The MySQL MIN function is an aggregate function that is used to retrieve the minimum value from a set of values. It is commonly used with numerical or date columns in a SELECT statement to find the smallest value in a specified column. Here is a basic syntax of the MIN function:

SELECT MIN(column_name) 
FROM table_name 
WHERE condition;

column_name: The name of the column from which you want to retrieve the minimum value.
table_name: The name of the table that contains the specified column.
condition: An optional condition that filters the rows before calculating the minimum value.

Example

Let’s look at an example to illustrate how the MIN function works. Consider a table named “products” with columns “product_id” and “price”:

CREATE TABLE products (
    product_id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    price DECIMAL(8, 2)
);

INSERT INTO products (product_id, price) VALUES
(1, 19.99),
(2, 15.49),
(3, 25.00),
(4, 12.99);

Now, if you want to find the minimum price from the “products” table, you can use the MIN() function as follows:

SELECT MIN(price) AS min_price 
FROM products;

The result of this query will be:

+-----------+
| min_price |
+-----------+
|     12.99 |
+-----------+

In this example, the MIN() function returns the smallest value from the “price” column, which is 12.99.

You can also use the MIN() function with a WHERE clause to find the minimum value based on specific conditions. For instance:

SELECT MIN(price) AS min_price 
FROM products 
WHERE price > 15.00;

This query will return the minimum price for products with a price greater than 15.00.

In summary, the MySQL MIN function is a useful tool for finding the smallest value in a specified column or a subset of data based on specified conditions.