Getting started with Microsoft SQL Server OVER Clause PIVOT / UNPIVOT Database Snapshots Retrieve information about the database The STUFF Function FOR XML PATH Cursors Join Common Table Expressions Move and copy data around tables Dates Limit Result Set Retrieve Information about your Instance With Ties Option Variables JSON in Sql Server Window functions Partitioning Stored Procedures GROUP BY Generating a range of dates COALESCE Split String function in Sql Server INSERT INTO CREATE VIEW String Functions Resource Governor ORDER BY WHILE loop System database - TempDb Migration Primary Keys MERGE Full-Text Indexing FOR JSON SELECT statement DBMAIL Index Queries with JSON data Storing JSON in SQL tables OPENJSON Ranking Functions Trigger Converting data types NULLs Transaction isolation levels Advanced options IF...ELSE TRY/CATCH Data Types User Defined Table Types Table Valued Parameters In-Memory OLTP (Hekaton)Temporal Tables Insert Sequences SCOPE_IDENTITY()Views Use of TEMP Table Scheduled Task or Job Isolation levels and locking Sorting/ordering rows Privileges or Permissions Foreign Keys SQLCMD File Group cross apply Basic DDL Operations in MS SQL Server Computed Columns UNION Subqueries Last Inserted Identity CLUSTERED COLUMNSTORE Parsename Installing SQL Server on Windows Aggregate Functions Querying results by page Schemas Backup and Restore Database Transaction handling Natively compiled modules (Hekaton)Database permissions Spatial Data Dynamic SQL Pagination Query Hints Modify JSON text Row-level security Dynamic data masking Export data in txt file by using SQLCMD Encryption Managing Azure SQL Database Common Language Runtime Integration Delimiting special characters and reserved words CASE Statement DBCC BULK Import Query Store Service broker Analyzing a Query Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Shortcut Keys Permissions and Security PHANTOM read Filestream Drop Keyword String Aggregate functions in SQL Server SQL Server Evolution through different versions (2000 - 2016)SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)Logical Functions Dynamic SQL Pivot Alias Names in Sql Server bcp (bulk copy program) Utility

Limit Result Set

Remarks:

If ORDER BY clause is used, limiting applies to the ordered result set.

Limiting With TOP

This example limits SELECT result to 100 rows.

SELECT TOP 100 *
FROM table_name;

It is also possible to use a variable to specify the number of rows:

DECLARE @CountDesiredRows int = 100;
SELECT TOP (@CountDesiredRows) *
FROM table_name;

Limiting With PERCENT

This example limits SELECT result to 15 percentage of total row count.

SELECT TOP 15 PERCENT *
FROM table_name

Limiting with FETCH

SQL Server 2012

FETCH is generally more useful for pagination, but can be used as an alternative to TOP:

SELECT *
FROM table_name
ORDER BY 1
OFFSET 0 ROWS
FETCH NEXT 50 ROWS ONLY

Parameters:

Parameter	Details
`TOP`	Limiting keyword. Use with a number.
`PERCENT`	Percentage keyword. Comes after `TOP` and limiting number.

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