This page is a quick reference checkpoint for RANK in ORACLE: behavior, syntax rules, edge cases, and a minimal example; plus the official vendor documentation.
RANK assigns a ranking number to each row, giving equal values the same rank and leaving gaps after ties.
Behavior: Assigns the same rank to tied rows; rank increments by the number of tied rows (gaps appear). Depends on ORDER BY within analytic_clause.
If this behavior feels unintuitive, the tutorial below explains the underlying pattern step-by-step.
Syntax: RANK() OVER (analytic_clause). Empty parentheses required.
SELECT department_id, last_name, salary, RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary DESC) AS rank FROM employees;
If you came here to confirm syntax, you’re done. If you came here to get better at window functions, choose your next step.
RANK is part of a bigger window-function pattern. If you want the “why”, start here: Ranking Functions
Reading docs is useful. Writing the query correctly under pressure is the skill.
For the authoritative spec, use the vendor docs. This page is the fast “sanity check”.
View ORACLE Documentation →Looking for more functions across all SQL dialects? Visit the full SQL Dialects & Window Functions Documentation.