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Why not use ROW_NUMBER() instead? Discuss pros and cons.

SQLmedium0.4 min readPremium
Frequency
Low
Asked at 1 company
Category
487
questions in SQL
Difficulty Split
130E|271M|86H
in this category
Total Bank
1,863
across 7 categories
Asked at these companies
Bitwise
Key Concepts Tested
partition
Expert AnswerPremium
87 wordsInterview-ready
**ROW_NUMBER()** assigns unique sequential numbers (1,2,3...) even for ties. **RANK()** gives same rank for ties, gaps after (1,2,2,4). **DENSE_RANK()** same rank, no gaps (1,2,2,3). **Use ROW_NUMBER when**: Need exactly N rows per group (e.g., top 1 per user)—deterministic with ORDER BY. **Use RANK/DENSE_RANK when**: Ties should share rank (e.g., leaderboards). **Pro of ROW_NUMBER**: Deterministic; predictable row count. **Con**: Arbitrary tie-break....
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