Bits of .NET

-- Clear, readable, step-by-step
WITH ActiveUsers AS (
  SELECT * FROM Users WHERE IsActive = 1
),
RecentOrders AS (
  SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE CreatedAt > DATEADD(month, -1, GETDATE())
)
SELECT 
  u.Name,
  COUNT(o.OrderId) AS OrderCount
FROM ActiveUsers u
LEFT JOIN RecentOrders o ON u.UserId = o.UserId
GROUP BY u.Name;

Benefit: Each CTE has a name. Easy to understand query logic. Easier to debug.

Performance: Same as subqueries. Optimizer treats them identically.