Question

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Why would someone use WHERE 1=1 AND <conditions> in a SQL clause?

I am working on a code base that often has

where 1=1

Often, these queries are complex and difficult to read. So it’s not always feasible to break down the query semantics purely for a refactor. My gut instinct is that this is always unecessary. Maybe there exists a requirement for a where clause similar to the requirement for a Group By clause when performing a SELECT with an aggregrate function alongside some column to group.

Is there ever a need for this?

Answer 1

It makes building dynamic WHERE clauses easier…

WHERE
  1=1
  AND condition1
  AND condition2

This way you don’t have to work out if you need the AND or not as you add conditions. You always need the AND.