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# RAND (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-asdw-xxx-md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-asdw-xxx-md.md)]

  Returns a pseudo-random **float** value from 0 through 1, exclusive.  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
  
RAND ( [ seed ] )  
```  
  
## Arguments  
 *seed*  
 Is an integer [expression](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md) (**tinyint**, **smallint**, or **int**) that gives the seed value. If *seed* is not specified, the [!INCLUDE[ssDEnoversion](../../includes/ssdenoversion-md.md)] assigns a seed value at random. For a specified seed value, the result returned is always the same.  
  
## Return Types  
 **float**  
  
## Remarks  
 Repetitive calls of RAND() with the same seed value return the same results.  
  
 For one connection, if RAND() is called with a specified seed value, all subsequent calls of RAND() produce results based on the seeded RAND() call. For example, the following query will always return the same sequence of numbers.  
  
```  
SELECT RAND(100), RAND(), RAND()   
```  
  
## Examples  
 The following example produces four different random numbers that are generated by the RAND function.  
  
```  
DECLARE @counter smallint;  
SET @counter = 1;  
WHILE @counter < 5  
   BEGIN  
      SELECT RAND() Random_Number  
      SET @counter = @counter + 1  
   END;  
GO  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [Mathematical Functions &#40;Transact-SQL&#41;](../../t-sql/functions/mathematical-functions-transact-sql.md)