sql - Applying the MIN aggregate function to a BIT field

Question

I want to write the following query:

SELECT   ..., MIN(SomeBitField), ...
FROM     ...
WHERE    ...
GROUP BY ...

The problem is, SQL Server does not like it, when I want to calculate the minimum value of a bit field it returns the error Operand data type bit is invalid for min operator.

I could use the following workaround:

SELECT   ..., CAST(MIN(CAST(SomeBitField AS INT)) AS BIT), ...
FROM     ...
WHERE    ...
GROUP BY ...

But, is there something more elegant? (For example, there might be an aggregate function, that I don't know, and that evaluates the logical and of the bit values in a field.)

Answer 1

One option is MIN(SomeBitField+0). It reads well, with less noise (which I would qualify as elegance).

That said, it's more hack-ish than the CASE option. And I don't know anything about speed/efficiency.