DEV Community

Cover image for READ_UNCOMMITTED in SQL Server
Naghme Vahabi
Naghme Vahabi

Posted on

READ_UNCOMMITTED in SQL Server

๐Ÿ“‘ Understanding READ_UNCOMMITTED in SQL Server
READ_UNCOMMITTED is the lowest isolation level in SQL Server. When a query runs with this isolation level:

๐ŸŸข Benefits:

  • Fastest reading performance
  • No locks on data
  • Never waits for locks to be released

๐Ÿ”ด Risks:

  • Dirty Read: May read uncommitted data
  • Non-Repeatable Read: Reading the same record twice might give different results

โ“When to use:

  • Non-critical reporting
  • Displaying approximate stats and metrics
  • Where eventual consistency is acceptable
  • Reading low-importance data where 100% accuracy isn't required

โ“When NOT to use:

  • Financial transactions
  • Critical calculations
  • Where data consistency is crucial
  • Interdependent operations

using(var transaction = connection.BeginTransaction(IsolationLevel.ReadUncommitted))
{
// Read Data
}

Top comments (0)

A Workflow Copilot. Tailored to You.

Pieces.app image

Our desktop app, with its intelligent copilot, streamlines coding by generating snippets, extracting code from screenshots, and accelerating problem-solving.

Read the docs