Having recently covered the LEAD() Window Function here on Digital Owl’s Prose, it only makes sense to follow-up with a post on its counterpart: LAG(). By all means, don’t lag behind. Read on and learn something with me…
Note: All data, names or naming found within the database presented in this post, are strictly used for practice, learning, instruction, and testing purposes. It by no means depicts actual data belonging to or being used by any party or organization.
- Xubuntu Linux 18.04.2 LTS (Bionic Beaver)
- PostgreSQL 11.2
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I’ll use a couple of tables from the PostgreSQL practice DVD Rental database for the example queries below.
Throughout this post, let’s assume we have this CTE that returns the below query results:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 | WITH valued_customers AS ( SELECT c.first_name AS first_name, c.last_name AS last_name, SUM(p.amount) AS total_spent FROM customer AS c INNER JOIN payment AS p ON c.customer_id = p.customer_id GROUP by c.first_name, c.last_name HAVING SUM(p.amount) > 150) SELECT * FROM valued_customers; first_name | last_name | total_spent ------------+-----------+------------- Lena | Jensen | 154.70 Tommy | Collazo | 183.63 Ana | Bradley | 167.67 Clara | Shaw | 189.60 Brittany | Riley | 151.73 Warren | Sherrod | 152.69 Karl | Seal | 208.58 Arnold | Havens | 161.68 Mike | Way | 162.67 Wesley | Bull | 158.65 Gordon | Allard | 157.69 Marcia | Dean | 166.61 June | Carroll | 151.68 Tim | Cary | 154.66 Eleanor | Hunt | 211.55 Marion | Snyder | 194.61 Steve | Mackenzie | 152.68 Guy | Brownlee | 151.69 Curtis | Irby | 167.62 Louis | Leone | 156.66 Rhonda | Kennedy | 191.62 (21 rows) |
As you have likely guessed, LAG() operates similarly as LEAD() with the difference being; where LEAD() accesses current and subsequent row data, LAG() returns previous row and current row data.
Let’s gain crystal-clear clarity with a few examples. Feel free to visit this post I wrote on LAG() for an example of the syntax, as they are the same.
Like before, I’ll set NULL to something more visible during the psql session with \pset:
1 2 | dvdrental=> \pset null '!#!' Null display is "!#!". |
Here, I pass in 2 for the offset parameter:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | SELECT first_name, last_name, total_spent, LAG(total_spent, 2) OVER(ORDER BY total_spent) as lagging FROM valued_customers; first_name | last_name | total_spent | lagging ------------+-----------+-------------+--------- June | Carroll | 151.68 | !#! Guy | Brownlee | 151.69 | !#! Brittany | Riley | 151.73 | 151.68 Steve | Mackenzie | 152.68 | 151.69 Warren | Sherrod | 152.69 | 151.73 Tim | Cary | 154.66 | 152.68 Lena | Jensen | 154.70 | 152.69 Louis | Leone | 156.66 | 154.66 Gordon | Allard | 157.69 | 154.70 Wesley | Bull | 158.65 | 156.66 Arnold | Havens | 161.68 | 157.69 Mike | Way | 162.67 | 158.65 Marcia | Dean | 166.61 | 161.68 Curtis | Irby | 167.62 | 162.67 Ana | Bradley | 167.67 | 166.61 Tommy | Collazo | 183.63 | 167.62 Clara | Shaw | 189.60 | 167.67 Rhonda | Kennedy | 191.62 | 183.63 Marion | Snyder | 194.61 | 189.60 Karl | Seal | 208.58 | 191.62 Eleanor | Hunt | 211.55 | 194.61 (21 rows) |
Notice since LAG() does not have 2 previous rows to look back and access data from, NULL is displayed for the first 2 rows in the result set.
We’ll try an even larger number next with 5:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 | SELECT first_name, last_name, total_spent, LAG(total_spent, 5) OVER(ORDER BY total_spent) as lagging FROM valued_customers; first_name | last_name | total_spent | lagging ------------+-----------+-------------+--------- June | Carroll | 151.68 | !#! Guy | Brownlee | 151.69 | !#! Brittany | Riley | 151.73 | !#! Steve | Mackenzie | 152.68 | !#! Warren | Sherrod | 152.69 | !#! Tim | Cary | 154.66 | 151.68 Lena | Jensen | 154.70 | 151.69 Louis | Leone | 156.66 | 151.73 Gordon | Allard | 157.69 | 152.68 Wesley | Bull | 158.65 | 152.69 Arnold | Havens | 161.68 | 154.66 Mike | Way | 162.67 | 154.70 Marcia | Dean | 166.61 | 156.66 Curtis | Irby | 167.62 | 157.69 Ana | Bradley | 167.67 | 158.65 Tommy | Collazo | 183.63 | 161.68 Clara | Shaw | 189.60 | 162.67 Rhonda | Kennedy | 191.62 | 166.61 Marion | Snyder | 194.61 | 167.62 Karl | Seal | 208.58 | 167.67 Eleanor | Hunt | 211.55 | 183.63 (21 rows) |
In the screen shot below, make note how in the 6th row of the result set, LAG() accesses and displays the ‘total_spent’ amount for the 1st row (5 rows previous) where those 4 rows above display NULL.
Since this short post has mostly contained arbitrary examples for demonstration, I am anxious to know of any real-world use cases you have used LAG() for or any other ideas you have about it. So please, by all means, leave your comment below.
Like what you have read? See anything incorrect? Please comment below and thanks for reading!!!
Explore the official PostgreSQL 11 On-line Documentation for more information.
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Josh Otwell has a passion to study and grow as a SQL Developer and blogger. Other favorite activities find him with his nose buried in a good book, article, or the Linux command line. Among those, he shares a love of tabletop RPG games, reading fantasy novels, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
Disclaimer: The examples presented in this post are hypothetical ideas of how to achieve similar types of results. They are not the utmost best solution(s). The majority, if not all, of the examples provided, is performed on a personal development/learning workstation-environment and should not be considered production quality or ready. Your particular goals and needs may vary. Use those practices that best benefit your needs and goals. Opinions are my own.