ORDER BY with multiple columns

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If more than one column is specified in an ORDER BY clause, rows are first arranged by the values in the first column. Then rows that contain the same first-column value are arranged according to the values in the second column, and so on. Each ORDER BY column can include its own sort order specification.

Important: In multi-column sorts, after a sort order is specified, it applies to all subsequent columns until another sort order is specified, as in the previous example. This attribute is sometimes called sticky sort order. For example, the following cursor declaration orders retrieval by LAST_NAME in descending order, then refines it alphabetically within LAST_NAME groups by FIRST_NAME in ascending order:

EXEC SQL
DECLARE PHONE_LIST CURSOR FOR
SELECT LAST_NAME, FIRST_NAME, PHONE_EXT
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE PHONE_EXT IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY LAST_NAME DESC, FIRST_NAME ASC;