# SQL AND: Require Every Condition to Be True

- URL: https://betteranalyst.com/sql/and

SQL guide · Filtering

The `AND` operator joins two or more conditions so that a row is returned only when all of them are true. It is the tool for narrowing a result: each extra `AND` can only keep the same rows or remove some, never add any.

You can use `AND` anywhere a condition is accepted, most often in `WHERE`, but also in `HAVING`, in `JOIN ... ON` clauses and inside `CASE` expressions. Chains of several `AND` conditions are common in reporting queries, for example filtering by date range, status and region at once.

Because conditions can evaluate to unknown when NULL is involved, `AND` follows three-valued logic. True AND unknown is unknown, and a row is only returned when the whole expression is true, so a NULL in any tested column quietly drops the row.

## Basic syntax

```
SELECT column1, column2
FROM table_name
WHERE condition1
  AND condition2
  AND condition3;
```

Each condition is a complete boolean expression. Evaluation order is not guaranteed to be left to right, so do not rely on one condition protecting another from an error. When `AND` and `OR` appear together, `AND` is applied first unless parentheses say otherwise. It also helps to put each condition on its own line, so that a reviewer can see at a glance which filters apply to the query.

## SQL AND examples

### Two conditions on different columns

Both tests must pass. This returns customers who live in Canada and have an active account, so a Canadian customer with a closed account is excluded.

```
SELECT customer_id, name
FROM customers
WHERE country = 'Canada'
  AND status = 'active';
```

### A range built from AND

Two comparisons on the same column create a range. This is equivalent to `BETWEEN` for inclusive bounds, but it also lets you make one end exclusive, which is useful for date ranges.

```
SELECT order_id, order_date, total
FROM orders
WHERE order_date >= '2026-01-01'
  AND order_date <  '2026-02-01';
```

### AND together with OR

Parentheses control precedence. Without them, the `AND` would bind to only the second `OR` branch. Here the stock condition applies to both categories.

```
SELECT product_id, name, category, stock
FROM products
WHERE (category = 'Books' OR category = 'Games')
  AND stock > 0;
```

### AND with NOT

You can mix `AND` with negated conditions to exclude cases. This lists employees in sales who are not managers and who joined before 2024.

```
SELECT employee_id, name
FROM employees
WHERE department = 'Sales'
  AND NOT title = 'Manager'
  AND hire_date < '2024-01-01';
```

## Where SQL dialects differ

**PostgreSQL:** Supports boolean columns directly, so `WHERE is_active AND is_verified` is valid. The planner may reorder conditions freely.

**MySQL:** Also accepts the non-standard `&&` as a synonym for `AND`, though it is deprecated in some contexts, so prefer the keyword. Comparison results are 1, 0 or NULL.

**SQL Server:** Has no boolean type, so each side of `AND` must be a comparison or predicate. Short-circuit evaluation is not guaranteed.

**SQLite:** Treats any non-zero numeric value as true, so `WHERE flag1 AND flag2` works on integer columns.

## Common mistakes

- Assuming `AND` is evaluated before a safe-guard condition. For example, `WHERE x <> 0 AND 10 / x > 1` can still raise a divide-by-zero error because order is not guaranteed.
- Mixing `AND` and `OR` without parentheses and getting rows that violate the intended rule. Always bracket mixed logic.
- Writing `WHERE country = 'US' AND 'CA'`. Each side of `AND` must be a full condition, so repeat the column name.
- Expecting rows with NULL values to survive. If any condition is unknown because of NULL, the row is excluded.

## Related SQL guides

- [SQL WHERE](https://betteranalyst.com/sql/where)
- [SQL OR](https://betteranalyst.com/sql/or)
- [SQL NOT](https://betteranalyst.com/sql/not)
- [SQL BETWEEN](https://betteranalyst.com/sql/between)
- [SQL IN](https://betteranalyst.com/sql/in)
- [SQL IS NULL](https://betteranalyst.com/sql/is-null)

[Browse all SQL guides](https://betteranalyst.com/sql)

## Need help writing the SQL?

Describe your tables and the result you want, then review the generated query against your database before running it.

[Try the AI SQL generator](https://betteranalyst.com/ai-sql-query-generator)