AI Computer Science Academy · Faisalabad

SQL & Databases

Sort by two columns

Task 8 of 56 SQL Section 1 · Reading data
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Sort by two columns

Add a second column to break ties.

Definition and example

Sort by two columns is the focus of this lesson. Add a second column to break ties. The task asks you to apply that idea in a small example: To break ties in a sort you…. Before you run the code, predict what should happen. Then Inspect the returned columns and rows and compare it with your prediction. If the result differs, change one relevant line and run it again. Testing one change at a time makes the cause of a result easier to understand.

The sample database 
CREATE TABLE courses (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, title TEXT, monthly_fee INTEGER);
CREATE TABLE students (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, city TEXT, course_id INTEGER, joined TEXT);
CREATE TABLE fees (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, student_id INTEGER, month TEXT, amount INTEGER, paid INTEGER);

INSERT INTO courses VALUES (1,'Web Design',9000),(2,'Python',11667),(3,'JavaScript',11667),(4,'AI & Prompt Engineering',15000);
INSERT INTO students VALUES
 (1,'Sara','Faisalabad',2,'2026-01-12'),
 (2,'Ali','Faisalabad',1,'2026-01-20'),
 (3,'Hina','Jhumra',2,'2026-02-02'),
 (4,'Bilal','Faisalabad',4,'2026-02-15'),
 (5,'Ayesha','Sargodha',3,'2026-03-01'),
 (6,'Usman','Jhumra',1,'2026-03-11'),
 (7,'Zainab','Faisalabad',4,'2026-04-05'),
 (8,'Hamza','Faisalabad',3,'2026-04-19');
INSERT INTO fees VALUES
 (1,1,'2026-01',11667,1),(2,1,'2026-02',11667,1),
 (3,2,'2026-01',9000,1),(4,2,'2026-02',9000,0),
 (5,3,'2026-02',11667,1),(6,3,'2026-03',11667,0),
 (7,4,'2026-02',15000,1),(8,4,'2026-03',15000,1),
 (9,5,'2026-03',11667,0),
 (10,6,'2026-03',9000,1),(11,6,'2026-04',9000,0),
 (12,7,'2026-04',15000,0),
 (13,8,'2026-04',11667,1);
SQL 1 automatic check Section 1 · Reading data
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Checks on this task:

  • The query must return the expected rows and values.

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