DENSE_RANK has no gaps

Question

Accepted Answer

DENSE_RANK assigns the same rank to tied rows but does not skip ranks. Alice and Bob both get 1. Carol gets 2 - the next consecutive rank, with no gap. Compare to RANK: RANK would give Carol 3 (skipping 2). Choose DENSE_RANK when gaps in rankings would confuse users, RANK when you need to show how many people scored above.