title: Best practices for the order of joined columns in a sql join?
body: <p>There's a big discussion going on at my office on the order of the joined columns in a sql join. I'm finding it hard explaining it so I'll just present the two sql statements. Which one is better taking into account sql best practices?</p>
  
  <pre><code>SELECT a.Au_id 
  FROM   AUTHORS a 
         INNER JOIN TITLEAUTHOR ta 
           ON a.Au_id = ta.Au_id 
         INNER JOIN TITLES t 
           ON ta.Title_id = t.Title_id 
  WHERE  t.Title LIKE ‘%Computer%’ 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>OR</p>
  
  <pre><code>SELECT a.Au_id 
  FROM   AUTHORS a 
         INNER JOIN TITLEAUTHOR ta 
           ON ta.Au_id = a.Au_id
         INNER JOIN TITLES t 
           ON t.Title_id = ta.Title_id
  WHERE  t.Title LIKE ‘%Computer%’ 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So, in a join, in the ON part, does it matter whether you write <code>A.x = B.y or B.y = A.x</code>?</p>