SolveWithSQL

Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated time: 5–10 minutes
SQL concepts: ORDER BY, sorting results, ascending vs descending
Goal: Control the order of your query results.

The Scenario

You’re reviewing the product list again, but this time the product manager wants the results sorted by price, from the cheapest to the most expensive.

By default, SQL does not guarantee any specific order — so you need to explicitly tell the database how to sort the results.

Database Table

products

column_name	type	description
product_id	INTEGER	Unique product ID
name	TEXT	Product name
category	TEXT	Product category
price	DECIMAL	Product price
stock_qty	INTEGER	Units in stock
created_at	TIMESTAMP	When the product was created

Sample Data (for context)

product_id	name	category	price	stock_qty
101	Wireless Mouse	Accessories	24.99	120
102	Mechanical Keyboard	Accessories	89.00	45
103	27-inch Monitor	Displays	229.99	18
104	USB-C Hub	Accessories	34.50	70
105	Laptop Stand	Workspace	39.99	32

Your Task

Write a SQL query that returns:

• name
• price
• category

Sorted by price in ascending order (lowest price first).

Expected Output

name	price	category
Wireless Mouse	24.99	Accessories
USB-C Hub	34.50	Accessories
Laptop Stand	39.99	Workspace
Mechanical Keyboard	89.00	Accessories
27-inch Monitor	229.99	Displays

Constraints

• Do not use SELECT *
• Use ORDER BY to sort results
• Sort by price from lowest to highest
• Column order must be: name, price, category

Hint (Optional)

By default, ORDER BY sorts values in ascending order.
You can also specify ASC or DESC explicitly.

Explanation

• ORDER BY price tells SQL how to sort the result set.
• Ascending order (ASC) is the default.
• Without ORDER BY, the database may return rows in any order.

Common Mistakes

1. Assuming results are automatically sorted
2. Putting ORDER BY before FROM
3. Sorting by a column not included in the query (database-dependent behavior)

Optional Extension (Mini Bonus)

Try:

• Sorting by price from highest to lowest
• Sorting by category first, then price
• Combining WHERE and ORDER BY

🔗 View reference solution on GitHub
(After you’ve tried the challenge)

Next Challenge

Beginner Challenge #4: Count Rows with COUNT()

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