1 t1
LEFT JOIN TestTable2 t2 ON t2.id2 = t1.id1
WHERE t2.id2 IS NULL
-----
id1
3


That works without a problem also



So from now on use EXISTS, NOT EXISTS, JOIN and LEFT JOIN

DO NOT use IN or NOT IN ever again. Okay?