Summary  
This chapter explains how to sort query results in SQL by using the ORDER BY clause after a SELECT statement, ordering numeric columns in ascending order and string columns alphabetically.  

General domain of usage  
Database querying

We can sort the data we receive in a specific order. To do this, we first retrieve the data using the `SELECT` operator and then apply the `ORDER BY` clause. This clause takes the **names of columns** based on which the output will be sorted. 

Here's the syntax to help us understand:

```sql
SELECT columns
FROM table
ORDER BY column_name
```

Here is the example where we ordering the result by `continent` column:

SELECT continent 
FROM country 
ORDER BY continent;

It's important to note that when you specify a column with integer values, the sorting will be done in **ascending order**. For string columns, the sorting will follow **alphabetical order**.

Also, the `ORDER BY` clause should be placed just before the `LIMIT` clause, if a `LIMIT` clause is included in the query.

**Explanation:** In the example, you can observe that the `ORDER BY` clause sorts the data based on the `continent` column.


import unittest
import pandas as pd
import psycopg2

class TestTask(unittest.TestCase):
    @classmethod
    def setUpClass(cls):
        cls.connection = psycopg2.connect(
            host="localhost",
            user="agent",
            password="qwerty",
            dbname="testdb",
            sslmode="disable"
        )
        cls.cursor = cls.connection.cursor()

    def test_correct_output_sorted(self):
        """Check if capitals are selected and sorted alphabetically."""
        with open("query.sql", "r") as file:
            query = file.read()
        self.cursor.execute(query)
        rows = self.cursor.fetchall()
        capitals = [row[0] for row in rows]
        expected_capitals = [
            'Amsterdam', 'Asunción', 'Bangkok', 'Kyiv', 'Lisbon', 'Manila',
            'Mexico City', 'Monaco', 'Oslo', 'Riga', 'Stockholm', 'Tokyo',
            'Valletta', 'Washington', 'Wellington'
        ]
        capitals_no_spaces = [c.strip() for c in capitals]
        expected_capitals_no_spaces = [c.strip() for c in expected_capitals]
        is_sorted = capitals_no_spaces == sorted(expected_capitals_no_spaces)
        _dynamic_test(
            self,
            is_sorted,
            "Capitals are returned in alphabetical order.",
            f"Capitals are not sorted alphabetically. Got: {capitals_no_spaces}"
        )

    def test_only_capital_column_selected(self):
        """Check that only the 'capital' column is selected."""
        with open("query.sql", "r") as file:
            query = file.read()
        self.cursor.execute(query)
        columns = [desc[0] for desc in self.cursor.description]
        _dynamic_test(
            self,
            columns == ['capital'],
            "Only 'capital' column is selected.",
            f"Unexpected columns selected: {columns}"
        )

    def test_no_syntax_error(self):
        """Check that query does not raise a syntax error."""
        with open("query.sql", "r") as file:
            query = file.read()
        try:
            self.cursor.execute(query)
            _dynamic_test(
                self,
                True,
                "Query executes without syntax error.",
                ""
            )
        except Exception as e:
            _dynamic_test(
                self,
                False,
                "",
                f"Query raised an error: {e}"
            )

    def test_table_and_column_exist(self):
        """Check that 'country' table and 'capital' column are referenced."""
        with open("query.sql", "r") as file:
            query = file.read().lower()
        has_country = 'from country' in query
        has_capital = 'select capital' in query
        _dynamic_test(
            self,
            has_country and has_capital,
            "Query references 'country' table and 'capital' column.",
            "Query must reference both 'country' table and 'capital' column."
        )

def _dynamic_test(test_case, condition, success_message, failure_message):
    if condition:
        test_case._testMethodName = success_message
        test_case.assertTrue(True, success_message)
    else:
        test_case._testMethodName = failure_message
        test_case.fail(failure_message)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    unittest.main()


test_solution.py

Learn the core fundamentals of SQL and relational databases. Understand how databases store and organize data, write basic SQL queries, work with tables and perform essential operations. Build a strong foundation for working with databases in backend development.

Sorting Data

Solution