SQL

Get Latest Record Per Group Without Window Functions

Learn how to fetch the most recent entry for each distinct group in a SQL table using a correlated subquery, avoiding complex window functions.

SELECT t1.*
FROM Orders t1
WHERE t1.order_date = (
    SELECT MAX(t2.order_date)
    FROM Orders t2
    WHERE t2.customer_id = t1.customer_id
);

How it works: This query selects all columns from the Orders table (t1) for each row where its order_date matches the maximum order_date found for that specific customer_id in a correlated subquery (t2). This effectively retrieves the latest order for every customer without using ROW_NUMBER() or other window functions, or LIMIT/OFFSET per group.

Get Latest Record Per Group Without Window Functions

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