Handling NULL Values

Multi-column Sorting

Multi-column sorting consists of organizing search results depending on the values from two or more columns. Let’s take a database table containing employee records with columns such as Name, Department, and Salary as an example. Sorting solely by Name may not suffice in scenarios where multiple employees share the same name. In such cases, secondary sorting criteria, like Department or Salary, become essential to achieve a meaningful order....

Example Queries of Sorting Data According to More Than One Column

Let’s create a table, insert some data into it, and then see some example queries for sorting data according to more than one column....

Handling NULL Values

When multiple columns are used for sorting data, it is a good idea to consider what is done with the NULL values. Without giving any special preference, NULL values are sorted first in ascending order (ASC) and last in descending order (DESC). Still, the SQL function makes it customizable through the NULLS FIRST or NULLS LAST options....

Conclusion

SQL lets one sort the data according to more than one column so that the result of a query is organized in a customized manner to meet specific requirements. You can utilize the ORDER BY clause to specify the sorting criteria which are mainly the basis of business needs. Whether by combining two columns or others, these techniques define and structure the way users interact with the database and translate the data into knowledge....