**Course Title:** SQLite Mastery: Lightweight Database Management **Section Title:** Basic Data Retrieval and Filtering **Topic:** Sorting data with ORDER BY **Introduction** In the previous topic, we learned how to filter data using the `WHERE` clause. However, filtered data is not always in the desired order. This is where the `ORDER BY` clause comes in, allowing us to sort data in ascending or descending order. In this topic, we will explore how to use `ORDER BY` to sort data in SQLite. **Understanding ORDER BY** The `ORDER BY` clause is used to sort the result-set in ascending or descending order. It can be used in conjunction with the `SELECT` statement to sort data based on one or more columns. **Basic Syntax** The basic syntax of the `ORDER BY` clause is as follows: ```sql SELECT column1, column2, ... FROM tablename WHERE condition ORDER BY columnname ASC|DESC; ``` * `ASC` is used to sort the data in ascending order (default). * `DESC` is used to sort the data in descending order. **Example 1: Sorting in Ascending Order** Suppose we have a table `employees` with columns `id`, `name`, and `salary`. We want to retrieve the list of employees sorted by their `salary` in ascending order. ```sql SELECT id, name, salary FROM employees ORDER BY salary ASC; ``` This will return the list of employees with the lowest salary first. **Example 2: Sorting in Descending Order** We can modify the previous example to sort the list of employees by their `salary` in descending order. ```sql SELECT id, name, salary FROM employees ORDER BY salary DESC; ``` This will return the list of employees with the highest salary first. **Sorting by Multiple Columns** We can also sort data by multiple columns using the `ORDER BY` clause. The syntax is as follows: ```sql SELECT column1, column2, ... FROM tablename WHERE condition ORDER BY columnname1 ASC|DESC, columnname2 ASC|DESC; ``` **Example 3: Sorting by Multiple Columns** Suppose we have a table `students` with columns `id`, `name`, and `grade`. We want to retrieve the list of students sorted by their `grade` in descending order, and then by their `name` in ascending order. ```sql SELECT id, name, grade FROM students ORDER BY grade DESC, name ASC; ``` This will return the list of students with the highest grade first, and then sorted by their name. **Key Concepts** * The `ORDER BY` clause is used to sort data in ascending or descending order. * The `ASC` keyword is used to sort data in ascending order (default). * The `DESC` keyword is used to sort data in descending order. * We can sort data by multiple columns using the `ORDER BY` clause. **Practical Takeaways** * Use the `ORDER BY` clause to sort data in ascending or descending order. * Use the `ASC` keyword to sort data in ascending order, and the `DESC` keyword to sort data in descending order. * Sort data by multiple columns to get more accurate results. **Additional Resources** * [SQLite Documentation: ORDER BY](https://www.sqlite.org/lang_select.html#orderby) * [W3Schools: SQLite ORDER BY](https://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_orderby.asp) **Leave a Comment/Ask for Help** If you have any questions or need help with sorting data using the `ORDER BY` clause, please leave a comment below. **What's Next?** In the next topic, we will cover how to limit results using the `LIMIT` and `OFFSET` clauses.