Explain SQL MIN() and MAX() Functions

The SQL MIN() and MAX() functions are used to retrieve the minimum and maximum values from a set of data, respectively. They are aggregate functions, meaning they perform a calculation on a set of values and return a single value.

MIN() Function

The MIN() function returns the smallest value in a set of values. Here's the syntax:

SELECT MIN(column_name) FROM table_name;

Example

Suppose we have a table named Employees with the following data:

To find the minimum salary:

SELECT MIN(Salary) AS MinSalary FROM Employees;

Output

MAX() Function

The MAX() function returns the largest value in a set of values. Here's the syntax:

SELECT MAX(column_name) FROM table_name;

Example

Using the same Employees table, to find the maximum salary:

SELECT MAX(Salary) AS MaxSalary FROM Employees;

Output

Using MIN() and MAX() with GROUP BY

You can also use MIN() and MAX() functions with the GROUP BY clause to find the minimum and maximum values for each group of records.

Example

Suppose the Employees table has an additional column Department:

To find the minimum and maximum salary in each department:

SELECT Department, MIN(Salary) AS MinSalary, MAX(Salary) AS MaxSalary
FROM Employees
GROUP BY Department;

Output

These examples demonstrate how MIN() and MAX() functions can be used to extract the minimum and maximum values from a dataset in SQL.