MAX vs Top 1 – which is better?

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  1. When there is a clustered index on the table and the column to be queried, both the MAX() operator and the query SELECT TOP 1 will have almost identical performance.

  2. When there is no clustered index on the table and the column to be queried, the MAX() operator offers the better performance.

Reference: http://www.johnsansom.com/performance-comparison-of-select-top-1-verses-max/

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