Not equals

Returns true when the operands do not compare equal.

Category: comparison

SQL symbol: !=

Syntax

sql

<left> != <right>
<left> <> <right>

Parameters

<left> — The value to compare. Accepts boolean, date, decimal, float, integer, interval, nvarchar, timestamp, varbinary, varchar.
<right> — The value to compare it against. It must be type-compatible with the left. Accepts boolean, date, decimal, float, integer, interval, nvarchar, timestamp, varbinary, varchar.

Returns

boolean

Examples

sql

SELECT name FROM $planets WHERE name != 'Earth' LIMIT 3;

Mercury
Venus
Mars

sql

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM $planets WHERE surface_pressure != 0;

Signatures

boolean != boolean → boolean
date != date → boolean
date != timestamp → boolean
decimal != decimal → boolean
decimal != float → boolean
decimal != integer → boolean
float != decimal → boolean
float != float → boolean
float != integer → boolean
integer != decimal → boolean
integer != float → boolean
integer != integer → boolean
interval != interval → boolean
nvarchar != nvarchar → boolean
nvarchar != varbinary → boolean
nvarchar != varchar → boolean
timestamp != date → boolean
timestamp != timestamp → boolean
varbinary != nvarchar → boolean
varbinary != varbinary → boolean
varbinary != varchar → boolean
varchar != nvarchar → boolean
varchar != varbinary → boolean
varchar != varchar → boolean

Notes

!= does not mean "everything else": a row whose value is NULL answers NULL, not true, so it is dropped by the WHERE clause. Of the nine planets one has a surface pressure of 0 and four have none recorded, so surface_pressure != 0 returns four rows, not eight - OR surface_pressure IS NULL is how the unknown rows are kept.