MS SQL Server - MAX() function example

In this article, we would like to show you how to use MAX() function in MS SQL Server.

Quick solution:

SELECT MAX([column_name]) FROM [table_name];

Practical example

To show how the MAX() function works, we will use the following table:

Note:

At the end of this article you can find database preparation SQL queries.

Example

In this example, we will display the largest salary value.

Query:

SELECT MAX([salary]) AS [maximum salary] FROM [users];

Output:

Database preparation

create_tables.sql file:

CREATE TABLE [users] (
	[id] INT IDENTITY(1,1),
	[name] VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
	[surname] VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
	[department_id] INT,
    [salary] DECIMAL(15,2) NOT NULL,
	PRIMARY KEY ([id])
);

 insert_data.sql file:

INSERT INTO [users]
	( [name], [surname], [department_id], [salary])
VALUES
	('John', 'Stewart', 1, '3512.00'),
	('Chris', 'Brown', 2, '1344.00'),
	('Kate', 'Lewis', 3, '6574.00'),
	('Ailisa', 'Gomez', NULL, '6500.00'),
	('Gwendolyn', 'James', 2, '4200.00'),
	('Simon', 'Collins', 4, '3320.00'),
	('Taylor', 'Martin', 2, '1500.00'),
	('Andrew', 'Thompson', NULL, '2100.00');