Table Schema
Inspect
Table
| Column | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| employee_id | integer | Unique employee identifier. |
| salary | integer | Employee salary. |
Second
Highest
Salary
Find the second highest distinct salary from the employee table.
Inspect
Sample Data
Input
Output
Sample Input: employees
| employee_id | salary |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1000 |
| 2 | 2000 |
| 3 | 3000 |
| 4 | 3000 |
| 5 | 1500 |
| 6 | 2500 |
Expected Output
| second_highest_salary |
|---|
| 2500 |
SQL Editor
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Query
Waiting for query
| second_highest_salary |
|---|
| 2500 |
Hints
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Clues
Hint 01: Use DISTINCT salary so repeated salaries are counted once.
Hint 02: Sort salaries in descending order.
Hint 03: OFFSET 1 LIMIT 1 returns the second highest distinct salary.
Solution
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Answer
Solution is locked until you decide to reveal it. Try the editor first, then open this when you want the reference answer.
SELECT
salary AS second_highest_salary
FROM (
SELECT DISTINCT
salary
FROM employees
) AS distinct_salaries
ORDER BY salary DESC
OFFSET 1
LIMIT 1;
Explanation
Step By
Step
01
Select distinct salaries so duplicate values do not affect the ranking.
02
Order those salaries from highest to lowest.
03
Skip the highest salary and return the next one as second_highest_salary.
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