What is the Difference Between the FIRST_ROWS Hint and ROWNUM in the WHERE Clause?

(Charles Hooper) A couple of days ago I saw an interesting question that asked what is the difference between using the FIRST_ROWS(100) hint in a SQL statement and using ROWNUM<=100 in the WHERE clause with the original SQL statement moved to an inline view. [membership level="0"] [pmpro_button level="14" text="Read More - Register for Free Membership"][/membership] [membership][standout-css3-button href="http://hoopercharles.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/what-is-the-difference-between-the-first_rows-hint-and-rownum-in-the-where-clause/" opennewwindow=true]Read More[/standout-css3-button] (Community content)
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