MySQL | Change the Sort Order of NULL Values

When sorting with the ORDER BY clause, rows whose value is NULL may appear at the top.
This article explains how to handle that case.

Syntax

SELECT "field"
FROM "table_name"
ORDER BY "field" IS NULL [ASC|DESC]

Example

store_information Table

SQL Example: NULL Is Sorted First

Assume the table above exists. If you write and run the following SQL statement:

SELECT store_name, sales
FROM store_information
ORDER BY sales ASC

the NULL value is sorted to the top as shown below.

SQL Example: Sort NULL Last

To sort NULL values last, write and run the following SQL statement.

SELECT store_name, sales
FROM store_information
ORDER BY sales IS NULL ASC, sales ASC

The NULL value is sorted to the bottom as shown below.