SQL OUTER JOIN Syntax with filters for both tables

This is the correct syntax.  Haven't checked it to make sure it runs but the general syntax is:

SELECT * FROM TableA 
FULL OUTER JOIN (Select * from TableB WHERE col2 > 2) T2
ON TableA.orderID = T2.orderID
WHERE col1 IS not NULL

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Select columns from tab1 full outer join tab2 on tab1.col1 = tab2.col2 where <conditions> is the general format.

You could also use this, with is more like your original query (but I would not do it that way):

select *
from (SELECT * FROM TableA WHERE col1 IS not NULL) TableA
full join (Select * from TableB WHERE col2 > 2) T2
on TableA.orderID = T2.orderID

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Usually it is better to have all conditions in the main query:

select *
from TableA
full join TableB
on TableA.orderID = TableB.OrderID
where TableA.col1 is not null
and TableB.col2 > 2

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select *
from TableA
full join TableB
on TableA.orderID = TableB.OrderID
where TableA.col1 is not null
and TableB.col2 > 2

Select allOpen in new window

For this version, if a row doesn't exist in TableA, but it exists in TableB, will "TableA.col1 is not null" filter out the row in TableB (because it is a full join)?  If the row exists only in TableB, it needs to be returned with "col1" being null.  Sorry, I can't test it right now because I won't have access to the DB for a while.

That sounds about right.  If you don't want those rows, why not just do a left join instead of a full join ?

Putting the condition in the ON section should work.

Though I ask myself why you exclude col1 - if there is a row in TableA with matching orderID, but col1 is null, that row will not "match", and TableA cols all be null.

In this report, we need to know when there isn't a matching row in TableA when it exists in TableB (and col1 should show up as Null).  It's a somewhat strange report but the above SQL statement will help.