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Select Top in SQL Server

The SELECT TOP statement in SQL Server is used to retrieve a specified number of rows or a percentage of rows from a result set. It allows you to limit the number of rows returned by a query. Here's the basic syntax for using SELECT TOP:


SELECT TOP (expression) column1, column2, ...
FROM table_name
WHERE condition
ORDER BY column;

Let's break down the components of the SELECT TOP statement:

  • SELECT TOP (expression): Specifies the number of rows to be returned. The expression can be a numeric value or a percentage.
  • column1, column2, ...: The columns you want to retrieve from the table.
  • FROM table_name: Specifies the table from which to retrieve the data.
  • WHERE condition: Optional clause that allows you to specify conditions to filter the rows before applying the TOP operation.
  • ORDER BY column: Optional clause that specifies the column(s) to sort the result set. The TOP operation is applied after the sorting.

Here are some examples of using SELECT TOP in SQL Server:

1- Retrieve a specific number of rows:


SELECT TOP 10 FirstName, LastName
FROM Employees;

This example retrieves the top 10 rows from the "Employees" table, returning only the "FirstName" and "LastName" columns.

2- Retrieve a percentage of rows:


SELECT TOP 25 PERCENT City, Country
FROM Customers;

In this example, the top 25 percent of rows from the "Customers" table are retrieved, including the "City" and "Country" columns.

3- Retrieve top rows with a condition:


SELECT TOP 5 ProductName, UnitPrice
FROM Products
WHERE Discontinued = 0
ORDER BY UnitPrice DESC;

This example retrieves the top 5 rows from the "Products" table where the "Discontinued" column is 0. The result is sorted in descending order based on the "UnitPrice" column.

The SELECT TOP statement is useful when you want to retrieve a specific number of rows or a percentage of rows from a table. It allows you to limit the result set and focus on the top rows based on a specified condition or sorting order. It's important to note that if there are ties in the sorting order, the exact number of rows returned by SELECT TOP may vary.

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