---
title: "list_grade_up"
slug: "dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-grade-up"
updated: 2026-10-30T18:19:11Z
published: 2026-10-30T18:19:11Z
canonical: "docs.vastdata.com/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-grade-up"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vastdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# list_grade_up

*Applies to VAST Cluster 5.5.*

*[Functions](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-index) › [List, struct and map functions](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-and-structs) › Sort a list.* Returns the positions of a list's elements in sorted order: first the position of the smallest element, then the next, and so on. Positions start at 1. `array_grade_up` and `grade_up` are the same function.

## Syntax

```
list_grade_up(l)
list_grade_up(l, order)
list_grade_up(l, order, nulls)
array_grade_up(l[, order[, nulls]])
grade_up(l[, order[, nulls]])
```

| Argument | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `l` | a list of any type whose values can be compared | The list to rank. |
| `order` | `VARCHAR` | `'ASC'` (the default) or `'DESC'`. |
| `nulls` | `VARCHAR` | `'NULLS LAST'` (the default) or `'NULLS FIRST'`. |

**Returns:** `BIGINT[]`, as long as `l`.

**Aliases:** `array_grade_up`, `grade_up`.

## Set up the examples

The examples connect with the ADBC driver, as in [VAST Query Engine (ADBC)](/develop/docs/dev-database-integrations-adbc), and work in a schema called `docs_sql_fn_lists_list_grade_up`. Set `QE_ENDPOINT`, `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`, `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` and `VASTDB_BUCKET` ([SQL reference](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-index#example-connect-and-use-a-transaction)), and run the blocks in order in one Python session. Below each block is the output you should see.

This block connects, defines the `run()` and `plan()` helpers, and creates a table of five rows of lists: numbers, words and measurements. Row 3 has empty lists and row 4 has no values:

```
import os
import re

import adbc_driver_manager
import adbc_driver_manager.dbapi as dbapi
import adbc_driver_vastdb

BUCKET = os.environ["VASTDB_BUCKET"]
SCHEMA = f'"{BUCKET}/docs_sql_fn_lists_list_grade_up"'

conn = dbapi.connect(
    driver=adbc_driver_vastdb.get_driver_path(),
    db_kwargs={
        "vast.db.endpoint": os.environ["QE_ENDPOINT"],
        "vast.db.access_key": os.environ["AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID"],
        "vast.db.secret_key": os.environ["AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY"],
    },
    autocommit=True,
)

def server_message(e):
    """The server's message in a driver error, without the request ID or the echoed statement."""
    text = re.sub(r"\[req=0x[0-9a-f]+\]: ", "", str(e))
    found = (re.search(r'message: "(.*?)", request_id', text, re.S)
             or re.search(r"description: (.*)\)", text, re.S))
    message = found.group(1) if found else text.strip().splitlines()[-1]
    message = re.sub(r"^Plan query: '.*?' failed with: ", "", message, flags=re.S)
    message = re.split(r"\\n|\n", message)[0].replace('\\"', '"')
    return message.replace(BUCKET, "<bucket>")

def run(sql):
    """Run one statement. Print the rows it returns, or the error."""
    try:
        with conn.cursor() as cur:
            cur.execute(sql)
            rows = cur.fetchall() if cur.description else []
    except (adbc_driver_manager.Error, OSError) as e:
        print(f"{type(e).__name__}: {server_message(e)}")
    else:
        print(rows)

def plan(sql):
    """Print the plan without its ~N Rows lines: the table's row count, which can still be 0 just after an insert."""
    with conn.cursor() as cur:
        cur.execute("EXPLAIN " + sql)
        steps = cur.fetchall()[0][1]
    print("\n".join(line for line in steps.splitlines() if "Rows" not in line))

TABLE = f"{SCHEMA}.samples"
run(f"CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS {SCHEMA}")
run(f"CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {TABLE} (id BIGINT, nums BIGINT[], words VARCHAR[], vals DOUBLE[])")
run(f"INSERT INTO {TABLE} VALUES "
    "(1, [1, 2, 3], ['a', 'b', 'c'], [0.5, 2.5, -1.0]), "
    "(2, [3, NULL, 3], ['b', NULL, 'B'], [2.0, NULL]), "
    "(3, [], [], []), "
    "(4, NULL, NULL, NULL), "
    "(5, [-5, 0, -5, 10], ['\u00e9', 'Zo\u00eb', '\U0001F1EB\U0001F1F7', ''], [1e308, 1e308, -1e-308])")
```

```
[]
[]
[(5,)]
```

## What it does

`list_grade_up(l)` doesn't move the elements; it tells you where they are. For `[30, 10, 20]` it returns `[2, 3, 1]`: the smallest value is at position 2, the next at position 3, the largest at position 1.

- **Reorder a list with it.** [list_select](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-select)`(l, list_grade_up(l))` picks the elements in that order, so it returns the sorted list: `[10, 20, 30]`.
- **Reorder another list with it.** When two lists hold matching elements (names and scores, say), `list_select(names, list_grade_up(scores))` puts the names in the order of their scores. This is what [list_sort](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-sort) can't do.
- **Ties keep their original order.** `[5, 5, 1, 5]` returns `[3, 1, 2, 4]`.
- **`order` and `nulls` work as in `list_sort`.** NULL elements are ranked last by default: `[2, NULL, 1]` returns `[3, 1, 2]`, and with `&apos;ASC&apos;, &apos;NULLS FIRST&apos;` it returns `[2, 3, 1]`. `&apos;DESC&apos;` ranks the largest first.
- **Values compare as in `list_sort`.** Text sorts by character code: `[&apos;b&apos;, &apos;a&apos;, &apos;B&apos;]` returns `[3, 2, 1]`.

## NULLs and edge cases

| Input | Result |
| --- | --- |
| `list_grade_up(NULL)` | `NULL` |
| `list_grade_up([])` | `[]` |
| `list_grade_up([2, NULL, 1])` | `[3, 1, 2]` |
| `list_grade_up([2, NULL, 1], &apos;ASC&apos;, &apos;NULLS FIRST&apos;)` | `[2, 3, 1]` |
| `list_grade_up([30, 10, 20], &apos;DESC&apos;)` | `[1, 3, 2]` |
| `list_grade_up([5, 5, 1, 5])` | `[3, 1, 2, 4]` |
| `list_grade_up([2, 1], NULL)` | `NULL` |
| `typeof(list_grade_up([2, 1]))` | `&apos;BIGINT[]&apos;` |
| `list_grade_up([2, 1], &apos;UP&apos;)` | Error: `Not implemented Error: Enum value: unrecognized value &quot;UP&quot; for enum &quot;OrderType&quot;` |
| A string instead of a list | Error: `No function matches the given name and argument types &apos;list_grade_up(STRING_LITERAL)&apos;` |

The same cases, as the cluster returns them. They use the helpers from [Set up the examples](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-grade-up#set-up-the-examples):

```
run("SELECT list_grade_up(NULL), list_grade_up([]), list_grade_up([2, NULL, 1]), "
    "list_grade_up([2, NULL, 1], 'ASC', 'NULLS FIRST'), list_grade_up([30, 10, 20], 'DESC')")
run("SELECT list_grade_up([5, 5, 1, 5]), list_grade_up([2, 1], NULL), typeof(list_grade_up([2, 1]))")
run("SELECT list_grade_up([2, 1], 'UP')")
run("SELECT list_grade_up('abc')")
```

```
[(None, [], [3, 1, 2], [2, 3, 1], [1, 3, 2])]
[([3, 1, 2, 4], None, 'BIGINT[]')]
InternalError: Not implemented Error: Enum value: unrecognized value "UP" for enum "OrderType"
InternalError: Binder Error: No function matches the given name and argument types 'list_grade_up(STRING_LITERAL)'. You might need to add explicit type casts.
```

## Examples

The positions that sort each row's numbers, and the same with `array_grade_up` in descending order and `grade_up` with NULLs first:

```
run(f"SELECT id, nums, list_grade_up(nums), array_grade_up(nums, 'DESC'), grade_up(nums, 'ASC', 'NULLS FIRST') "
    f"FROM {TABLE} ORDER BY id LIMIT 10")
```

```
[(1, [1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 3], [3, 2, 1], [1, 2, 3]), (2, [3, None, 3], [1, 3, 2], [1, 3, 2], [2, 1, 3]), (3, [], [], [], []), (4, None, None, None, None), (5, [-5, 0, -5, 10], [1, 3, 2, 4], [4, 2, 1, 3], [1, 3, 2, 4])]
```

Sort a list with its own grade, and reorder the words of each row by the numbers in the same row. Rows 1, 2 and 3 have as many words as numbers:

```
run(f"SELECT id, list_select(nums, list_grade_up(nums)), list_select(words, list_grade_up(nums)) "
    f"FROM {TABLE} WHERE id <= 3 ORDER BY id LIMIT 10")
```

```
[(1, [1, 2, 3], ['a', 'b', 'c']), (2, [3, 3, None], ['b', 'B', None]), (3, [], [])]
```

## How it runs in VAST

The Query Engine runs on the cluster's CNodes, and a query on a table starts with a scan in VAST DataBase (`VAST_SCAN`). The scan reads a list column whole, and `list_grade_up()` always runs in the Query Engine:

- **In the `SELECT` list,** a projection step computes the positions for each row the scan returns.
- **In `WHERE`,** the scan sends the list for every row, and a `FILTER` step computes the positions and keeps the rows that match. No rows are skipped in storage.

A condition on the position of the smallest element shows the `FILTER` step above the scan:

```
plan(f"SELECT id FROM {TABLE} WHERE list_grade_up(nums)[1] = 1")
```

```
┌───────────────────────────┐
│         PROJECTION        │
│    ────────────────────   │
│             #1            │
│                           │
└─────────────┬─────────────┘
┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
│           FILTER          │
│    ────────────────────   │
│       (array_extract      │
│ (list_grade_up(nums), 1) =│
│             1)            │
│                           │
└─────────────┬─────────────┘
┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
│         VAST_SCAN         │
│    ────────────────────   │
│    Function: VAST_SCAN    │
│                           │
│        Projections:       │
│            nums           │
│             id            │
│                           │
└───────────────────────────┘
```

## Make it faster

- **Add a condition on a plain column.** A comparison of a column with a constant, such as `id &gt; 1`, is evaluated in VAST DataBase, so `list_grade_up()` runs only on the rows that pass it. The plan for `id &gt; 1` alone has no `FILTER` step:

```
plan(f"SELECT id FROM {TABLE} WHERE id > 1")
```

```
┌───────────────────────────┐
│         VAST_SCAN         │
│    ────────────────────   │
│    Function: VAST_SCAN    │
│      Projections: id      │
│                           │
└───────────────────────────┘
```

- **Use `list_sort` to sort a list by its own values.** `list_select(l, list_grade_up(l))` returns the same list as `list_sort(l)`, in one function instead of two.
- **Store matching lists in sorted order** if queries always read them that way, so no query has to reorder them.

## Limitations and errors

- **Only the accepted words.** Another `order` or `nulls` value fails with `Not implemented Error: Enum value: unrecognized value ...`.
- **Lists only.** Another type fails with `No function matches the given name and argument types`; the error lists the accepted forms, `list_grade_up(ANY[])`, `list_grade_up(ANY[], VARCHAR)` and `list_grade_up(ANY[], VARCHAR, VARCHAR)`.

## Similar functions

| Function | Result for `[3, 1, NULL, 3, 10]` |
| --- | --- |
| `list_grade_up` | `[2, 1, 4, 5, 3]`: positions in sorted order |
| `list_select(l, list_grade_up(l))` | `[1, 3, 3, 10, NULL]` |
| [list_sort](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-sort) | `[1, 3, 3, 10, NULL]`: the sorted elements |
| [list_reverse_sort](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-reverse-sort) | `[10, 3, 3, 1, NULL]` |
| [list_position](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-position)`(l, 10)` | the position of the first `10` |

```
run("SELECT list_grade_up(l), list_select(l, list_grade_up(l)), list_sort(l), list_reverse_sort(l), list_position(l, 10) "
    "FROM (SELECT [3, 1, NULL, 3, 10] AS l)")
```

```
[([2, 1, 4, 5, 3], [1, 3, 3, 10, None], [1, 3, 3, 10, None], [10, 3, 3, 1, None], 5)]
```

Clean up:

```
run(f"DROP TABLE IF EXISTS {TABLE}")
run(f"DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS {SCHEMA}")
conn.close()
```

```
[]
[]
```

## See also

- [List, struct and map functions](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-and-structs): all the list functions.
- [list_select](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-select): pick elements by position.
- [Where filters run](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-select#where-filters-run) and [pushdowns](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-pushdowns).
- [EXPLAIN](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-explain): how to read a plan.