DF037: The GROUP BY clause is used without an aggregate function.

Last modified: May 28, 2025

The topic describes the DF037 T-SQL code analysis rule.

Category

BEST PRACTICE

Message

The GROUP BY clause is used without an aggregate function.

Description

Using the DISTINCT clause instead of the GROUP BY clause without an aggregate function may lead to better performance.

Noncompliant code example

SELECT CustomerId
FROM dbo.Customer
GROUP BY CustomerId

Compliant solution

SELECT DISTINCT CustomerId
FROM dbo.Customer