Given the table employees with columns id, department, and salary, what will the query below return?

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SQL - Window Functions Fundamentals

Given the table employees with columns id, department, and salary, what will the query below return?

SELECT id, salary, RANK() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary DESC) AS rank FROM employees;

ARanks all employees ignoring department, ordered by salary ascending

BCalculates the total salary per department

CAssigns a unique row number to each employee ordered by salary descending

DRanks employees within each department by descending salary, with ties sharing the same rank

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution:

Step 1: Understand PARTITION BY usage
PARTITION BY department divides rows into groups by department.
Step 2: Understand RANK() with ORDER BY salary DESC
Within each department, RANK() orders salaries descending and assigns ranks; ties get same rank.
Final Answer:
Ranks employees within each department by descending salary, with ties sharing the same rank -> Option D
Quick Check:
RANK() + PARTITION BY = rank per group with ties [OK]

Quick Trick: RANK() with PARTITION BY ranks within groups, ties share rank [OK]

Common Mistakes:

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