<para>
Here, <replaceable>expression</replaceable> represents any value
expression that does not itself contain window function calls.
- <literal>PARTITION BY</> behaves like a <literal>GROUP
- BY</> clause by grouping rows into partitions, except its
- expressions are always just expressions and cannot be output-column
- names or numbers. <literal>ORDER BY</> behaves similar to a
- query-level <literal>ORDER BY</> clause, except it controls the
- order rows are supplied to the aggregate function within the window
- frame, and with the same expression restrictions.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- In <literal>RANGE</> mode, <literal>CURRENT ROW</> starts with
- the current row's first peer that <literal>ORDER BY</>
- considers equivalent, and ends with its last equivalent peer. In
- <literal>ROWS</> mode, <literal>CURRENT ROW</> simply starts and ends
- with the current row.
+ The <literal>PARTITION BY</> option groups the rows of the query into
+ <firstterm>partitions</>, which are processed separately by the window
+ function. <literal>PARTITION BY</> works similarly to a query-level
+ <literal>GROUP BY</> clause, except that its expressions are always just
+ expressions and cannot be output-column names or numbers.
+ Without <literal>PARTITION BY</>, all rows produced by the query are
+ treated as a single partition.
+ The <literal>ORDER BY</> option determines the order in which the rows
+ of a partition are processed by the window function. It works similarly
+ to a query-level <literal>ORDER BY</> clause, but likewise cannot use
+ output-column names or numbers. Without <literal>ORDER BY</>, rows are
+ processed in an unspecified order.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ The <replaceable class="parameter">frame_clause</replaceable> specifies
+ the set of rows constituting the <firstterm>window frame</>, which is a
+ subset of the current partition, for those window functions that act on
+ the frame instead of the whole partition. The frame can be specified in
+ either <literal>RANGE</> or <literal>ROWS</> mode; in either case, it
+ runs from the <replaceable>frame_start</> to the
+ <replaceable>frame_end</>. If <replaceable>frame_end</> is omitted,
+ it defaults to <literal>CURRENT ROW</>.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ A <replaceable>frame_start</> of <literal>UNBOUNDED PRECEDING</> means
+ that the frame starts with the first row of the partition, and similarly
+ a <replaceable>frame_end</> of <literal>UNBOUNDED FOLLOWING</> means
+ that the frame ends with the last row of the partition.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ In <literal>RANGE</> mode, a <replaceable>frame_start</> of
+ <literal>CURRENT ROW</> means the frame starts with the current row's
+ first <firstterm>peer</> row (a row that <literal>ORDER BY</> considers
+ equivalent to the current row), while a <replaceable>frame_end</> of
+ <literal>CURRENT ROW</> means the frame ends with the last equivalent
+ peer. In <literal>ROWS</> mode, <literal>CURRENT ROW</> simply means
+ the current row.
</para>
<para>
- <literal>UNBOUNDED PRECEDING</> means that the frame
- starts with the first row of the partition, and similarly
- <literal>UNBOUNDED FOLLOWING</> means that the frame ends with the last
- row of the partition.
The <replaceable>value</> <literal>PRECEDING</> and
<replaceable>value</> <literal>FOLLOWING</> cases are currently only
allowed in <literal>ROWS</> mode. They indicate that the frame starts
</para>
<para>
- The <replaceable class="parameter">frame_clause</replaceable> specifies
- the set of rows constituting the <firstterm>window frame</>, for those
- window functions that act on the frame instead of the whole partition.
The default framing option is <literal>RANGE UNBOUNDED PRECEDING</>,
which is the same as <literal>RANGE BETWEEN UNBOUNDED PRECEDING AND
- CURRENT ROW</>. With <literal>ORDER BY</>, this sets the frame to
- be all rows from partition start up through the current row's
- last peer. Without <literal>ORDER BY</>, all partition rows are
- included in the window frame.
+ CURRENT ROW</>. With <literal>ORDER BY</>, this sets the frame to be
+ all rows from the partition start up through the current row's last
+ peer. Without <literal>ORDER BY</>, all rows of the partition are
+ included in the window frame, since all rows become peers of the current
+ row.
</para>
<para>