SQL NOT condition

The SQL condition NOT (sometimes called the NOT operator) is used to override the condition in the WHERE sentence of the SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE operator.

Syntax of NOT condition in SQL

NOT condition_id

Parameters or argument

• condition – It’s a condition for denial. To include an entry in the result set, the opposite condition must be selected.

Use NOT with IN condition

Let’s start by looking at how to use NOT with IN condition. When we use the NOT operator with the IN condition, we create the NOT IN condition. This will check 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 should 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';

Using NOT with IS NULL condition

When you combine the NOT operator with the IS NULL condition, you create the IS NOT NULL condition which allows you to check a value other than NULL. This is a recommended comparison statement for use in SQL when checking values other than NULL.

Let’s look at an example which shows how to use the IS NOT NULL condition in a query.

Using the same products as in the previous example.

Enter the following SQL statement.

SELECT *
FROM prods
WHERE cat_id IS NOT NULL;

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

In this example, all records from the products table where customer_id does not contain a NULL value will be returned.

Using NOT with LIKE condition

Next, let’s look at an example of using the NOT operator with the LIKE condition.
In this example, we have a table with the following data:

Let’s take a look at all the entries in the suppliers table where supplier_name does not contain the letter ‘o’. Enter the following SQL statement.

SELECT *
FROM suppls
WHERE suppl_name NOT LIKE '%o%';

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

In this example, there are four entries in the suppliers table where suppl_name does not contain liters ‘o’.

Using NOT with BETWEEN condition

The NOT operator can also be combined with the BETWEEN condition to create the NOT BETWEEN condition. Let us consider an example that shows how to use the NOT BETWEEN condition in a query.

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

Enter the following SQL statement.

SELECT *
FROM customs
WHERE custom_id NOT BETWEEN 5000 AND 8000;

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

This will return all lines where customer_id is not in the range between 5000 and 8000 inclusive. This would be equivalent to the next SELECT operator.

SELECT *
FROM customs
WHERE custom_id < 5000
OR custom_id > 800;

Using NOT with EXISTS condition

Finally, the NOT condition can be combined with the EXISTS condition to create the NOT EXISTS condition. Let’s look at an example which shows how to use the NOT EXISTS condition in SQL.

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

And a table with the following data:

Enter the following SQL statement.

SELECT *
FROM customs
WHERE DOES NOT EXIST
(SELECT *
FROM ords
WHERE customs.custom_id = ords.custom_id);

Two entries will be selected. Here are the results that you should get.

In this example, all records from the customer’s table are returned, where the order table has no records for this custom_id.

AND OR and NOT Operators in sql