Question

how do i apply the the distinct keyword in mysql so that it is only checking that one column field is unique, while still returning other columns from my table?

Answer 1

For being able to do that, mysql must know what to do with the other columns. You GROUP BY the column that should be unique and use a function that will tell it what to do with the others (a so-called aggregate function). MAX() and COUNT() are common examples:

SELECT studentId, COUNT(courseId) AS AmountEnrolledCourses FROM student_enrollment GROUP BY studentId  SELECT athlete, MAX(distance) AS PersonalRecord FROM longjump GROUP BY athlete