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Should I try to avoid a LEFT OUTER JOIN in SQL?

Should I try to avoid a LEFT OUTER JOIN in SQL?

By  Rudy Limeback, SQL Consultant, r937.com

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I had control of what data gets entered into my table, I could potentially avoid the need for LEFT OUTER JOIN. For example, I could create dummy matching records in the join table with null values, thus negating the need for a LEFT OUTER JOIN. Will I get better performance if I do so and is this a good design approach?
No you wouldn't, and no, it's not.