How to Number Rows in SQL

Have you ever wanted to number the rows in your database? Whether you're looking to create a unique identifier for each row or just want to add a row number to your results, SQL has you covered!

The Solution

The solution is to use the ROW_NUMBER() function. This function takes no arguments and returns a unique number for each row in the result set. For example, if you wanted to number the rows in the users table, you would use the following query:

SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY name) AS row_number, name, age FROM users;

Examples

Let's look at a few examples of how this function can be used. Suppose you have a table called users with the following data:

If you wanted to number the rows in this table, you would use the following query:

SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY name) AS row_number, name, age FROM users;

This query would return the following result:

Additional Info

The ROW_NUMBER() function is supported by most major databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. However, the syntax may vary slightly depending on the database you are using. For more information, check out the documentation for your particular database. 🤓