This guide is specifically for SQL Server syntax.

SQL Query to Rank Rows

Assign rankings using ROW_NUMBER, RANK, or DENSE_RANK window functions.

Quick Answer

SELECT name, salary, RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) as rank FROM employees;

Explanation

ROW_NUMBER gives unique sequential numbers. RANK gives same rank to ties but skips numbers. DENSE_RANK gives same rank but doesn't skip.

Query Variants

Row Number

SELECT name, salary,
  ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) as row_num
FROM employees;

Rank

SELECT name, salary,
  RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) as rank
FROM employees;

Dense Rank

SELECT name, salary,
  DENSE_RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) as dense_rank
FROM employees;

Partitioned

SELECT name, department, salary,
  RANK() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary DESC) as dept_rank
FROM employees;

Pro Tips

• ROW_NUMBER: 1, 2, 3, 4...
• RANK: 1, 2, 2, 4... (skips after ties)
• DENSE_RANK: 1, 2, 2, 3... (no skip)

Related SQL Queries

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SQL Server-Specific Notes

This page covers SQL Server syntax. Other databases may have different syntax for similar operations.