Understanding Subqueries vs CTEs in SQL (With Examples)

When working with SQL, especially in data analysis, you’ll often need to break down complex queries into manageable pieces. Two powerful tools that help with this are subqueries and Common Table Expressions (CTEs). This article explains what they are, how they differ, and when to use each—using clear examples. What is a Subquery? A subquery is simply a query nested inside another SQL query. It runs first and passes its result to the outer query. Example: SELECT name FROM employees WHERE salary >