SQL MAX() Function
The SQL MAX() Function
The MAX() function returns the largest value of the selected column.
The MAX() function works with numeric, string, and date data types.
MAX Example
Return the highest price in the Price column, in the "Products" table:
SELECT MAX(Price)
FROM Products;
Try it Yourself »
Syntax
SELECT MAX(column_name)
FROM table_name
WHERE condition;
Demo Database
Below is a selection from the Products table used in the examples:
| ProductID | ProductName | SupplierID | CategoryID | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chais | 1 | 1 | 10 boxes x 20 bags | 18.00 |
| 2 | Chang | 1 | 1 | 24 - 12 oz bottles | 19.00 |
| 3 | Aniseed Syrup | 1 | 2 | 12 - 550 ml bottles | 10.00 |
| 4 | Chef Anton's Cajun Seasoning | 2 | 2 | 48 - 6 oz jars | 22.00 |
| 5 | Chef Anton's Gumbo Mix | 2 | 2 | 36 boxes | 21.35 |
Set Column Name (Alias)
When you use MAX(), the returned column will not have a
name.
Use the
AS keyword, to give the column a descriptive
name:
Use MAX() with Date Column
The following SQL returns the latest BirthDate in the BirthDate column, in the Employees table:
Use MAX() with GROUP BY
Here we use the MAX() function and the
GROUP BY clause, to return the highest price
for each category in the Products table:
Example
SELECT MAX(Price) AS SmallestPrice, CategoryID
FROM Products
GROUP BY CategoryID;
Try it Yourself »
You will learn more about the
GROUP BY clause later in this tutorial.
