SQL condition IN

The SQL condition IN (sometimes called the IN operator) makes it easy to check if the expression matches a value in the list of values. It is used to help reduce the need for multiple OR conditions in a SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE operator.

Syntax of IN condition in SQL

expression_id IN (value1_id, value2_id, ... value_n_id);

Or:

expression_id IN (subquery_id);

where:

• IN (subquery_id) – Parameters or arguments
• expression_id – It’s a value for testing.
• value1_id, value2_id …, value_n_id – These are the values to check for conformity. If any of these values match an expression, the IN condition will have the value true.
• subquery_id – The subprocess is a SELECT operator, whose set of results will be checked for c compliance. If any of these values match, the IN condition will have the value true.

Using IN condition with character values

IN condition can be used with any data type in SQL. Let’s see how to use the IN condition with character (string) values.

In this example, we have a table with the following data:

Enter the following SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM suppls
WHERE suppl_name IN ('Yandex', 'Oracle', 'Facebook');

Three entries will be selected. Here are the results you should get:

In this example, all rows from the suppls table will be returned, where suppl_name is Yandex, Oracle or Facebook. Since SELECT uses *, all fields from the table will be displayed in the result set.

This is equivalent to the next SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM suppls
WHERE suppl_name = 'Yandex'
OR suppl_name = 'Oracle'
OR suppl_name = 'Facebook';

As you can see, using the IN condition makes the operator easier to read and more efficient than using multiple OR conditions.

Using the IN condition with numeric values

Next, let’s look at how to use the IN condition with numerical values.

In this example, we have a table and the following data:

Enter the following SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM customs
WHERE custom_id IN (5000, 7000, 8000, 9000);

Four records will be selected. Here are the results that you should get:

In this example, all records from the custom_id table where custom_id is 5000, 7000, 8000 or 9000 will be returned.

This is equivalent to the next SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM customs
WHERE custom_id = 5000
OR custom_id = 7000
OR custom_id = 8000
OR custom_id = 9,000;

Using IN condition with NOT operator

Finally, let’s see how to use the IN condition with the NOT operator. The NOT operator is used to override the condition. When we use the NOT operator with the IN condition, we create the NOT IN condition. This checks to see if the expression is not in the list.

In this example, we have a product table with the following data:

Enter the following SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM prods
WHERE prod_name NOT IN ('Pear', 'Banana', 'Bread');

Four entries will be selected. Here are the results you will get:

This example will return all rows from the products table where prod_name is not Pear, Banana or Bread. Sometimes it is more efficient to list the values that you do not want, as opposed to the values that you want.
This is equivalent to the next SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM prods
WHERE prod_name <> 'Pear'
AND prod_name <> 'Banana'
AND prod_name <> 'Bread';

As you can see, the equivalent operator is written using the AND condition instead of the OR condition because the IN condition is cancelled.