SUBQUERIES Subquery is a query inside a query and is used when one statement needs a result from another. It is usually inside a clause like 'where' : 'from' or 'select'. CTE A CTE(Common Table Expression) is a temporary named result set that one can reference within single query to reuse in the next query. Advantages of CTE CTEs tend to be preferred for readability and structuring complex structure. A thing with CTEs is it is reusable in that you can reuse the definition without rewriting it. Difference between subquery and CTE CTEs support recursion while subqueries do not. Subqueries can be correlated while CTE cannot. conclusion When writing and reading SQL the style I prefer and will pick is usually CTEs as they are easier to read and follow through. Also the fact that it takes less rework when going back to look or want to retrieve information.