Basically, are the following two Statement functionally identical or not ?
SELECT <fields> FROM TableOne a LEFT OUTER JOIN TableTwo b ON a.JoinColumn = b.JoinColumn
SELECT <fields> FROM TableOne a LEFT OUTER JOIN TableTwo b ON b.JoinColumn = a.JoinColumn
I tend to use the first version but, since I sometimes need a "AND b.OtherColumn = 'XXX'" clause, it seems more consistent to use the second version so that the table order matches.
I'm pretty sure that I qualify as a SQL expert with 30+ years experience and I am pretty sure that the ON clause order does NOT matter, but I thought I should double check.