SQL MIN() Function
The SQL MIN() Function
The MIN() function returns the smallest value of the selected column.
The MIN() function works with numeric, string, and date data types.
MIN Example
Return the lowest price in the Price column, in the "Products" table:
SELECT MIN(Price)
FROM Products;
Try it Yourself »
MIN() Syntax
SELECT MIN(column_name)
FROM table_name
WHERE condition;
Demo Database
Below is a selection from the Products table used in the examples:
| ProductID | ProductName | SupplierID | CategoryID | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chais | 1 | 1 | 10 boxes x 20 bags | 18.00 |
| 2 | Chang | 1 | 1 | 24 - 12 oz bottles | 19.00 |
| 3 | Aniseed Syrup | 1 | 2 | 12 - 550 ml bottles | 10.00 |
| 4 | Chef Anton's Cajun Seasoning | 2 | 2 | 48 - 6 oz jars | 22.00 |
| 5 | Chef Anton's Gumbo Mix | 2 | 2 | 36 boxes | 21.35 |
Set Column Name (Alias)
When using MIN(), the returned column will not have a
name.
Use the
AS keyword to give the column a descriptive name:
Use MIN() with Date Column
The following SQL returns the earliest BirthDate in the BirthDate column, in the Employees table:
Use MIN() with GROUP BY
Here we use the MIN() function and the
GROUP BY clause, to return the smallest price
for each category in the Products table:
Example
SELECT MIN(Price) AS SmallestPrice, CategoryID
FROM Products
GROUP BY CategoryID;
Try it Yourself »
You will learn more about the
GROUP BY clause later in this tutorial.
