If you’re getting error message 4112 that reads “The function ‘FIRST_VALUE’ must have an OVER clause with ORDER BY” when using the FIRST_VALUE() function, it’s probably because you’re omitting the ORDER BY clause from the OVER clause.

In SQL Server, the FIRST_VALUE() function requires an OVER clause that contains an ORDER BY clause. This error happens when we provide the OVER clause but not the ORDER BY clause.

To fix this error, simply add an ORDER BY clause to the OVER clause.

Example of Error

Here’s an example of code that produces the error:

SELECT
    VendorId,
    ProductName,
    ProductPrice,
    FIRST_VALUE( ProductPrice ) OVER ( )
FROM Products;

Result:

Msg 4112, Level 15, State 1, Line 5
The function 'FIRST_VALUE' must have an OVER clause with ORDER BY.

This error occurred because the OVER clause doesn’t have an ORDER BY clause.

Adding an ORDER BY clause to the end of the query is not sufficient though:

SELECT
    VendorId,
    ProductName,
    ProductPrice,
    FIRST_VALUE( ProductPrice ) OVER ( )
FROM Products
ORDER BY ProductPrice;

Result:

Msg 4112, Level 15, State 1, Line 5
The function 'FIRST_VALUE' must have an OVER clause with ORDER BY.

While it’s perfectly valid to have an ORDER BY clause at the end of the query, we still need to have one in the OVER clause.

Solution

To fix this issue, all we need to do is add an ORDER BY clause to the OVER clause:

SELECT
    VendorId,
    ProductName,
    ProductPrice,
    FIRST_VALUE( ProductPrice ) OVER (
        ORDER BY ProductPrice
     ) AS FIRST_VALUE
FROM Products;

Result:

VendorId  ProductName                      ProductPrice  FIRST_VALUE
--------  -------------------------------  ------------  -----------
1004      Bottomless Coffee Mugs (4 Pack)  9.99          9.99       
1003      Hammock                          10            9.99       
1001      Long Weight (green)              11.99         9.99       
1004      Tea Pot                          12.45         9.99       
1001      Long Weight (blue)               14.75         9.99       
1001      Left handed screwdriver          25.99         9.99       
1001      Right handed screwdriver         25.99         9.99       
1002      Sledge Hammer                    33.49         9.99       
1003      Straw Dog Box                    55.99         9.99       
1003      Chainsaw                         245           9.99       

No error this time. The function returned the first value as expected.

We can also use a PARTITION BY clause in the OVER clause, but this is optional. The ORDER BY clause however, is mandatory.