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SQL SELECT TOP

A SELECT TOP n statement returns the first n rows.

SELECT TOP is useful when working with large datasets.

Other databases use keywords like LIMIT, OFFSET, and ROWNUM.

Example

#

List the top 5 largest orders, sorted by amount.

SELECT TOP 5 *
  FROM [Order]
 ORDER BY TotalAmount DESC
Result:  5 records
Id OrderDate OrderNumber CustomerId TotalAmount
618 2014-02-02 00:00:00.000 542995 63 17250.00
783 2014-04-17 00:00:00.000 543160 71 16321.90
734 2014-03-27 00:00:00.000 543111 34 15810.00
125 2012-12-04 00:00:00.000 542502 62 12281.20
177 2013-01-23 00:00:00.000 542554 51 11493.20

Syntax

TOP syntax.

SELECT TOP n column-names
  FROM table-name

More Examples

SELECT TOP 10

Problem: List the top 10 most expensive products sorted by price. 
SELECT TOP 10 Id, ProductName, UnitPrice, Package
  FROM Product
 ORDER BY UnitPrice DESC
Result:  10 records.
Id ProductName UnitPrice Package
38 Côte de Blaye 263.50 12 - 75 cl bottles
29 Thüringer Rostbratwurst 123.79 50 bags x 30 sausgs.
9 Mishi Kobe Niku 97.00 18 - 500 g pkgs.
20 Sir Rodney's Marmalade 81.00 30 gift boxes
18 Carnarvon Tigers 62.50 16 kg pkg.
59 Raclette Courdavault 55.00 5 kg pkg.
51 Manjimup Dried Apples 53.00 50 - 300 g pkgs.
62 Tarte au sucre 49.30 48 pies
43 Ipoh Coffee 46.00 16 - 500 g tins
28 Rössle Sauerkraut 45.60 25 - 825 g cans

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