**Department table name** **following with fields name** id , empid ,salary ,departid ,status
how to get the top two highest salaries from each department with single query in mysql
SELECT emp1.departid , emp1.salary
FROM Department emp1
WHERE (
SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT(emp2.salary))
FROM Department emp2
WHERE emp2.salary > emp1.salary and emp1.departid  = emp2.departid ) in (0,1) group by emp1.departid , emp1.salary
I have tested this solution in sql server. But i think it will work in ms sql as well.
 
    
    Try
SELECT id, empid, salary, departid, status
  FROM 
(
  SELECT id, empid, salary, departid, status, 
         @n := IF(@g = departid, @n + 1, 1) rownum,
         @g := departid
    FROM table1
   ORDER BY departid, salary DESC 
) q
 WHERE q.rownum <= 2
Here is SQLFiddle demo
What it does it generates in inner select a rank for each employee in each department based on the salary. Then in outer select it filters out all rows that have rank more than 2 (top two).
 
    
    I believe this is what you want. Please notice that this query is not tested, since I don't have access to a MySQL db atm.
SELECT 
    d1.id,
    d1.salary,
    d1.departid
FROM department d
WHERE
    d1.id IN
    (
        SELECT
            d2.id
        FROM department d2
        WHERE
            d2.departid = d1.departid
        ORDER BY salary DESC
        LIMIT 2
    )
It's probably not the most efficient query, but it does the job.
