RANK() Function

The RANK() function is a powerful analytic tool that assigns a rank to each row within a specified partition based on the values in a particular column. When multiple rows share the same value, they receive the same rank, but the subsequent rank numbers will skip as many as there are ties. This can be useful in scenarios where you want to identify the top performers or lowest performers within a group. For instance, using the following query:

sqlCopy codeSELECT employee_id, salary, RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) AS salary_rank FROM employees;

This ranks employees by their salaries in descending order. If two employees have the same salary, they will share the same rank, and the next employee will receive the rank after accounting for the tie. This function is particularly useful for competitive analysis, allowing organizations to identify high performers while understanding the relative standing of each employee.