Sub queries in inner and outer select with SQL commands

Sub quires are easy to understand and can be developed by using simple quires. These queries will have two parts, one is inner queries or inner select and outer queries or outer select.

These queries are easy to develop and most of the time preferred over complex joins.

There is some restriction in using subqueries. We cant modify the structure of a table by using a subquery.

Let us start with some examples by using different types of queries using various SQL commands.

SELECT * FROM student WHERE name LIKE
 (SELECT name FROM student WHERE mark =86)

id	name	class	mark
28	Rojj Base	Seven	86

Subquery with not in

SELECT * FROM student WHERE  class NOT IN 
(SELECT DISTINCT(class) FROM  student)

This query will return if any record is there where class data is not there.

Subquery By using ANY

SELECT  * FROM student WHERE  
 class = ANY(SELECT DISTINCT(class) FROM student)

We will get all the records as we don't have any blank class data

SELECT * FROM student WHERE 
 mark =  (SELECT MAX(mark) FROM  student)

id	name	class	mark
33	Kenn Rein	Six	96

The above query will return the details of the student who got maximum mark. This query will also work if there are two students with same maximum mark. But if we use only Max command then we will get only one record.

Subquery with Not In

SELECT  * FROM student WHERE class NOT IN 
 (SELECT MAX(mark) FROM student WHERE class= ANY(SELECT DISTINCT class FROM student))

Using Union and NOT IN

We have one student table and two games, table football and baseball. Some students are selected for the football team and for the baseball team.

Find out the students who are not selected for any of the teams. Or find the records in the student table which doesn't have a matching record in the football table or baseball table.

SELECT * FROM `student` WHERE id NOT IN 

(SELECT f_id from student_football  UNION select b_id from student_baseball)

You can get similar result by using LEFT JOIN of three tables.

Download the SQL dump of our student table
SQL References Selecting records SQL LEFT Join to link tables

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author

🎥 Join me live on YouTube

Passionate about coding and teaching, I publish practical tutorials on PHP, Python, JavaScript, SQL, and web development. My goal is to make learning simple, engaging, and project‑oriented with real examples and source code.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here

mallamma.b.hataraki	02-08-2010
please can you post more subqueries examples to retrieve data from more than one table.

Noel	13-04-2012
How to put a total at the bottom of a detailed report. for example query database Select product_code,description,net_sales from tablex how do you put a total at the end of the report below column net_sales.

tgfughjgu	10-07-2014
[ll'w to put a total at the bottom of a detailed report. for example query database Select product_code,description,net_sales from tablex how do you put a total at the end of the report below column net_sales. rajavel 31-05-2014

Abdulsalam Saidu	10-12-2016
...Please more example on the subquery...

rajavel	31-05-2014
awesome explain;;;;

Subqueries in SQL

Subquery with not in

Subquery By using ANY

Subquery with Not In

Using Union and NOT IN

Subhendu Mohapatra