This guide is specifically for SQL Server syntax.

SQL Query to Select Top N Rows

Retrieve the first N rows from a result set using TOP, TOP, or FETCH.

Quick Answer

SELECT * FROM table ORDER BY column DESC TOP 10;

Explanation

TOP is used in MySQL/PostgreSQL, TOP in SQL Server. Always use ORDER BY to get consistent results. OFFSET skips rows for pagination.

Query Variants

Mysql

SELECT * FROM employees ORDER BY salary DESC TOP 10;

Sqlserver

SELECT TOP 10 * FROM employees ORDER BY salary DESC;

Postgres

SELECT * FROM employees ORDER BY salary DESC FETCH FIRST 10 ROWS ONLY;

With Offset

SELECT * FROM employees ORDER BY salary DESC TOP 10 OFFSET 20;

Pro Tips

• Always ORDER BY for predictable results
• Use OFFSET for pagination
• Different databases have different syntax

Related SQL Queries

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SQL Server-Specific Notes

This page covers SQL Server syntax. Other databases may have different syntax for similar operations.