SQL ORDER BY Keyword

The ORDER BY clause in SQL is used to sort the result set of a query in either ascending (ASC) or descending (DESC) order.

ORDER BY: Definition and Usage

ORDER BY is essential for presenting data in a human-readable and organized way. By default, it sorts in ascending order, but you can easily switch to descending order using the DESC keyword.

Syntax


SELECT column1, column2, ...
FROM table_name
ORDER BY column1 [ASC|DESC], column2 [ASC|DESC], ...;

Example Database

Let's use this sample 'Products' table for the examples:

ProductID	ProductName	SupplierID	CategoryID	Unit	Price
1	Chais	1	1	10 boxes x 20 bags	18
2	Chang	1	1	24 - 12 oz bottles	19
3	Aniseed Syrup	1	2	12 - 550 ml bottles	10
4	Chef Anton's Cajun Seasoning	2	2	48 - 6 oz jars	22
5	Chef Anton's Gumbo Mix	2	2	36 boxes	21.35

Examples

Sorting by Price (Ascending)

This query sorts products by price in ascending order (lowest to highest).

Syntax


SELECT * FROM Products
ORDER BY Price;

Output


ProductID | ProductName              | SupplierID | CategoryID | Unit                     | Price
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3         | Aniseed Syrup             | 1          | 2          | 12 - 550 ml bottles      | 10
1         | Chais                     | 1          | 1          | 10 boxes x 20 bags      | 18
2         | Chang                     | 1          | 1          | 24 - 12 oz bottles      | 19
5         | Chef Anton's Gumbo Mix    | 2          | 2          | 36 boxes                 | 21.35
4         | Chef Anton's Cajun Seasoning | 2          | 2          | 48 - 6 oz jars          | 22

Sorting by Price (Descending)

This query sorts products by price in descending order (highest to lowest).

Syntax


SELECT * FROM Products
ORDER BY Price DESC;

Output


ProductID | ProductName              | SupplierID | CategoryID | Unit                     | Price
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4         | Chef Anton's Cajun Seasoning | 2          | 2          | 48 - 6 oz jars          | 22
5         | Chef Anton's Gumbo Mix    | 2          | 2          | 36 boxes                 | 21.35
2         | Chang                     | 1          | 1          | 24 - 12 oz bottles      | 19
1         | Chais                     | 1          | 1          | 10 boxes x 20 bags      | 18
3         | Aniseed Syrup             | 1          | 2          | 12 - 550 ml bottles      | 10

Sorting Alphabetically by Product Name

This sorts alphabetically by the 'ProductName' column.

Syntax


SELECT * FROM Products
ORDER BY ProductName;

Output


ProductID | ProductName              | SupplierID | CategoryID | Unit                     | Price
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3         | Aniseed Syrup             | 1          | 2          | 12 - 550 ml bottles      | 10
2         | Chang                     | 1          | 1          | 24 - 12 oz bottles      | 19
4         | Chef Anton's Cajun Seasoning | 2          | 2          | 48 - 6 oz jars          | 22
5         | Chef Anton's Gumbo Mix    | 2          | 2          | 36 boxes                 | 21.35
1         | Chais                     | 1          | 1          | 10 boxes x 20 bags      | 18

Sorting by Multiple Columns

Sorting can be done by multiple columns; if there are ties in the first column, the second column is used to break the tie.

Syntax


--Example data assumes a 'Customers' table with 'Country' and 'CustomerName' columns.
SELECT * FROM Customers
ORDER BY Country, CustomerName;

SELECT * FROM Customers
ORDER BY Country ASC, CustomerName DESC;

Output

The first example sorts by country then customer name (ascending). The second example sorts by country (ascending) then customer name (descending).


-- Output will vary depending on your 'Customers' table data