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# EXISTS {#exists-operator}
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The `EXISTS` operator checks how many records are in the result of a subquery. If it is empty, then the operator returns `0` . Otherwise, it returns `1` .
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`EXISTS` can be used in a [WHERE ](../../sql-reference/statements/select/where.md ) clause.
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:::warning
References to main query tables and columns are not supported in a subquery.
:::
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**Syntax**
```sql
WHERE EXISTS(subquery)
```
**Example**
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Query with a subquery returning several rows:
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``` sql
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SELECT count() FROM numbers(10) WHERE EXISTS(SELECT number FROM numbers(10) WHERE number > 8);
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```
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Result:
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``` text
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┌─count()─┐
│ 10 │
└─────────┘
```
Query with a subquery that returns an empty result:
``` sql
SELECT count() FROM numbers(10) WHERE EXISTS(SELECT number FROM numbers(10) WHERE number > 11);
```
Result:
``` text
┌─count()─┐
│ 0 │
└─────────┘
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```