Equal-width key ranges fail when ids have gaps. NTILE cuts by row count instead, so every worker gets a fair share of the table.
PERCENT_RANK Versus CUME_DIST: What Ties Change
PERCENT_RANK versus CUME_DIST answers different ranking questions. Keep peers intact and compare missing scores and singleton groups.
Solving SQL Puzzles With Set-Based Thinking
Set-based thinking solves three SQL puzzles with grouping, anti-joins, and windows, then turns each solution into a repeatable query habit.
Weighted Scores: Ranking Products by Several Columns at Once
Adding rating to units sold ranks by whichever column is biggest. Scale first, weigh second, and keep the weights in a table anyone can read.
SQL SERVER – 2005 – Sample Example of RANKING Functions – ROW_NUMBER, RANK, DENSE_RANK, NTILE
SQL Server 2005 has four ranking functions: ROW_NUMBER, RANK, DENSE_RANK and NTILE. I explain what each returns and show a sample example of all four.