SQL Aggregate Functions: MAX Function Tutorial

What is the SQL MAX Function?

The MAX function returns the maximum value from a column across all rows or within groups when used with GROUP BY.

It can be applied to numeric, date/time, and string columns to find the highest value.

• Syntax: SELECT MAX(column_name) FROM table_name;
• Returns the largest value ignoring NULLs.
• Can be combined with WHERE to filter rows before aggregation.

Using MAX with GROUP BY

When you want the maximum value per category, use MAX with GROUP BY.

This groups rows by a column and returns the maximum value for each group.

• Syntax: SELECT category_column, MAX(value_column) FROM table_name GROUP BY category_column;
• Useful for finding top sales per region, highest scores per class, etc.

Examples of SQL MAX Function

Here are practical examples demonstrating how to use MAX in queries.