Section 12.146.understanding-order-of-execution-of-sql

The order of execution in SQL is generally determined by the logical order of the clauses in the SQL statement. Here is a general order of execution for a typical SQL query:

1. FROM clause: This clause identifies the table or tables that are the source of the data.
2. WHERE clause: This clause filters the data in the table or tables, returning only the rows that match the specified conditions.
3. GROUP BY clause: This clause groups the filtered data by one or more columns and calculates aggregate values for each group.
4. HAVING clause: This clause filters the grouped data, returning only the groups that match the specified conditions.
5. SELECT clause: This clause selects the columns that should be returned in the result set.
6. DISTINCT clause: This clause removes duplicate rows from the result set.
7. ORDER BY clause: This clause sorts the result set by one or more columns.
8. LIMIT/OFFSET clause: This clause restricts the number of rows returned by the query and specifies the starting point of the result set.

Note that some of these clauses, such as SELECT and ORDER BY, can appear in different positions in the SQL statement, but the order of execution remains the same. Also, not all of these clauses are required in every SQL statement.

Understanding the order of execution in SQL is important for optimizing performance and for writing correct and effective queries.