Last time you learned to filter rows with WHERE. But did you know that your filtered results appear in unpredictable order? One query might show books alphabetically, another might be completely random.
Without controlling the order, finding specific results becomes frustrating.
Engagement Message
Which single criterion would you use to sort your search results?
The ORDER BY clause solves this by sorting your results in a predictable sequence. It's like organizing books on a shelf - by title, price, or any other criteria you choose.
ORDER BY transforms chaotic results into organized, scannable lists.
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Which would be easier to read: random book prices or prices sorted from lowest to highest?
Here's the basic ORDER BY structure:
Notice ORDER BY comes after WHERE. It sorts the filtered results by the specified column.
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Can you predict the order the books will appear in after running this query?
By default, ORDER BY sorts in ascending order (smallest to largest, A to Z). Add DESC for descending order (largest to smallest, Z to A):
This shows the most expensive books first.
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When might descending order be more useful than ascending?
You can be explicit about ascending order using ASC:
ASC and DESC make your intentions crystal clear, even though ASC is the default.
Engagement Message
Which is clearer: or ?
