How to Rank Rows Within a Partition in SQL

How to Rank Rows Within a Partition in SQL

Are you looking for a way to rank rows within a partition in SQL? If so, you've come to the right place! Ranking rows within a partition is a common task in SQL, and it can be done using the RANK() function. This function takes two arguments: the column you want to rank and the partition you want to rank within. Let's take a look at how it works.

The Solution

The RANK() function takes two arguments: the column you want to rank and the partition you want to rank within. For example, if you wanted to rank the name column within the department partition, you would use the following query:

SELECT RANK(name, department) FROM table_name;

Examples

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

name      department      salary
--------------------------------
John      Sales           50000
Jane      Sales           60000
John      Marketing       40000
Bob       Marketing       50000

If you wanted to rank the salary column within the department partition, you would use the following query:

SELECT RANK(salary, department) FROM employees;

This query would return the result 1, 2, 2, 1, since John and Bob both have the highest salary in their respective departments.

Additional Info

The RANK() 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. 🤓