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Pitfalls with Window Functions

Itzik Ben-Gan takes us through two issues you might run into when using window functions:

There are two common pitfalls involving window functions, both of which are the result of counterintuitive implicit defaults that are imposed by the SQL standard. One pitfall has to do with calculations of running totals where you get a window frame with the implicit RANGE option. Another pitfall is somewhat related, but has more severe consequences, involving an implicit frame definition for the FIRST_VALUE and LAST_VALUE functions.

There’s a lot going on in these two examples, so read on.