The following shows the four ranking functions used in the same query. See each ranking function for function specific examples.
USE AdventureWorks;
GO
SELECT c.FirstName, c.LastName
,ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY a.PostalCode) AS 'Row Number'
,RANK() OVER (ORDER BY a.PostalCode) AS 'Rank'
,DENSE_RANK() OVER (ORDER BY a.PostalCode) AS 'Dense Rank'
,NTILE(4) OVER (ORDER BY a.PostalCode) AS 'Quartile'
,s.SalesYTD, a.PostalCode
FROM Sales.SalesPerson s
INNER JOIN Person.Contact c
ON s.SalesPersonID = c.ContactID
INNER JOIN Person.Address a
ON a.AddressID = c.ContactID
WHERE TerritoryID IS NOT NULL
AND SalesYTD <> 0;