May 20, 2021 · The UNIQUE keyword in SQL plays the role of a database constraint; it ensures there are no duplicate values stored in a particular column or a set of columns. On the other hand, the DISTINCT keyword is used in the SELECT statement to fetch distinct rows from a table. The best place to learn about SQL and databases is LearnSQL.com. It is an ...

Oct 27, 2014 · In SQL, the UNIQUE keyword prevents two records in a column from having the same values, while the DISTINCT keyword removes duplicate values when retrieving data. Here are some more differences between UNIQUE and DISTINCT:

Jan 16, 2024 · The SQL SELECT DISTINCT is ANSI standard SQL statement that is used for the same purpose to get unique values from a column that may have duplicate values. This syntax can be used in multiple database systems, and it is not dedicated to only a specific database system like SELECT UNIQUE.

Jul 2, 2019 · Unique and Distinct are two SQL constraints. The main difference between Unique and Distinct in SQL is that Unique helps to ensure that all the values in a column are different while Distinct helps to remove all the duplicate records when retrieving the records from a table.

Mar 17, 2025 · In SQL, the "DISTINCT" term functionality usually removes duplicate values from the query's output results. "UNIQUE" is an operator which depends on a column to produce a different inclusive result in a SELECT statement, removing duplicate values.

Feb 5, 2025 · UNIQUE. DISTINCT. 1: The UNIQUE keyword in SQL prevents two records from having identical values in a column. The DISTINCT keyword in SQL helps to eliminate duplicate values while retrieving the data. 2: Use the UNIQUE keyword if you're ever in a situation where you want to treat two NULL values differently from one another.

Jan 18, 2025 · In simple terms, both SELECT UNIQUE and SELECT DISTINCT are used to fetch distinct rows from a table by eliminating duplicates. However, modern SQL practitioners are encouraged to use SELECT DISTINCT for consistency and clarity.

Aug 9, 2023 · The major difference between the DISTINCT and UNIQUE statements is that DISTINCT works on queries and UNIQUE sets an attribute on a table column. They do not have the same functionality, but they serve the purpose of …

Distinct and Unique keywords play a critical role in ensuring data accuracy and integrity in SQL databases. By using the DISTINCT keyword, we can eliminate duplicate rows from result sets, while the UNIQUE keyword ensures the uniqueness of columns and sets of columns.

Jul 10, 2023 · Difference Between Unique and Distinct. In summary, while UNIQUE and DISTINCT both aim at dealing with duplicates, they do so in different contexts. UNIQUE ensures uniqueness at the data storage level while DISTINCT is concerned with the data retrieval level.