showing the biggest number

[vikela]

i have a table that will have an auto increment field,and i would like to retrieve the record with the biggest number and show the record.how can i be able to do the sql statement because i have tried with the limit but no joy.

[RichardRotterdam]

mysql has a max() function. You could use that

[AmandaF]

What are you getting when you try using LIMIT?  SELECT ID FROM table ORDER BY ID DESC LIMIT 1 would have been my solution.  Is that what you tried?

[Ken2k7]

AmandaF, it's uncertain which column the user wants the MAX of. It may not be ID, but your solution is a good one if that is the case.

[fenway]

Don't rely on the ID - not necessarily the most "recent' if anything's been updated.

[AmandaF]

AmandaF, it's uncertain which column the user wants the MAX of. It may not be ID, but your solution is a good one if that is the case.

 

If vikela doesn't want the ID, then

 

SELECT ID, colum_that_vikela_wants_the_max_of FROM table ORDER BY column_that_vikela_wants_the_max_of LIMIT 1

 

Of course, if the column isn't unique and more than one row has the max value, then only one of those rows will get returned.  In that case, it would be better to use the max() function.

[Ken2k7]

AmandaF:

1. No need to select ID.

2. You forgot DESC in your ORDER BY clause.

 

Let's just wait for vikela to reply. Let's not guess.

[AmandaF]

AmandaF:

1. No need to select ID.

2. You forgot DESC in your ORDER BY clause.

 

Let's just wait for vikela to reply. Let's not guess.

 

1) I thought vikela would need to be able to identify which row the result belonged to.

2) Thanks for catching that for me.