ORDER BY single column in SQL - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the SQL clause ORDER BY do?

It sorts the rows returned by a query based on one or more columns, either in ascending or descending order.

beginner

How do you sort query results by a single column in ascending order?

Use ORDER BY column_name ASC. ASC means ascending order and is the default if not specified.

beginner

How do you sort query results by a single column in descending order?

Use ORDER BY column_name DESC. DESC means descending order.

beginner

What happens if you use ORDER BY without specifying ASC or DESC?

The results are sorted in ascending order by default.

intermediate

Can ORDER BY be used with columns not in the SELECT list?

Yes, you can order by any column in the table, even if it is not selected in the output.

Which SQL clause sorts the results by a single column?

A GROUP BY

B ORDER BY

C WHERE

D HAVING

ORDER BY sorts the query results by one or more columns.

What is the default sort order when using ORDER BY without ASC or DESC?

A Descending

B Random

C Ascending

D No sorting

By default, ORDER BY sorts in ascending order.

How do you sort results by the column age in descending order?

A ORDER BY age DESC

B ORDER BY age ASC

C ORDER BY DESC age

D SORT BY age DESC

The correct syntax is ORDER BY age DESC.

Can you use ORDER BY on a column not included in the SELECT statement?

A Only in MySQL

B No

C Only if the column is indexed

D Yes

You can order by any column in the table, even if it is not selected.

Which keyword sorts data from smallest to largest?

A ASC

B ORDER

C SORT

D DESC

ASC sorts data in ascending order (smallest to largest).

Explain how to sort query results by a single column in SQL.

Think about the clause that controls the order of rows.

What happens if you use ORDER BY on a column not included in the SELECT list?

Consider if the column must appear in the output to sort by it.