Is there query performance hit when querying a view vs table ?

Querying a view in DuckDB or MotherDuck does not inherently introduce a performance penalty compared to querying a table, because a view is just a stored SQL query and is not materialized; the underlying query is executed each time the view is referenced. The performance depends entirely on the complexity of the view's SQL and the underlying data sources, not on the fact that it is a view itself. According to the documentation, "the query is run every time the view is referenced in a query" and is not physically materialized, so performance is equivalent to running the underlying query directly on the tables involved in the view (DuckDB CREATE VIEW Statement).However, if the view is defined over complex joins, aggregations, or other expensive operations, or if it is used in a way that prevents query optimizations (such as filter pushdown), you may observe slower performance compared to querying a simple table. The key factor is the SQL logic inside the view, not the view mechanism itself (DuckDB CREATE VIEW Statement).Would you like more detail or examples on how view complexity can affect performance?Sources: - DuckDB CREATE VIEW Statement