ROW_NUMBER in Redshift

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


Function Details

ROW_NUMBER assigns a unique sequential number to each row within the window partition.

No behavioral details such as default frame definition, NULL-handling, or ordering semantics are described.

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

Syntax supports ROW_NUMBER() OVER (window); ORDER BY is required inside the window clause.

SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY price) AS price_rownum 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

ROW_NUMBER is part of a bigger window-function pattern. If you want the “why”, start here: Ranking Functions

Prove it with a real query

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

Order by Order, One by One

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.