ROW_NUMBER vs RANK vs DENSE_RANK
ROW_NUMBER forces unique sequence numbers; RANK/DENSE_RANK preserve ties differently.
ROW_NUMBER
Use it when
Use ROW_NUMBER when exactly one winner per group is required.
RANK vs DENSE_RANK
Use it when
Use RANK or DENSE_RANK when tied business values should share position.
Decision rule
Choose the option that matches the real requirement, data size, maintainability needs and compatibility constraints. Avoid selecting a technique only because it is familiar.
Need clarity?Prefer the simpler option that expresses the business rule directly.
Verify before scaling
Run both approaches on a small known dataset if the difference affects financial, inventory or operational decisions. Equivalent-looking techniques can behave differently with duplicates, blanks, NULL values or version constraints.