SQL LIMIT / TOP / FETCH FIRST
These keywords let you limit how many rows your query returns. Usage differs slightly by database.
🔹 Syntax by DBMS
-- ✅ MySQL / PostgreSQL
SELECT * FROM employees
ORDER BY salary DESC
LIMIT 5;
-- ✅ SQL Server
SELECT TOP 5 * FROM employees
ORDER BY salary DESC;
-- ✅ Oracle 12c+ / PostgreSQL (Standard SQL)
SELECT * FROM employees
ORDER BY salary DESC
FETCH FIRST 5 ROWS ONLY;🔹 Pagination Example (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
-- Get 10 rows starting from row 21 (page 3 if page size is 10)
SELECT * FROM employees
ORDER BY name
LIMIT 10 OFFSET 20;🧠 Quick Recap
| DBMS | Keyword Used | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MySQL | LIMIT | With optional OFFSET for paging |
| PostgreSQL | LIMIT / OFFSET or FETCH | Both options supported |
| SQL Server | TOP | Use TOP N in SELECT |
| Oracle 12c+ | FETCH FIRST | Use with ORDER BY for proper results |
✅ Use this to show only top results or paginate large datasets