MIN OVER in Postgres

This page is a quick reference checkpoint for MIN OVER in Postgres: behavior, syntax rules, edge cases, and a minimal example; plus the official vendor documentation.


Function Details

MIN OVER returns the smallest value in the window frame.

When an aggregate function like MIN is used as a window function, it aggregates over the rows within the current row's window frame; the default frame when ORDER BY is present is from the start of the partition to the current row (and peers).

If this behavior feels unintuitive, the tutorial below explains the underlying pattern step-by-step.

Any built-in or user-defined ordinary aggregate (such as MIN) can be used as a window function with an OVER clause.

SELECT MIN(salary) OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary) FROM empsalary;

What should you do next?

If you came here to confirm syntax, you’re done. If you came here to get better at window functions, choose your next step.

Understand the pattern

MIN OVER is part of a bigger window-function pattern. If you want the “why”, start here: Aggregate Window Functions

Prove it with a real query

Reading docs is useful. Writing the query correctly under pressure is the skill.

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Support Status

  • Supported: yes
  • Minimum Version: PostgreSQL from version 8.4 onward supports window/analytic functions (OVER, window-aggregates, ranking, navigation, distribution), making 8.4 the effective minimum version.

Official Documentation

For the authoritative spec, use the vendor docs. This page is the fast “sanity check”.

View Postgres Documentation →

Looking for more functions across all SQL dialects? Visit the full SQL Dialects & Window Functions Documentation.