SQL ORDER BY: sort your results

In Excel, you'd reach for

fxData > Sort, with "Add Level" for a second column

ORDER BY sorts the result. ASC (the default) is smallest first, A to Z, oldest date first. DESC is largest first. List several columns to break ties, like adding sort levels in Excel.

Pair it with LIMIT for "top 10" lists. (SQL Server writes SELECT TOP 10 instead.)

SQL order of execution: FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, HAVING, SELECT, ORDER BY, LIMIT, with the Excel equivalent of each step — The order SQL runs a query in, with the Excel step each one is like. Download · Save to Pinterest

Syntax

SELECT columns
FROM table
ORDER BY col_1 DESC, col_2;

Try itEdit the query, then Run

name	category	unit_price
Noise-Cancel Headset	Electronics	149
Webcam HD	Electronics	69
Standing Desk	Furniture	449
Ergo Chair	Furniture	329
Monitor Arm	Office	89
Desk Lamp	Office	39
Notebook Pack	Stationery	12
Gel Pens (10)	Stationery	9

8 rows

You can sort by a calculated column using its name from SELECT: SELECT region, SUM(quantity) AS units FROM orders GROUP BY region ORDER BY units DESC.

Your turn

List the 10 most recent signups: name and signup_date, newest first. Break ties by name A to Z.

This page on one card

SQL ORDER BY: sort your results: the Excel way (Data > Sort) and the SQL query, side by side — SQL ORDER BY: sort your results, on one card: the Excel way and the SQL. Download · Save to Pinterest

The practice data (7 tables)

customers: one row per customer
subscriptions: one row per paid plan
events: one row per thing someone did
orders: one row per order
products: a lookup table
campaigns: one row per channel per month
tickets: one row per support ticket

See every column and sample rows