Common Analytic Functions

Oracle provides several common analytic functions that cater to various analytical needs. These include:

• RANK(): Assigns a rank to each row within a partition, allowing for ties but leaving gaps in ranking.
• DENSE_RANK(): Similar to RANK(), but does not leave gaps, assigning consecutive ranks even for ties.
• ROW_NUMBER(): Assigns a unique sequential number to each row in the result set, ensuring no duplicates.
• SUM(): Can be applied as an analytic function to calculate running totals across a specified window of rows.
• AVG(): Used to calculate moving averages over a defined range of rows.

These functions are essential for performing detailed analysis, enabling users to derive insights from complex datasets. Each function has its own use case, making them applicable in various scenarios ranging from financial reporting to performance evaluations, thereby enhancing the overall analytical capabilities within Oracle SQL.