Recursive CTE MySQL — Examples & 2025 Guide

Recursive Common Table Expressions (CTEs) are a vital feature in MySQL for solving hierarchical and tree-structured data problems—think org charts, folder structures, or bill-of-materials. With recursion, you can elegantly traverse parent-child relationships directly in SQL. However, authoring recursive CTEs remains a stumbling block for many analysts and developers, due to the tricky syntax and edge-case handling.

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Understanding Recursive CTEs in MySQL

A Recursive CTE lets you reference itself within its definition. Common use cases include:

• Traversing employee hierarchies

• Unfolding folder trees

• Aggregating paths (breadcrumbs) in navigation

Here's the basic structure:

WITH RECURSIVE cte_name AS (<br>  -- anchor member<br>  SELECT ...<br>  UNION ALL<br>  -- recursive member<br>  SELECT ... FROM cte_name ...<br>)<br>

Real-World Examples: Recursive CTEs in Action

1. Employee Hierarchy

WITH RECURSIVE employee_cte AS (<br>  SELECT id, name, manager_id<br>    FROM employees<br>    WHERE manager_id IS NULL -- Top-level manager<br>  UNION ALL<br>  SELECT e.id, e.name, e.manager_id<br>    FROM employees e<br>    INNER JOIN employee_cte c ON e.manager_id = c.id<br>)<br>

2. Folder Structure Traversal

WITH RECURSIVE folder_tree AS (<br>  SELECT id, folder_name, parent_id<br>    FROM folders<br>    WHERE parent_id IS NULL -- Root folder<br>  UNION ALL<br>  SELECT f.id, f.folder_name, f.parent_id<br>    FROM folders f<br>    INNER JOIN folder_tree ft ON f.parent_id = ft.id<br>)<br>

3. Path Generation (Breadcrumbs)

WITH RECURSIVE breadcrumbs AS (<br>  SELECT id, name, parent_id, name AS path<br>    FROM categories<br>    WHERE parent_id IS NULL<br>  UNION ALL<br>  SELECT c.id, c.name, c.parent_id, CONCAT(b.path, ' > ', c.name)<br>    FROM categories c<br>    INNER JOIN breadcrumbs b ON c.parent_id = b.id<br>)<br>

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Further Learning

• Try AI2sql Recursive CTE MySQL Generator

• Recursive CTE MySQL Tutorial

• Recursive CTE MySQL Examples

Conclusion

Mastering recursive CTEs in MySQL opens vast possibilities for working with hierarchical data — but syntax challenges can slow you down. With AI2sql, you can generate robust recursive queries in seconds, regardless of your technical level. Transform complex, time-consuming tasks into a seamless part of your data workflow.

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