Find the Top 10 Products with the Most Returns Query Using MS SQL Server?

To find the top 10 products with the most returns using Microsoft SQL Server, you need to:

1. Aggregate the number of returns for each product.
2. Sort the results to find the products with the highest number of returns.
3. Limit the results to the top 10 products.

Assuming you have the following tables:

• OrderItems table with columns: OrderID, ProductID, Quantity.
• Returns table with columns: ReturnID, OrderID, ProductID, ReturnQuantity.

Here’s a step-by-step SQL query to find the top 10 products with the most returns:

SQL Query

-- Find the top 10 products with the most returns

WITH ProductReturns AS (

    SELECT

        r.ProductID,

        SUM(r.ReturnQuantity) AS TotalReturns

    FROM

        Returns r

    GROUP BY

        r.ProductID

)

SELECT TOP 10

    p.ProductID,

    p.ProductName, -- Assuming you have a Products table with a ProductName column

    pr.TotalReturns

FROM

    ProductReturns pr

    JOIN Products p ON pr.ProductID = p.ProductID -- Optional: Join with Products table to get product details

ORDER BY

    pr.TotalReturns DESC;

Explanation

1. ProductReturns CTE:

   • SUM(r.ReturnQuantity) AS TotalReturns: Aggregates the total number of returns for each product.
   • GROUP BY r.ProductID: Groups the results by ProductID to calculate the total returns for each product.

2. Main Query:

   • SELECT TOP 10: Limits the results to the top 10 products with the highest total returns.
   • JOIN Products p ON pr.ProductID = p.ProductID: Optionally joins with the Products table to get additional details like ProductName. Adjust or omit this join if your schema is different.
   • ORDER BY pr.TotalReturns DESC: Orders the results by the total returns in descending order, so products with the highest number of returns appear first.

Additional Considerations

• Handling Multiple Returns: If the Returns table has multiple return entries per order, ensure that ReturnQuantity reflects the correct amount of returned items. Adjust the aggregation logic if needed.
• Indexes: Indexes on ProductID and ReturnQuantity can improve query performance, especially with large datasets.
• Data Accuracy: Ensure that the Returns table accurately captures all returns, and there are no discrepancies or missing data.

Adjust column names and table structure based on your actual schema. This query will help you identify the top 10 products with the most returns effectively.