MIN

An aggregate function that returns the minimum value used within a specified column.

Synopsis

MIN([ALL | DISTINCT] column-name)

Arguments

ALL	Applies the aggregate function to all values. ALL is not meaningful with MIN and is available for SQL-92 compatibility only.
DISTINCT	Specifies that each unique value is considered. DISTINCT is not meaningful with MIN and is available for SQL-92 compatibility only.
column-name	The name of the column that contains the values from which the minimum value is to be calculated.

Description

The MIN aggregate function gets its value from the values of a specified field in the multiple rows returned by a query.

MIN can be used in a SELECT query or subquery, and is commonly used in a HAVING clause. MIN can appear in a SELECT list or HAVING clause alongside ordinary field values.

MIN cannot be used in a WHERE clause, a FROM clause, or an ORDER BY clause. MIN is not supported in views.

Data Values

By default, aggregate functions use Logical (internal) data values, rather than Display values.

The specified field used by MIN should be a numeric field. Because no type checking is performed, it is possible (though rarely meaningful) to invoke it for non-numeric fields. Empty String ("") values are treated as zero (0) in numeric fields, and as $c(0) in non-numeric fields. Validation checking should prevent empty string values in numeric fields.

NULL values in data fields are ignored when deriving a MIN aggregate function value. If no rows are returned by the query, or the data field value for all rows returned is NULL, MIN returns NULL.

Examples

This query returns the minimum salary of employees in the Sales department:

SELECT MIN(salary)
     FROM employee
     WHERE department = "SALES"