I have seen SQL that uses both != and <> for not equal. What is the preferred syntax and why?
I like !=, because <> reminds me of Visual Basic.
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Technically they function the same if you’re using SQL Server AKA T-SQL. If you’re using it in stored procedures there is no performance reason to use one over the other. It then comes down to personal preference. I prefer to use <> as it is ANSI compliant.
You can find links to the various ANSI standards at…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL