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Second Largest Element in SQL
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Second Largest Element in SQL

MediumSQL · PostgreSQL

Problem

IQVIA's Clinical Trial Management System needs to identify site enrollment performance across active studies. Write a PostgreSQL query that finds the sites with the second-highest distinct total enrollment within each active study.

Requirements

  1. Include only studies whose status is Active.
  2. Calculate each site's total enrolled patients across all enrollment events, treating missing event totals as zero.
  3. Return every site tied at the second-highest distinct total for its study, ordered by study_id and site_id.

Use a window function such as RANK() so ties at the highest value do not incorrectly exclude the second distinct value.

Schema

studies
ColumnTypeDescription
study_idPKINTEGERStudy identifier
study_codeVARCHAR(30)IQVIA study code
therapeutic_areaVARCHAR(60)Therapeutic area
statusVARCHAR(20)Current study status
sites
ColumnTypeDescription
site_idPKVARCHAR(20)Trial site identifier
study_idINTEGERRelated study identifier
site_nameVARCHAR(100)Trial site name
enrollment_events
ColumnTypeDescription
event_idPKINTEGEREnrollment event identifier
site_idVARCHAR(20)Related trial site
enrolled_patientsINTEGERPatients enrolled during the event
Tablesstudiessitesenrollment_events
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