Window Functions

Data Manipulation in SQL

Mona Khalil

Data Scientist, Greenhouse Software

Working with aggregate values

Requires you to use GROUP BY with all non-aggregate columns

SELECT
  country_id,
  season,
  date,
  AVG(home_goal) AS avg_home
FROM match
GROUP BY country_id;

ERROR: column "match.season" must appear in the GROUP BY 
clause or be used in an aggregate function

Introducing window functions!

Perform calculations on an already generated result set (a window)
Aggregate calculations
- Similar to subqueries in SELECT
- Running totals, rankings, moving averages

What's a window function?

How many goals were scored in each match in 2011/2012, and how did that compare to the average?

SELECT
  date,
  (home_goal + away_goal) AS goals,
  (SELECT AVG(home_goal + away_goal) 
     FROM match
     WHERE season = '2011/2012') AS overall_avg
FROM match
WHERE season = '2011/2012';

| date       | goals | overall_avg       |
|------------|-------|-------------------|
| 2011-07-29 | 3     | 2.71646           |
| 2011-07-30 | 2     | 2.71646           |
| 2011-07-30 | 4     | 2.71646           |
| 2011-07-30 | 1     | 2.71646           |

What's a window function?

How many goals were scored in each match in 2011/2012, and how did that compare to the average?

SELECT
    date,
    (home_goal + away_goal) AS goals,
    AVG(home_goal + away_goal) OVER() AS overall_avg
FROM match
WHERE season = '2011/2012';

| date       | goals | overall_avg       |
|------------|-------|-------------------|
| 2011-07-29 | 3     | 2.71646           |
| 2011-07-30 | 2     | 2.71646           |
| 2011-07-30 | 4     | 2.71646           |
| 2011-07-30 | 1     | 2.71646           |

Generate a RANK

What is the rank of matches based on number of goals scored?

SELECT
    date,
    (home_goal + away_goal) AS goals
FROM match
WHERE season = '2011/2012';

| date       | goals |
|------------|-------|
| 2011-07-29 | 3     |
| 2011-07-30 | 2     |
| 2011-07-30 | 4     |
| 2011-07-30 | 1     |

Generate a RANK

What is the rank of matches based on number of goals scored?

SELECT
    date,
    (home_goal + away_goal) AS goals,
    RANK() OVER(ORDER BY home_goal + away_goal) AS goals_rank
FROM match
WHERE season = '2011/2012';

| date       | goals | goals_rank |
|------------|-------|------------|
| 2012-04-28 | 0     | 1          |
| 2011-12-26 | 0     | 1          |
| 2011-09-10 | 0     | 1          |
| 2011-08-27 | 0     | 1          |
| 2012-01-07 | 0     | 1          |

Generate a RANK

What is the rank of matches based on number of goals scored?

SELECT
    date,
    (home_goal + away_goal) AS goals,
    RANK() OVER(ORDER BY home_goal + away_goal DESC) AS goals_rank
FROM match
WHERE season = '2011/2012';

| date       | goals | goals_rank |
|------------|-------|------------|
| 2011-11-06 | 10    | 1          |
| 2011-08-28 | 10    | 1          |
| 2012-05-12 | 9     | 3          |
| 2012-02-12 | 9     | 3          |
| 2012-03-09 | 9     | 3          |

Key differences

Processed after every part of query except ORDER BY
- Uses information in result set rather than database
Available in PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server...
- ...but NOT SQLite

Let's practice!

Data Manipulation in SQL