What is the INTERSECT operator in SQL and how does it work?
Aug 01, 2025 am 06:59 AMINTERSECT returns only the common distinct rows from two SELECT queries; 1) both queries must have the same number of columns with compatible data types; 2) column names in the result are determined by the first query; 3) duplicates are automatically removed; 4) row order is not guaranteed without ORDER BY; for example, SELECT name FROM developers INTERSECT SELECT name FROM managers returns names present in both tables; note that MySQL does not support INTERSECT but you can emulate it using INNER JOIN or IN with a subquery, while PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and SQLite do support it; another example with multiple columns is SELECT employee_id, department FROM team_a INTERSECT SELECT employee_id, department FROM team_b, which returns only the matching pairs present in both tables.
The INTERSECT
operator in SQL is used to combine the results of two SELECT
queries and return only the rows that are common to both result sets. It’s one of the set operators, alongside UNION
, UNION ALL
, and EXCEPT
(or MINUS
in some databases).

How INTERSECT Works
When you use INTERSECT
, the database:
- Executes both
SELECT
statements. - Compares the result sets row by row.
- Returns only the distinct rows that appear in both queries.
Key Rules:
- The number of columns and their data types must match in both queries.
- Column names in the result come from the first query.
-
INTERSECT
automatically removes duplicates — each row in the output is unique. - Order of rows is not guaranteed unless you use
ORDER BY
at the end.
Example
Suppose you have two tables: developers
and managers
.

SELECT name FROM developers INTERSECT SELECT name FROM managers;
This returns only the names that appear in both tables — people who are both developers and managers.
Practical Notes
- Not supported in all databases: MySQL does not support
INTERSECT
, but PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and SQLite do. - Alternative in MySQL: You can simulate
INTERSECT
usingINNER JOIN
orIN
with a subquery.
For example, in MySQL:

SELECT name FROM developers WHERE name IN (SELECT name FROM managers);
This achieves the same result as INTERSECT
in databases that support it.
One More Example with Multiple Columns
SELECT employee_id, department FROM team_a INTERSECT SELECT employee_id, department FROM team_b;
Returns only the (employee_id, department)
pairs that exist in both tables.
Basically, INTERSECT
is useful when you want to find overlapping data — like shared customers, common skills, or mutual members across groups. Just remember: it’s about what’s the same in both queries, and it quietly deduplicates the results.
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