---
title: "list_min"
slug: "dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-min"
updated: 2026-10-30T18:19:06Z
published: 2026-10-30T18:19:06Z
canonical: "docs.vastdata.com/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-min"
---

> ## 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_min

*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) › Aggregate a list.* Returns the smallest element of a list, one value per row. NULL elements are skipped. It's the same as `list_aggregate(l, 'min')`.

## Syntax

```
list_min(l)
```

| Argument | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `l` | a list of any type whose values can be ordered | The list whose smallest element you want. |

**Returns:** the element type of `l`.

## 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_min`. 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, measurements, words, flags and lists of lists). 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_min"'

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[], vals DOUBLE[], words VARCHAR[], flags BOOLEAN[], nested BIGINT[][])")
run(f"INSERT INTO {TABLE} VALUES "
    "(1, [1, 2, 3], [0.5, 2.5, -1.0], ['a', 'b', 'c'], [true, false, true], [[1, 2], [3]]), "
    "(2, [3, NULL, 3], [2.0, NULL], ['b', NULL, 'B'], [NULL, true], [[], NULL, [4]]), "
    "(3, [], [], [], [], []), "
    "(4, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL), "
    "(5, [-5, 0, -5, 10], [1e308, 1e308, -1e-308], ['\u00e9', 'Zo\u00eb', '\U0001F1EB\U0001F1F7', ''], [false, false], [[5, NULL], [], [6, 7, 8]])")
```

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

## What it does

`list_min(l)` compares the elements of `l` that aren't NULL and returns the smallest. `list_min([3, 1, 2])` returns `1`, and `list_min([NULL, 2, 1])` returns `1`.

How elements are compared depends on their type:

| Element type | Smallest is | Example | Result |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Numbers | the lowest value; `-inf` is below every number | `list_min([&apos;NaN&apos;::DOUBLE, 1.0, -&apos;inf&apos;::DOUBLE])` | `-inf` |
| Text | the first by character code: `&apos;A&apos;` before `&apos;a&apos;`, `&apos;e&apos;` before `&apos;&#xe9;&apos;` | `list_min([&apos;b&apos;, &apos;A&apos;, &apos;a&apos;])`, `list_min([&apos;&#xe9;&apos;, &apos;e&apos;, &apos;f&apos;])` | `&apos;A&apos;`, `&apos;e&apos;` |
| Dates | the earliest | `list_min([DATE &apos;2026-01-02&apos;, DATE &apos;2026-01-01&apos;])` | `2026-01-01` |
| Booleans | `false` | `list_min([true, false])` | `false` |
| Lists | the first element by element; an empty list is the smallest | `list_min([[2], [1, 9]])` | `[1, 9]` |

The result keeps the element type: `INTEGER` for `[1, 2]`, `DOUBLE` for a `DOUBLE` list.

## NULLs and edge cases

| Input | Result |
| --- | --- |
| `list_min(NULL)` | `NULL` |
| `list_min(NULL::BIGINT[])` | `NULL` |
| `list_min([]::BIGINT[])` | `NULL` |
| `list_min([NULL, 2, 1])` | `1` |
| `list_min([&apos;NaN&apos;::DOUBLE, 1.0, -&apos;inf&apos;::DOUBLE])` | `-inf` |
| A number, string, date or other non-list | Error: `Binder Error: No function matches the given name and argument types`, for example `&apos;list_aggr(INTEGER_LITERAL, STRING_LITERAL)&apos;` |

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

```
run("SELECT list_min(NULL), list_min(NULL::BIGINT[]), list_min([]::BIGINT[]), list_min([NULL, 2, 1]), "
    "list_min(['NaN'::DOUBLE, 1.0, -'inf'::DOUBLE])")
run("SELECT list_min(['b', 'A', 'a']), list_min(['\u00e9', 'e', 'f']), list_min([DATE '2026-01-02', DATE '2026-01-01']), "
    "list_min([true, false]), list_min([[2], [1, 9]])")
run(f"SELECT list_min(123) FROM {TABLE} LIMIT 1")
```

```
[(None, None, None, 1, -inf)]
[('A', 'e', datetime.date(2026, 1, 1), False, [1, 9])]
InternalError: Binder Error: No function matches the given name and argument types 'list_aggr(INTEGER_LITERAL, STRING_LITERAL)'. You might need to add explicit type casts.
```

## Examples

The smallest number, measurement and word of each row. In row 5, the empty string `&apos;&apos;` is the smallest word:

```
run(f"SELECT id, list_min(nums), list_min(vals), list_min(words) FROM {TABLE} ORDER BY id LIMIT 10")
```

```
[(1, 1, -1.0, 'a'), (2, 3, 2.0, 'B'), (3, None, None, None), (4, None, None, None), (5, -5, -1e-308, '')]
```

The smallest flag and the smallest inner list. In rows 2 and 5, the empty inner list `[]` is the smallest:

```
run(f"SELECT id, list_min(flags), list_min(nested) FROM {TABLE} ORDER BY id LIMIT 10")
```

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

The rows whose smallest number is below 2:

```
run(f"SELECT id FROM {TABLE} WHERE list_min(nums) < 2 ORDER BY id LIMIT 10")
```

```
[(1,), (5,)]
```

## 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_min()` always runs in the Query Engine. It works within each row's list, so it's a scalar function: it returns one value per row and needs no `GROUP BY`.

- **In the `SELECT` list,** a projection step finds the smallest element of each row's list after the scan. The plan has no `FILTER` step.
- **In `WHERE`,** the scan sends the list for every row, and a `FILTER` step computes `list_min()` and keeps the rows that match. No rows are skipped in storage.

The plan of the `WHERE` example shows the `FILTER` step above the scan:

```
plan(f"SELECT id FROM {TABLE} WHERE list_min(nums) < 2")
```

```
┌───────────────────────────┐
│         PROJECTION        │
│    ────────────────────   │
│             #1            │
│                           │
└─────────────┬─────────────┘
┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
│           FILTER          │
│    ────────────────────   │
│ (list_aggr(nums, 'min') < │
│             2)            │
│                           │
└─────────────┬─────────────┘
┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
│         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_min()` 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      │
│                           │
└───────────────────────────┘
```

- **Store the smallest value if you filter on it often.** Compute it when you write the rows and keep it in its own column: `min_num &lt; 2` is pushed down, `list_min(nums) &lt; 2` isn't.

## Limitations and errors

- **Lists only.** A value that isn't a list fails with an error that names `list_aggr`, the function `list_min` is built on.
- **Text order is by character code, not by language.** `&apos;A&apos;` comes before `&apos;a&apos;`, and `&apos;e&apos;` before `&apos;&#xe9;&apos;`.
- **`ORDER BY` needs a `LIMIT`.** Without one, the query fails with `The operator &apos;ORDER_BY&apos; type=1 is currently not supported for this usage`.

## Similar functions

| Function | What it does | Result for `[3, 1, NULL, 3, 10]` |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `list_min(l)` | smallest element | `1` |
| [list_aggregate](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-aggregate)`(l, &apos;min&apos;)` | the same, by name | `1` |
| [list_max](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-max)`(l)` | largest element | `10` |
| [list_first](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-first)`(l)` | first element | `3` |
| [list_sort](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-lists-list-sort)`(l)` | all elements, smallest first; NULLs last | `[1, 3, 3, 10, NULL]` |
| [min](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-aggregate-min) | smallest value over the rows of a table |  |

```
run("SELECT list_min(l), list_aggregate(l, 'min'), list_max(l), list_first(l), list_sort(l) "
    "FROM (SELECT [3, 1, NULL, 3, 10] AS l)")
```

```
[(1, 1, 10, 3, [1, 3, 3, 10, None])]
```

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#aggregate-a-list): all the list aggregates.
- [min](/develop/docs/dev-database-reference-sql-functions-aggregate-min): the aggregate over rows.
- [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.