SQL SELECT DISTINCT

Published Jun 4, 2021Updated Sep 3, 2021

Returns unique values in the specified column(s).

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Syntax

The SELECT DISTINCT statement specifies that the statement is going to be a query that returns unique values in the specified column(s).

SELECT DISTINCT column_name
FROM table_name;

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Example

For a table teams having five rows:

city	name	wins	losses
Cleveland	Cavaliers	22	50
Los Angeles	Lakers	42	30
Los Angeles	Clippers	47	25
Golden State	Warriors	39	33
Miami	Heat	40	32

SELECT DISTINCT city
FROM teams;

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The given query would return:

city
Cleveland
Los Angeles
Golden State
Miami

All contributors

christian.dinh
Victoria-DR
Anonymous contributor

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Skill path
Analyze Data with SQL
Learn to analyze data with SQL and prepare for technical interviews.
Includes 9 Courses
With Certificate
Beginner Friendly.
17 hours
Skill path
Design Databases With PostgreSQL
Learn how to query SQL databases and design relational databases to efficiently store large quantities of data.
Includes 5 Courses
With Certificate
Beginner Friendly.
13 hours