Natural join in SQL Server

Question

Is there any support for natural joins in recent Microsoft SQL Server editions? Or is there a good alternative for making SQL Server work out the predicates that would have been in the ON clauses based on the referential integrity?

Answer 1

No, and thank the lucky stars

I can't believe that you'd want the engine to guess the JOIN for you

Related links:

• SQL Server - lack of NATURAL JOIN / x JOIN y USING(field)
• is NATURAL JOIN any better than SELECT FROM WHERE in terms of performance ?

Edit, to explain why

• The JOIN (whether USING or ON) is clear and explicit
• I should be able to name my columns for the entity stored in the table, without worrying about what a column is called in another table, without NATURAL JOIN side effects

Quoting Bill Karwin in this excellent answer:

I never use NATURAL JOIN because I don't like the possibility that the join could do something I don't intend just because some column name exists in both tables.