String Aggregation Functions: Interview
Module: Aggregate Functions & Grouping
What is string aggregation and when would you use it?
String aggregation concatenates multiple string values from grouped rows into single delimited string. Used for creating comma-separated lists, tag collections, and denormalizing related data for display.
What are the syntax differences between PostgreSQL and MySQL?
PostgreSQL uses STRING_AGG(column, delimiter ORDER BY col). MySQL uses GROUP_CONCAT(column ORDER BY col SEPARATOR delimiter). Both achieve same result with different syntax.
Create comma-separated list of product names per category, ordered alphabetically
SELECT category, STRING_AGG(product_name, ', ' ORDER BY product_name) AS products FROM products GROUP BY category;
STRING_AGG with ORDER BY creates alphabetically sorted comma-separated list per category.