SQL SELECT TOP Clause

Here’s a clear and practical guide to the SQL SELECT TOP Clause, including differences across database engines.

✅ Basic Usage (SQL Server / MS Access)

This returns the first 10 rows based on the default ordering (or a specified ORDER BY).

🔥 SELECT TOP with ORDER BY

Always combine with ORDER BY to ensure predictable results:

🔧 SELECT TOP with PERCENT

Returns a percentage of rows:

⚠ Other Databases Don’t Use `TOP`

Different SQL engines use different syntax:

PostgreSQL / MySQL / SQLite — Use `LIMIT`

Oracle — Use `FETCH FIRST`

🔐 Best Practices

✔ Always pair TOP/LIMIT with an ORDER BY
✔ Avoid using TOP without specifying sorting (non-deterministic)
✔ For pagination, use OFFSET + LIMIT (PostgreSQL/MySQL/SQLite) or OFFSET with FETCH (SQL Server/Oracle)

SQL SELECT TOP Clause