LEAST

All functions > COMPARISON > LEAST

Returns the least (minimum) value from a list of arguments.

Syntax

Diagram(
  Sequence(
    Terminal("LEAST"),
    Terminal("("),
    Sequence(
      NonTerminal("expr"),
      Terminal(","),
    ),
    Terminal(")"),
  )
)

Notes

• All arguments must be of the same or compatible types
• If any argument is NULL, the result is NULL
• For strings, uses lexicographic (dictionary) ordering
• For dates/timestamps, returns the earliest date/time
• Can accept any number of arguments (not just two)
• Equivalent to finding the minimum value across multiple columns
• Opposite of GREATEST function

Examples

Numeric values

SELECT
    f1 := LEAST(1, 5, 3),  -- Numeric minimum
    f2 := LEAST(1, 1, 1),  -- All same values
    f3 := LEAST(-5, -1, -10),  -- Negative numbers
    f4 := LEAST(NULL::BIGINT, 5, 3)  -- NULL input
;

Other types

SELECT
    f1 := LEAST('apple', 'banana', 'cherry'),  -- String minimum
    f2 := LEAST('a', 'A'),  -- Case sensitive (A < a)
    f3 := LEAST(1.5, 2.3, 1.1)  -- Decimal numbers
;