1. Basic Syntax

To get the overall minimum or maximum value:

SELECT MIN(salary) AS min_salary,
       MAX(salary) AS max_salary
FROM employees;

2. Using GROUP BY

Apply MIN() or MAX() per group of rows:

SELECT department,
       MIN(salary) AS min_salary,
       MAX(salary) AS max_salary
FROM employees
GROUP BY department;

Each department is listed along with its minimum and maximum salary.

Best Practices

• Index columns used with MIN() or MAX() for performance, especially if you use them frequently.
• Use GROUP BY to get min/max values segmented by categories.

Key Takeaways

• MIN() and MAX() scan columns for the smallest and largest values.
• They can be used in conjunction with GROUP BY to aggregate data by groups.