Filter Rows Matching A List With IN

Use `IN` to match a column against a list of values in a single `WHERE` clause.

5/5 supported engines validation-green 1 example 2 scenarios

Docker-validated Not currently validation-green

Example 1

Return only products in selected categories

The Food row (Apple) is excluded because 'Food' is not in the list. This is equivalent to WHERE category = 'Electronics' OR category = 'Clothing' but easier to read and extend.

Source table data Rows loaded before the example query runs.

Setup

CREATE TABLE products (id INT, name VARCHAR(50), category VARCHAR(50));

INSERT INTO
  products (id, name, category)
VALUES
  (1, 'Keyboard', 'Electronics'),
  (2, 'Mouse', 'Electronics'),
  (3, 'Shirt', 'Clothing'),
  (4, 'Apple', 'Food');

Validated query Shared across supported engines.

SQL

SELECT
  name,
  category
FROM
  products
WHERE
  category IN ('Electronics', 'Clothing')
ORDER BY
  id;

Expected result Returned rows for the shared example.

name	category
Keyboard	Electronics
Mouse	Electronics
Shirt	Clothing

Output is identical across all engines.

Useful when

Where this command helps.

matching rows against a known set of values
replacing multiple OR conditions with a concise list check

Explanation

What the command is doing.

IN (value1, value2, ...) is shorthand for multiple OR conditions on the same column. It keeps the query readable when checking against more than two values. NOT IN excludes the listed values instead. Both work with string and numeric columns.

Filter Rows Matching A List With IN

Return only products in selected categories

Where this command helps.

What the command is doing.

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