MIN and MAX functions in SQL - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the MIN() function do in SQL?

The MIN() function returns the smallest value from a column in a table.

beginner

What does the MAX() function do in SQL?

The MAX() function returns the largest value from a column in a table.

intermediate

Can MIN() and MAX() be used with text columns?

Yes, MIN() and MAX() can be used with text columns. They return the smallest or largest value based on alphabetical order.

intermediate

How do MIN() and MAX() behave with NULL values?

MIN() and MAX() ignore NULL values when calculating the smallest or largest value.

beginner

Write a SQL query to find the highest salary from an 'employees' table.

SELECT MAX(salary) AS highest_salary FROM employees;

What will the query SELECT MIN(age) FROM users; return?

A The total number of users

B The oldest age in the users table

C The youngest age in the users table

D The average age of users

MIN(age) returns the smallest age value, which is the youngest age.

Which SQL function returns the largest value in a column?

A MAX()

B MIN()

C SUM()

D COUNT()

MAX() returns the largest value in a column.

If a column contains NULL values, how do MIN() and MAX() treat them?

A They include NULLs in the result

B They ignore NULLs

C They return NULL

D They cause an error

MIN() and MAX() ignore NULL values when calculating results.

What does SELECT MAX(name) FROM customers; return if 'name' is a text column?

A The alphabetically last name

B The longest name

C The alphabetically first name

D The shortest name

MAX() on text returns the alphabetically last value.

Which of these queries finds the smallest price in a 'products' table?

A SELECT MAX(price) FROM products;

B SELECT COUNT(price) FROM products;

C SELECT SUM(price) FROM products;

D SELECT MIN(price) FROM products;

MIN(price) returns the smallest price.

Explain how the MIN() and MAX() functions work in SQL and give an example of each.

Think about finding lowest and highest values in a list.

Describe how NULL values affect the results of MIN() and MAX() functions in SQL.

Consider what happens if some data is missing.