按以下逻辑可以解决这个问题:
1、先找出最高薪水
select max(salary) from salaries
2、排除最高薪水,即第二高薪水记为最高薪水
select salary from salaries where salary != (select max(salary) from salaries)
3、在2的基础上获取最高薪水,即满足题目要求
select s.emp_no, s.salary, e.last_name, e.first_name from employees as e join salaries as s on e.emp_no = s.emp_no where salary = ( select max(salary) from salaries where salary != ( select max(salary) from salaries) )