Exploiting uniqueness in query optimization

Consider an SQL query that specifies duplicate elimination via a DISTINCT clause. Because duplicate elimination often requires an expensive sort of the query result, it is often worthwhile to identify unnecessary DISTINCT clauses and avoid the sort altogether. We prove a necessary and sufficient condition for deciding if a query requires duplicate elimination. The condition exploits knowledge about keys, table constraints, and query predicates. Because the condition cannot always be tested efficiently, we offer a practical algorithm that tests a simpler, sufficient condition. We consider applications of this condition for various types of queries, and show that we can exploit this condition in both relational and nonregulation database systems.<>