ORDER BY with ASC and DESC in SQL - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the ORDER BY clause do in SQL?

It sorts the rows returned by a query based on one or more columns.

beginner

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

The default sorting order is ascending (ASC).

beginner

How do you sort query results in descending order?

Use ORDER BY column_name DESC to sort results from highest to lowest or Z to A.

intermediate

Can you sort by multiple columns using ORDER BY? How?

Yes. List columns separated by commas, e.g., ORDER BY column1 ASC, column2 DESC.

intermediate

What happens if you mix ASC and DESC in the same ORDER BY clause?

Each column sorts independently in the specified order, e.g., first ascending, then descending.

What does ORDER BY name DESC do?

A Sorts names from A to Z

B Sorts names from Z to A

C Filters names starting with D

D Groups names by letter

DESC means descending order, so names are sorted from Z to A.

Which is the correct way to sort by age ascending and then by name descending?

A ORDER BY age ASC, name DESC

B ORDER BY age, name

C ORDER BY name DESC, age ASC

D ORDER BY age DESC, name ASC

Use ORDER BY age ASC, name DESC to sort age low to high, then name Z to A.

If you write ORDER BY salary without ASC or DESC, what happens?

A No sorting applied

B Sorts salary descending

C Sorts salary ascending

D Causes an error

Default sorting order is ascending if not specified.

Can ORDER BY sort by columns not in the SELECT list?

A Yes, always

B Only if using GROUP BY

C No, never

D Depends on SQL dialect

Some SQL versions allow it, others require the column in SELECT.

What is the effect of ORDER BY date DESC, price ASC?

A Sorts by date descending, then price ascending

B Sorts by date ascending, then price descending

C Sorts by price descending, then date ascending

D Sorts by price ascending only

First sorts dates newest to oldest, then prices low to high within same date.

Explain how to use ORDER BY to sort query results by multiple columns with different orders.

Think about sorting a list first by one rule, then by another.

Describe what happens if you omit ASC or DESC in an ORDER BY clause.

What is the usual way to sort numbers or letters?