This page is a quick reference checkpoint for DENSE_RANK in MySQL: behavior, syntax rules, edge cases, and a minimal example; plus the official vendor documentation.
DENSE_RANK assigns a ranking number to each row, giving equal values the same rank but without gaps after ties.
Rows with equal sort values receive the same rank, and no gaps appear in the ranking sequence.
If this behavior feels unintuitive, the tutorial below explains the underlying pattern step-by-step.
DENSE_RANK() must be used with an OVER clause and supports optional PARTITION BY and ORDER BY.
SELECT DENSE_RANK() OVER (ORDER BY salary) AS dense_rnk 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.
DENSE_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 MySQL Documentation →Looking for more functions across all SQL dialects? Visit the full SQL Dialects & Window Functions Documentation.