SQL Select Distinct

The `SELECT DISTINCT` statement in SQL is used to return only distinct (different) values from a column. It eliminates duplicate values from the result set.

Syntax

The syntax for using `SELECT DISTINCT` is as follows:


                SELECT DISTINCT column1, column2, ...

                FROM table_name;

Example

Suppose you have a table named Employees with a column named Department. To get a list of distinct departments from this table, you would use the following query:


                SELECT DISTINCT Department

                FROM Employees;

This query retrieves unique department names from the Employees table, filtering out any duplicate entries.

Notes

Multiple Columns: You can use `DISTINCT` with multiple columns. In this case, it returns unique combinations of values across the specified columns.
Performance: Using `DISTINCT` may affect performance, especially with large datasets. Ensure you only use it when necessary.

Understanding how to use `SELECT DISTINCT` can help you manage and analyze data more effectively by removing duplicate entries from your query results.