Generating a number sequence

Question

Accepted Answer

The anchor produces n=1. The recursive member adds n+1 on each iteration while n < 4. So the iterations produce n=2, n=3, n=4. When n=4, the condition n < 4 is false and the recursion stops. The final result is 1, 2, 3, 4. This pattern - generating sequences without a table - is one of the most common uses of recursive CTEs.