Window functions can be a useful tool when writing SQL queries. They allow us to include aggregate data across multiple rows without getting those pesky errors that sometimes occur when we try to use an aggregate function in the wrong way.
In this article, I aim to provide a simple overview of window functions and how they can be used to provide a more useful result set when running SQL queries.
In MySQL, the VAR_SAMP() function returns the sample variance of an expression. The denominator is the number of rows minus one.
If there are no matching rows, or if the expression is NULL, VAR_SAMP() returns NULL.
VAR_SAMP() is an aggregate function, and so it can be used with the GROUP BY clause.
The VAR_SAMP() function can also be used as a window function.
In MySQL, the VARIANCE() function returns the population standard variance of an expression.
If there are no matching rows, or if the expression is NULL, the function returns NULL.
The VARIANCE() function is a synonym for the standard SQL VAR_POP() function. In other words, they both do the same thing, but VARIANCE() is not standard SQL. Therefore, if you need to use standard SQL, use VAR_POP() instead.
In MySQL, the VAR_POP() function returns the population standard variance of an expression.
If there are no matching rows, or if the expression is NULL, VAR_POP() it returns NULL.
VAR_POP() is an aggregate function, and so it can be used with the GROUP BY clause.
The VAR_POP() function is standard SQL. There’s also a VARIANCE() function that does the same thing, but is not standard SQL.
In MySQL, the STDDEV_SAMP() function returns the sample standard deviation of a given expression. This is the square root of VAR_SAMP().
STDDEV_SAMP() is an aggregate function, and so it can be used with the GROUP BY clause.
If there are no matching rows, or if the expression is NULL, STDDEV_SAMP() returns NULL.
In MySQL, the STDDEV() function returns the population standard deviation of a given expression.
STDDEV() is a synonym for the standard SQL function STDDEV_POP(). There’s also a STD() function which also does the same thing, so we can use either of these functions to get the same result.
In MySQL, the STD() function returns the population standard deviation of a given expression.
STD() is a synonym for the standard SQL function STDDEV_POP(). There’s also a STDDEV() function which also does the same thing, so we can use either of these functions to get the same result.
In MySQL, the BIT_XOR() function returns the bitwise XOR of all bits in a given expression.
XOR is an exclusive OR, and so a XOR b is mathematically equal to (a AND (NOT b)) OR ((NOT a) and b).
In MySQL, the BIT_OR() function returns the bitwise OR of all bits in a given expression.