Mix Ascending and Descending in SQL

Question

I am very new to Oracle and SQL, but I am very curious if one can sort by mixing both ascending and descending orders within a single SELECT statement.
I have been trying to figure out why this would even be needed, but I'm certain that there are unique circumstances where one would want this capability.

Answer 1

SQL> select rank() over (order by a1 asc) "ASC",
  2     rank() over (order by a1 desc) "DESC"
  3  from test_asc_desc
  4  order by a1 asc;
       ASC       DESC
         1          6
         2          5
         3          4
         4          3
         5          2
         6          1
6 rows selected.
SQL> select row_number() over (order by a1 asc) "ASC",
  2     row_number() over (order by a1 desc) "DESC"
  3  from test_asc_desc
  4  order by a1 asc;
       ASC       DESC
         1          6
         2          5
         3          4
         4          3
         5          2
         6          1
6 rows selected.