CASE vs. IF-ELSE in SQL. When writing SQL queries, you might… | by Vishal Barvaliya | August 2024

When writing SQL queries, you may come across scenarios where you need to deal with conditional logic. In SQL, you can use either the `CASE` statement or `IF`/`IF-ELSE` statements to implement such logic. Understanding the differences between these options and knowing when to use which can greatly improve your query writing skills.

In this blog, we explore the “CASE” statement and “IF/IF-ELSE” constructs in SQL and provide clear explanations, examples, and comparisons to help you understand their use and application.

The `CASE` statement in SQL allows you to perform conditional logic in your queries. It is used to return specific values ​​based on certain conditions. This statement can be used in `SELECT`, `UPDATE`, `DELETE` and `INSERT` statements.

Syntax of the CASE statement

There are two types of `CASE` statements:

1. Simple CASE statement:

CASE expression
WHEN value1 THEN result1
WHEN value2 THEN result2
...
ELSE default_result
END

• Explanation: Compares an expression to multiple values ​​and returns the result corresponding to the first match.