How to Use DISTINCT in SQL

The DISTINCT keyword is used to return only unique (different) values from a column or a set of columns, eliminating duplicates in the result set.

Syntax:

SELECT DISTINCT column1, column2, ...FROM table_name;

Example 1: Distinct Values in One Column

Suppose you have a table employees with a department column, and you want to find all unique departments:

SELECT DISTINCT departmentFROM employees;

Example 2: Distinct Combinations of Multiple Columns

To get unique combinations of department and job_title:

SELECT DISTINCT department, job_titleFROM employees;

Notes:

• DISTINCT applies to all selected columns together.

• It removes duplicate rows from the result.

• Useful when you want to count or list unique values.

If you want, I can show you how to use DISTINCT with aggregation or other clauses!