title: Fastest way to count exact number of rows in a very large table?
body: <p>I have come across articles that state that <code>SELECT COUNT(*) FROM TABLE_NAME</code> will be slow when the table has lots of rows and lots of columns.</p>
  
  <p>I have a table that might contain even billions of rows [it has approximately 15 columns]. Is there a better way to get the <strong>EXACT</strong> count of the number of rows of a table?</p>
  
  <p>Please consider the following before your answer:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><p>I am looking for a database vendor
  independent solution. It is OK if it
  covers <strong>MySQL</strong>, <strong>Oracle</strong>, <strong>MS SQL Server</strong>.
  But if there is <strong>really</strong> no database
  vendor independent solution then I
  will settle for different solutions
  for different database vendors.</p></li>
  <li><p>I cannot use any other external tool
  to do this. I am mainly looking for a
  SQL based solution.</p></li>
  <li><p>I cannot normalize my database design
  any further. It is already in 3NF and moreover a 
  lot of code has already been written
  around it.</p></li>
  </ul>