How to Assign Integer Values Based on ID in SQL Server

Learn how to replace values in SQL Server with integers starting from 1 using DENSE_RANK in a CTE.
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How to Assign Integer Values Based on ID in SQL Server

When working with databases, there are overwhelming possibilities of data manipulation that can lead to unique questions and challenges. One such challenge arises in SQL Server when you need to replace the id values in your table with sequential integers, starting from 1. This technique can be especially valuable when you want to process data in a more organized way without altering the original identifiers. In this guide, we'll walk through how you can achieve this with SQL Server 2019.

Understanding the Problem

Suppose you have a table structured as follows, which holds various id values and corresponding values:

idvalue15a15b18c19d20e20fYour goal is to assign new integer values to each unique id. The desired output would look like this:

idvalue1a1b2c3d4e4fIn other words, the unique ids should be replaced with sequential integers while retaining the same values.

Solution Approach: Using Common Table Expressions (CTE)

To carry out this task efficiently, we can employ a Common Table Expression (CTE) alongside the DENSE_RANK() function in SQL Server. This method assigns a unique rank to each id in the order specified, without gaps in the ranking.

Steps to Implement the Solution

Write the CTE: First, we will create a CTE that selects all records from your table along with a new column that ranks the id values.

Update the Original Table: Next, we will update the id values with the newly assigned rankings.

SQL Implementation

Here is the complete SQL code to achieve the desired transformation:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breakdown of the SQL Code

CTE Declaration: The WITH cte AS (...) portion defines our Common Table Expression, which temporarily holds the result set.

DENSE_RANK(): This function assigns a unique integer to each distinct id, ordered by the original ids. If there are duplicates, they receive the same rank.

UPDATE Statement: The UPDATE cte command updates the id values in the original table to their respective ranks found in the CTE.

Conclusion

By utilizing a CTE and the DENSE_RANK() function, you can easily transform id values in your SQL Server table into a consecutive integer sequence. This method not only simplifies your dataset but also enhances its usability for future queries and reports.

Next time you find yourself tackling a similar challenge, remember this efficient approach, and you’ll streamline your data manipulation tasks with ease. Happy querying!