In SQL Server, the APPROX_PERCENTILE_CONT()
function calculates and returns an approximate percentile based on a continuous distribution of the column value. This is an interpolated value from the set of values in a group based on percentile value and sort specification.
Understanding the AVG() Function in SQL Server
Like most other RDBMSs, SQL Server has an AVG()
function that returns the average of the values in a group.
Below are examples that demonstrate how the AVG()
function works in SQL Server.
How to Fix “The least function requires 1 to 254 arguments” in SQL Server
If you’re getting an error in SQL Server that reads “The least function requires 1 to 254 arguments“, it’s probably because you’re either passing too few or too many arguments to the LEAST()
function.
As the error message states, the LEAST()
function requires at least 1 argument, and no more than 254 arguments.
To fix this issue, be sure to pass at least 1 argument, and no more than 254 arguments when using the LEAST()
function.
How to Calculate the Mode in SQL
In statistics, the mode is the most commonly occurring value in a data set. When using SQL databases, we can easily run a SQL query to find out the mode of a given column.
Below are several options we can use to calculate the mode in SQL.
Continue readingHow to Force a Guaranteed Minimum Value When Selecting a Column in SQL Server
Suppose you’re trying to query column, but you need to set a minimum value to be returned, even if the column contains values that are less than that minimum. For example, you want a minimum value of 50 to be returned, even if the column contains values that are less than 50.
We can use the GREATEST()
function to build such a query.
Introduction to the GREATEST() Function in SQL Server
In SQL Server, the GREATEST()
function returns the maximum value from a list of one or more expressions.
The GREATEST()
function was introduced in SQL Server 2022 (along with the LEAST()
function).
Fix Error “argument of ntile must be greater than zero” in PostgreSQL
If you’re getting an error that reads “ERROR: argument of ntile must be greater than zero” in PostgreSQL, it’s probably because you’re calling the ntile()
function with a non-positive integer.
This error occurs when we pass a non-positive integer to the ntile()
function.
To fix this issue, be sure to pass a positive integer to the function.
Continue readingAn Overview of the LEAST() Function in SQL Server
SQL Server 2022 introduced the LEAST()
and GREATEST()
functions, which allow us to get the minimum or maximum value from a list of expressions.
The LEAST()
function returns the minimum value from a list of one or more expressions.
Understanding the DISTINCT ON Option in PostgreSQL
Most major RDBMSs support the DISTINCT
clause, which allows us to get unique – or “distinct” – rows from our SQL queries. But PostgreSQL’s implementation of this clause has an extra option that most other RDBMSs don’t include.
PostgreSQL allows us to include the ON()
option when using DISTINCT
. This enables us to specify exactly which columns should be evaluated by the DISTINCT
modifier, while simultaneously allowing us to return columns that aren’t evaluated.
Fix “SELECT DISTINCT ON expressions must match initial ORDER BY expressions” in PostgreSQL
If you’re getting a PostgreSQL error that reads “SELECT DISTINCT ON expressions must match initial ORDER BY expressions” when trying to run a query, it’s probably because the initial columns provided to your ORDER BY
clause are different to the ones provided to the DISTINCT ON
clause.
To fix this error, make sure the initial columns provided to the ORDER BY
clause are included in the DISTINCT ON
clause.