Solution: In No Particular Order

The sort-by-random technique is an example of a query that’s bound to perform a table scan and an expensive manual sort. When we design solutions in SQL, we should be on the lookout for inefficient queries like this. Instead of searching fruitlessly for a way to optimize an unoptimizable query, we need to rethink our approach. We can use the alternative techniques shown in the following sections to query a random row from a query result set. In different circumstances, each of these solutions can produce the same result with greater efficiency than sort-by-random.

Choose a random key-value between 1 and MAX

One technique that avoids sorting the table is to choose a random value between 1 and the greatest primary key value.