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SQL CASE Expression

The CASE expression in SQL is used to apply conditional logic within a query. It allows you to return different values based on specific conditions, similar to an if-else statement in programming.

Syntax​

There are two main formats for the CASE expression: Simple CASE and Searched CASE.

Simple CASE​

SELECT column_name,
    CASE column_name
        WHEN value1 THEN result1
        WHEN value2 THEN result2
        ...
        ELSE default_result
    END AS alias_name
FROM table_name;

Searched CASE​

SELECT column_name,
    CASE 
        WHEN condition1 THEN result1
        WHEN condition2 THEN result2
        ...
        ELSE default_result
    END AS alias_name
FROM table_name;

Key Points​

  • Simple CASE compares an expression to a list of values and returns the corresponding result.
  • Searched CASE evaluates a list of conditions and returns the result for the first condition that is TRUE.
  • The ELSE clause is optional. If no conditions are met and ELSE is not specified, the CASE expression will return NULL.

Examples​

Example 1: Simple CASE

Assign a label based on a product’s category.

SELECT ProductName,
    CASE CategoryID
        WHEN 1 THEN 'Electronics'
        WHEN 2 THEN 'Furniture'
        WHEN 3 THEN 'Groceries'
        ELSE 'Other'
    END AS CategoryLabel
FROM Products;

Example 2: Searched CASE

Assign a rating based on the price of a product.

SELECT ProductName, Price,
    CASE 
        WHEN Price > 100 THEN 'Expensive'
        WHEN Price BETWEEN 50 AND 100 THEN 'Moderate'
        WHEN Price < 50 THEN 'Affordable'
        ELSE 'Unknown'
    END AS PriceRange
FROM Products;

Example 3: Using CASE with Aggregation

Calculate the total sales for online and in-store orders separately.

SELECT 
    SUM(CASE WHEN OrderType = 'Online' THEN Amount ELSE 0 END) AS OnlineSales,
    SUM(CASE WHEN OrderType = 'In-Store' THEN Amount ELSE 0 END) AS InStoreSales
FROM Orders;

Note :

  • CASE expressions can be used in SELECT, WHERE, ORDER BY, and GROUP BY clauses.
  • CASE can simplify complex IF-THEN-ELSE logic and help make SQL queries more readable.
  • In GROUP BY statements, CASE is often used with aggregate functions to conditionally group data.