---
title: "What is the significance of the NOT operator in SQL and how is it used in conditional statements?"  
description: "What is the significance of the NOT operator in SQL and how is it used in conditional statements?"  
author: "Revati S Misra"  
published: 2023-07-04  
updated: 2023-07-05  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158943/what-is-the-significance-of-the-not-operator-in-sql-and-how-is-it-used-in-conditional-statements  
category: "mssql server"  
tags: ["mssql server", "sql server", "sql"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# What is the significance of the NOT operator in SQL and how is it used in conditional statements?

What is the significance of the NOT [operator in SQL](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/160543/how-to-filter-records-using-like-operator-in-sql-server) and how is it used in conditional statements?

## Replies

### Reply by Aryan Kumar

The `NOT` [operator](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/144/union-intersection-and-except-operator-in-sql-server) in [SQL](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13115/types-of-keys-in-sql-or-oracle-database) is a logical operator that negates the value of a condition. The `NOT` operator can be used to reverse the meaning of a conditional statement.

The `NOT` operator has the following syntax:

SQL

```plaintext
NOT condition;
```

The `condition` can be any expression, including literal values, column names, or function calls. The `NOT` operator will return TRUE if the `condition` is FALSE, and FALSE if the `condition` is TRUE.

Here is an example of how the `NOT` operator can be used:

SQL

```plaintext
SELECT customer_name
FROM customers
WHERE NOT age < 18;
```

This query will select the `customer_name` column from the `customers` table. The `NOT` operator will be used to reverse the meaning of the condition `age < 18`. This means that the query will only select customers who are 18 years old or older.

Here is another example of how the `NOT` operator can be used:

SQL

```plaintext
SELECT product_name
FROM products
WHERE NOT price > 100;
```

This query will select the `product_name` column from the `products` table. The `NOT` operator will be used to reverse the meaning of the condition `price > 100`. This means that the query will only select products that are priced at 100 or less.

The `NOT` operator can be used in a variety of ways to reverse the meaning of a conditional statement in SQL. It is a powerful tool that can be used to filter data, or to control the flow of a query.

Here are some other examples of how the `NOT` operator can be used:

- To select customers who are not under 18 years old.
- To select products that are not priced over 100.
- To select orders that are not placed today.
- To select employees who are not on vacation.

The `NOT` operator is a versatile tool that can be used in a variety of ways to reverse the meaning of a conditional statement in SQL.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158943/what-is-the-significance-of-the-not-operator-in-sql-and-how-is-it-used-in-conditional-statements

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