How to Sort Multiple SQL Columns in Ascending and Descending Order?

Mastering Multi-Column Sorting in SQL: Ascending and Descending

SQL databases frequently require ordering data across multiple columns, with each column potentially sorted in a different direction (ascending or descending). This precise ordering ensures your data is arranged exactly as needed.

The ORDER BY clause is your key to this functionality. While ORDER BY defaults to ascending order, you can explicitly control the sort direction for each column using DESC (descending) or ASC (ascending).

To illustrate, consider sorting by column1 descending and column2 ascending:

<code class="language-sql">ORDER BY column1 DESC, column2 ASC</code>

This query prioritizes column1 in descending order (highest values first). Then, within each group sharing the same column1 value, it sorts by column2 in ascending order (lowest values first). This layered sorting approach provides highly granular control over your data's presentation. This refined ordering simplifies data analysis and reporting.

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