How to Find the Second Largest Value in a SQL Table?

Find the second largest value using SQL

In SQL, retrieving the second largest value from a specific column can be done using a simple query. This query utilizes the MAX() function to effectively identify the second largest value, especially if there are duplicate values ​​in the column.

The query syntax is as follows:

<code class="language-sql">SELECT MAX(col)
FROM table
WHERE col < (SELECT MAX(col) FROM table);</code>

Let’s break down the components of this query:

• SELECT MAX(col): This part of the query retrieves the maximum value from the column named "col".
• FROM table: This specifies the table to pull data from.
• WHERE col < (SELECT MAX(col) FROM table): This condition is crucial. It filters out those rows where the "col" value is equal to the maximum value found in the subquery.

Subquery (SELECT MAX(col) FROM table) determines the maximum value in the "col" column. By subtracting a value from this maximum value (implemented via WHERE col < ...), the condition now specifies that the query should find a maximum value that is less than the maximum value. Therefore, the second largest value is obtained.

This query efficiently handles duplicate values ​​in the "col" column, ensuring that the true second largest value is returned.

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