CUME_DIST in Redshift

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


Function Details

CUME_DIST returns the cumulative distribution, showing the proportion of rows with values less than or equal to the current row.

No behavioral details such as default frame clause, NULL-handling, tie behavior, or ordering requirements are described.

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

Syntax supports CUME_DIST() OVER (window); function takes no arguments.

SELECT CUME_DIST() OVER (ORDER BY price) AS cumedist FROM products;

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

CUME_DIST is part of a bigger window-function pattern. If you want the “why”, start here: Percentile Distribution

Prove it with a real query

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

Cumulative Spending by Species

Support Status

  • Supported: yes
  • Minimum Version: Amazon Redshift auto-upgrades all clusters and does not publish SQL-by-version details, so minimum version is not applicable.

Official Documentation

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

View Redshift Documentation →

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