Aggregate Functions

Aggregate functions operate on a set of values to compute a single result.

Filter clause

Aggregate functions support the SQL FILTER (WHERE ...) clause to restrict which input rows contribute to the aggregate result.

function([exprs]) FILTER (WHERE condition)

Example:

SELECT
  sum(salary) FILTER (WHERE salary > 0) AS sum_positive_salaries,
  count(*)    FILTER (WHERE active)     AS active_count
FROM employees;

Note: When no rows pass the filter, COUNT returns 0 while SUM/AVG/MIN/MAX return NULL.

General Functions

• array_agg
• avg
• bit_and
• bit_or
• bit_xor
• bool_and
• bool_or
• count
• first_value
• grouping
• last_value
• max
• mean
• median
• min
• percentile_cont
• quantile_cont
• string_agg
• sum
• var
• var_pop
• var_population
• var_samp
• var_sample

array_agg

Returns an array created from the expression elements. If ordering is required, elements are inserted in the specified order. This aggregation function can only mix DISTINCT and ORDER BY if the ordering expression is exactly the same as the argument expression.

array_agg(expression [ORDER BY expression])

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT array_agg(column_name ORDER BY other_column) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------------------+
| array_agg(column_name ORDER BY other_column)  |
+-----------------------------------------------+
| [element1, element2, element3]                |
+-----------------------------------------------+
> SELECT array_agg(DISTINCT column_name ORDER BY column_name) FROM table_name;
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| array_agg(DISTINCT column_name ORDER BY column_name)  |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| [element1, element2, element3]                         |
+--------------------------------------------------------+

avg

Returns the average of numeric values in the specified column.

avg(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT avg(column_name) FROM table_name;
+---------------------------+
| avg(column_name)           |
+---------------------------+
| 42.75                      |
+---------------------------+

Aliases

• mean

bit_and

Computes the bitwise AND of all non-null input values.

bit_and(expression)

Arguments

• expression: Integer expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

bit_or

Computes the bitwise OR of all non-null input values.

bit_or(expression)

Arguments

• expression: Integer expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

bit_xor

Computes the bitwise exclusive OR of all non-null input values.

bit_xor(expression)

Arguments

• expression: Integer expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

bool_and

Returns true if all non-null input values are true, otherwise false.

bool_and(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT bool_and(column_name) FROM table_name;
+----------------------------+
| bool_and(column_name)       |
+----------------------------+
| true                        |
+----------------------------+

bool_or

Returns true if all non-null input values are true, otherwise false.

bool_and(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT bool_and(column_name) FROM table_name;
+----------------------------+
| bool_and(column_name)       |
+----------------------------+
| true                        |
+----------------------------+

count

Returns the number of non-null values in the specified column. To include null values in the total count, use count(*).

count(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT count(column_name) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------+
| count(column_name)     |
+-----------------------+
| 100                   |
+-----------------------+

> SELECT count(*) FROM table_name;
+------------------+
| count(*)         |
+------------------+
| 120              |
+------------------+

first_value

Returns the first element in an aggregation group according to the requested ordering. If no ordering is given, returns an arbitrary element from the group.

first_value(expression [ORDER BY expression])

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT first_value(column_name ORDER BY other_column) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------------------+
| first_value(column_name ORDER BY other_column)|
+-----------------------------------------------+
| first_element                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------+

grouping

Returns 1 if the data is aggregated across the specified column, or 0 if it is not aggregated in the result set.

grouping(expression)

Arguments

• expression: Expression to evaluate whether data is aggregated across the specified column. Can be a constant, column, or function.

Example

> SELECT column_name, GROUPING(column_name) AS group_column
  FROM table_name
  GROUP BY GROUPING SETS ((column_name), ());
+-------------+-------------+
| column_name | group_column |
+-------------+-------------+
| value1      | 0           |
| value2      | 0           |
| NULL        | 1           |
+-------------+-------------+

last_value

Returns the last element in an aggregation group according to the requested ordering. If no ordering is given, returns an arbitrary element from the group.

last_value(expression [ORDER BY expression])

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT last_value(column_name ORDER BY other_column) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------------------+
| last_value(column_name ORDER BY other_column) |
+-----------------------------------------------+
| last_element                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------+

max

Returns the maximum value in the specified column.

max(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT max(column_name) FROM table_name;
+----------------------+
| max(column_name)      |
+----------------------+
| 150                  |
+----------------------+

mean

Alias of avg.

median

Returns the median value in the specified column.

median(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT median(column_name) FROM table_name;
+----------------------+
| median(column_name)   |
+----------------------+
| 45.5                 |
+----------------------+

min

Returns the minimum value in the specified column.

min(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT min(column_name) FROM table_name;
+----------------------+
| min(column_name)      |
+----------------------+
| 12                   |
+----------------------+

percentile_cont

Returns the exact percentile of input values, interpolating between values if needed.

percentile_cont(percentile) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• percentile: Percentile to compute. Must be a float value between 0 and 1 (inclusive).

Example

> SELECT percentile_cont(0.75) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) FROM table_name;
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| percentile_cont(0.75) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| 45.5                                                     |
+----------------------------------------------------------+

An alternate syntax is also supported:

> SELECT percentile_cont(column_name, 0.75) FROM table_name;
+---------------------------------------+
| percentile_cont(column_name, 0.75)    |
+---------------------------------------+
| 45.5                                  |
+---------------------------------------+

Aliases

• quantile_cont

quantile_cont

Alias of percentile_cont.

string_agg

Concatenates the values of string expressions and places separator values between them. If ordering is required, strings are concatenated in the specified order. This aggregation function can only mix DISTINCT and ORDER BY if the ordering expression is exactly the same as the first argument expression.

string_agg([DISTINCT] expression, delimiter [ORDER BY expression])

Arguments

• expression: The string expression to concatenate. Can be a column or any valid string expression.
• delimiter: A literal string used as a separator between the concatenated values.

Example

> SELECT string_agg(name, ', ') AS names_list
  FROM employee;
+--------------------------+
| names_list               |
+--------------------------+
| Alice, Bob, Bob, Charlie |
+--------------------------+
> SELECT string_agg(name, ', ' ORDER BY name DESC) AS names_list
  FROM employee;
+--------------------------+
| names_list               |
+--------------------------+
| Charlie, Bob, Bob, Alice |
+--------------------------+
> SELECT string_agg(DISTINCT name, ', ' ORDER BY name DESC) AS names_list
  FROM employee;
+--------------------------+
| names_list               |
+--------------------------+
| Charlie, Bob, Alice |
+--------------------------+

sum

Returns the sum of all values in the specified column.

sum(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT sum(column_name) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------+
| sum(column_name)       |
+-----------------------+
| 12345                 |
+-----------------------+

var

Returns the statistical sample variance of a set of numbers.

var(expression)

Arguments

• expression: Numeric expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Aliases

• var_sample
• var_samp

var_pop

Returns the statistical population variance of a set of numbers.

var_pop(expression)

Arguments

• expression: Numeric expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Aliases

• var_population

var_population

Alias of var_pop.

var_samp

Alias of var.

var_sample

Alias of var.

Statistical Functions

• corr
• covar
• covar_pop
• covar_samp
• nth_value
• regr_avgx
• regr_avgy
• regr_count
• regr_intercept
• regr_r2
• regr_slope
• regr_sxx
• regr_sxy
• regr_syy
• stddev
• stddev_pop
• stddev_samp

corr

Returns the coefficient of correlation between two numeric values.

corr(expression1, expression2)

Arguments

• expression1: First expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression2: Second expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT corr(column1, column2) FROM table_name;
+--------------------------------+
| corr(column1, column2)         |
+--------------------------------+
| 0.85                           |
+--------------------------------+

covar

Alias of covar_samp.

covar_pop

Returns the sample covariance of a set of number pairs.

covar_samp(expression1, expression2)

Arguments

• expression1: First expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression2: Second expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT covar_samp(column1, column2) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------+
| covar_samp(column1, column2)      |
+-----------------------------------+
| 8.25                              |
+-----------------------------------+

covar_samp

Returns the sample covariance of a set of number pairs.

covar_samp(expression1, expression2)

Arguments

• expression1: First expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression2: Second expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT covar_samp(column1, column2) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------+
| covar_samp(column1, column2)      |
+-----------------------------------+
| 8.25                              |
+-----------------------------------+

Aliases

• covar

nth_value

Returns the nth value in a group of values.

nth_value(expression, n ORDER BY expression)

Arguments

• expression: The column or expression to retrieve the nth value from.
• n: The position (nth) of the value to retrieve, based on the ordering.

Example

> SELECT dept_id, salary, NTH_VALUE(salary, 2) OVER (PARTITION BY dept_id ORDER BY salary ASC) AS second_salary_by_dept
  FROM employee;
+---------+--------+-------------------------+
| dept_id | salary | second_salary_by_dept   |
+---------+--------+-------------------------+
| 1       | 30000  | NULL                    |
| 1       | 40000  | 40000                   |
| 1       | 50000  | 40000                   |
| 2       | 35000  | NULL                    |
| 2       | 45000  | 45000                   |
+---------+--------+-------------------------+

regr_avgx

Computes the average of the independent variable (input) expression_x for the non-null paired data points.

regr_avgx(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table daily_sales(day int, total_sales int) as values (1,100), (2,150), (3,200), (4,NULL), (5,250);
select * from daily_sales;
+-----+-------------+
| day | total_sales |
| --- | ----------- |
| 1   | 100         |
| 2   | 150         |
| 3   | 200         |
| 4   | NULL        |
| 5   | 250         |
+-----+-------------+

SELECT regr_avgx(total_sales, day) AS avg_day FROM daily_sales;
+----------+
| avg_day  |
+----------+
|   2.75   |
+----------+

regr_avgy

Computes the average of the dependent variable (output) expression_y for the non-null paired data points.

regr_avgy(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table daily_temperature(day int, temperature int) as values (1,30), (2,32), (3, NULL), (4,35), (5,36);
select * from daily_temperature;
+-----+-------------+
| day | temperature |
| --- | ----------- |
| 1   | 30          |
| 2   | 32          |
| 3   | NULL        |
| 4   | 35          |
| 5   | 36          |
+-----+-------------+

-- temperature as Dependent Variable(Y), day as Independent Variable(X)
SELECT regr_avgy(temperature, day) AS avg_temperature FROM daily_temperature;
+-----------------+
| avg_temperature |
+-----------------+
| 33.25           |
+-----------------+

regr_count

Counts the number of non-null paired data points.

regr_count(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table daily_metrics(day int, user_signups int) as values (1,100), (2,120), (3, NULL), (4,110), (5,NULL);
select * from daily_metrics;
+-----+---------------+
| day | user_signups  |
| --- | ------------- |
| 1   | 100           |
| 2   | 120           |
| 3   | NULL          |
| 4   | 110           |
| 5   | NULL          |
+-----+---------------+

SELECT regr_count(user_signups, day) AS valid_pairs FROM daily_metrics;
+-------------+
| valid_pairs |
+-------------+
| 3           |
+-------------+

regr_intercept

Computes the y-intercept of the linear regression line. For the equation (y = kx + b), this function returns b.

regr_intercept(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table weekly_performance(week int, productivity_score int) as values (1,60), (2,65), (3, 70), (4,75), (5,80);
select * from weekly_performance;
+------+---------------------+
| week | productivity_score  |
| ---- | ------------------- |
| 1    | 60                  |
| 2    | 65                  |
| 3    | 70                  |
| 4    | 75                  |
| 5    | 80                  |
+------+---------------------+

SELECT regr_intercept(productivity_score, week) AS intercept FROM weekly_performance;
+----------+
|intercept|
|intercept |
+----------+
|  55      |
+----------+

regr_r2

Computes the square of the correlation coefficient between the independent and dependent variables.

regr_r2(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table weekly_performance(day int ,user_signups int) as values (1,60), (2,65), (3, 70), (4,75), (5,80);
select * from weekly_performance;
+-----+--------------+
| day | user_signups |
+-----+--------------+
| 1   | 60           |
| 2   | 65           |
| 3   | 70           |
| 4   | 75           |
| 5   | 80           |
+-----+--------------+

SELECT regr_r2(user_signups, day) AS r_squared FROM weekly_performance;
+---------+
|r_squared|
+---------+
| 1.0     |
+---------+

regr_slope

Returns the slope of the linear regression line for non-null pairs in aggregate columns. Given input column Y and X: regr_slope(Y, X) returns the slope (k in Y = k*X + b) using minimal RSS fitting.

regr_slope(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table weekly_performance(day int, user_signups int) as values (1,60), (2,65), (3, 70), (4,75), (5,80);
select * from weekly_performance;
+-----+--------------+
| day | user_signups |
+-----+--------------+
| 1   | 60           |
| 2   | 65           |
| 3   | 70           |
| 4   | 75           |
| 5   | 80           |
+-----+--------------+

SELECT regr_slope(user_signups, day) AS slope FROM weekly_performance;
+--------+
| slope  |
+--------+
| 5.0    |
+--------+

regr_sxx

Computes the sum of squares of the independent variable.

regr_sxx(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table study_hours(student_id int, hours int, test_score int) as values (1,2,55), (2,4,65), (3,6,75), (4,8,85), (5,10,95);
select * from study_hours;
+------------+-------+------------+
| student_id | hours | test_score |
+------------+-------+------------+
| 1          | 2     | 55         |
| 2          | 4     | 65         |
| 3          | 6     | 75         |
| 4          | 8     | 85         |
| 5          | 10    | 95         |
+------------+-------+------------+

SELECT regr_sxx(test_score, hours) AS sxx FROM study_hours;
+------+
| sxx  |
+------+
| 40.0 |
+------+

regr_sxy

Computes the sum of products of paired data points.

regr_sxy(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table employee_productivity(week int, productivity_score int) as values(1,60), (2,65), (3,70);
select * from employee_productivity;
+------+--------------------+
| week | productivity_score |
+------+--------------------+
| 1    | 60                 |
| 2    | 65                 |
| 3    | 70                 |
+------+--------------------+

SELECT regr_sxy(productivity_score, week) AS sum_product_deviations FROM employee_productivity;
+------------------------+
| sum_product_deviations |
+------------------------+
|       10.0             |
+------------------------+

regr_syy

Computes the sum of squares of the dependent variable.

regr_syy(expression_y, expression_x)

Arguments

• expression_y: Dependent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• expression_x: Independent variable expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

create table employee_productivity(week int, productivity_score int) as values (1,60), (2,65), (3,70);
select * from employee_productivity;
+------+--------------------+
| week | productivity_score |
+------+--------------------+
| 1    | 60                 |
| 2    | 65                 |
| 3    | 70                 |
+------+--------------------+

SELECT regr_syy(productivity_score, week) AS sum_squares_y FROM employee_productivity;
+---------------+
| sum_squares_y |
+---------------+
|    50.0       |
+---------------+

stddev

Returns the standard deviation of a set of numbers.

stddev(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT stddev(column_name) FROM table_name;
+----------------------+
| stddev(column_name)   |
+----------------------+
| 12.34                |
+----------------------+

Aliases

• stddev_samp

stddev_pop

Returns the population standard deviation of a set of numbers.

stddev_pop(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT stddev_pop(column_name) FROM table_name;
+--------------------------+
| stddev_pop(column_name)   |
+--------------------------+
| 10.56                    |
+--------------------------+

stddev_samp

Alias of stddev.

Approximate Functions

• approx_distinct
• approx_median
• approx_percentile_cont
• approx_percentile_cont_with_weight

approx_distinct

Returns the approximate number of distinct input values calculated using the HyperLogLog algorithm.

approx_distinct(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT approx_distinct(column_name) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------+
| approx_distinct(column_name)      |
+-----------------------------------+
| 42                                |
+-----------------------------------+

approx_median

Returns the approximate median (50th percentile) of input values. It is an alias of approx_percentile_cont(0.5) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY x).

approx_median(expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.

Example

> SELECT approx_median(column_name) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------+
| approx_median(column_name)        |
+-----------------------------------+
| 23.5                              |
+-----------------------------------+

approx_percentile_cont

Returns the approximate percentile of input values using the t-digest algorithm.

approx_percentile_cont(percentile [, centroids]) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• percentile: Percentile to compute. Must be a float value between 0 and 1 (inclusive).
• centroids: Number of centroids to use in the t-digest algorithm. Default is 100. A higher number results in more accurate approximation but requires more memory.

Example

> SELECT approx_percentile_cont(0.75) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) FROM table_name;
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| approx_percentile_cont(0.75) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 65.0                                                             |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
> SELECT approx_percentile_cont(0.75, 100) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| approx_percentile_cont(0.75, 100) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 65.0                                                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

An alternate syntax is also supported:

> SELECT approx_percentile_cont(column_name, 0.75) FROM table_name;
+-----------------------------------------------+
| approx_percentile_cont(column_name, 0.75)     |
+-----------------------------------------------+
| 65.0                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------+

> SELECT approx_percentile_cont(column_name, 0.75, 100) FROM table_name;
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| approx_percentile_cont(column_name, 0.75, 100)           |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| 65.0                                                     |
+----------------------------------------------------------+

approx_percentile_cont_with_weight

Returns the weighted approximate percentile of input values using the t-digest algorithm.

approx_percentile_cont_with_weight(weight, percentile [, centroids]) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY expression)

Arguments

• expression: The expression to operate on. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of operators.
• weight: Expression to use as weight. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of arithmetic operators.
• percentile: Percentile to compute. Must be a float value between 0 and 1 (inclusive).
• centroids: Number of centroids to use in the t-digest algorithm. Default is 100. A higher number results in more accurate approximation but requires more memory.

Example

> SELECT approx_percentile_cont_with_weight(weight_column, 0.90) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) FROM table_name;
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| approx_percentile_cont_with_weight(weight_column, 0.90) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 78.5                                                                                        |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
> SELECT approx_percentile_cont_with_weight(weight_column, 0.90, 100) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) FROM table_name;
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| approx_percentile_cont_with_weight(weight_column, 0.90, 100) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY column_name) |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 78.5                                                                                             |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

An alternative syntax is also supported:

> SELECT approx_percentile_cont_with_weight(column_name, weight_column, 0.90) FROM table_name;
+--------------------------------------------------+
| approx_percentile_cont_with_weight(column_name, weight_column, 0.90) |
+--------------------------------------------------+
| 78.5                                             |
+--------------------------------------------------+