title: SQL question: Does the order of the WHERE clause make a difference?
body: <p>From a performance standpoint, does the order of my SQL WHERE statements make a difference?</p>
  
  <p>For instance</p>
  
  <pre><code>SELECT ... FROM ...
  WHERE a &gt; 1
  AND b &lt; 2
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Would that be any faster/slower than</p>
  
  <pre><code>SELECT ... FROM ...
  WHERE b &lt; 2
  AND a &gt; 1
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Let's also assume that I know in advance that <code>a &gt; 1</code> will narrow the result set the most.</p>
  
  <p>Also, does it matter if I'm joining two or more tables the order of my WHERE statements?</p>