SQL MIN(): Explanation and an Example

Definition and Syntax of SQL MIN()

SQL MIN() is an aggregate function that returns the data record with the lowest value from the defined column.

To find the lowest value, we have to use the SELECT statement to define our selection first:

SELECT MIN(col_name)
FROM tbl_name
WHERE conditions;

The arguments are simple:

• col_name represents the name of the data column
• tbl_name represents the name of the data table
• conditions defines specific conditions to filter the selection against

An Example of SQL MIN() Function Use

To show you how this SQL function works, we will use a demo data table and a code example to find the lowest value in a particular column.

Theory is great, but we recommend digging deeper!

An Interactive SQL Tutorial for Beginners: Introduction to SQL

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A Demo Database

The table we'll be using for our example is called Products:

Finding the Lowest Value

The code you see in the example below returns the lowest value in the Price column of the Products table:

SELECT MIN(Price) AS TiniestPrice
FROM Products;