# NON-EQUI joins in SQL


So here's another post about SQL joins. Based on the type of condition we use for joining we distinguish equi joins and non-equi joins.

Simply put:  
\- equi joins: we're using the equality operator:  
tab\_a.column\_x = tab\_b.column\_y  
\- non-equi joins: other operators, like comparison, inequality or BETWEEN are used

While a good portion of the time we use equi joins to, say, lookup the department the employee is part of, non-equi joins are not uncommon either.

Moreover, sometimes we might use both equality and other operators for joining the same table.

Let's look at a simple non-equi join scenario below.

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/0*N5ilMd6BBoLYbrWj align="left")

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