Set Rowcount vs Select Top with MSSQL
SET ROWCOUNT
- With SET ROWCOUNT you can limit the number of rows returned.
- if you set: SET ROWCOUNT 10;, SQL Server will return the first 10 rows of the request.
- Most often used to testing/development purpose.
SELECT TOP
- With SELECT TOP you can limit the number of rows returned.
- if you set: SELECT TOP 10;, SQL Server will return the first 10 rows of the request.
- Most often used to testing/development purpose.
- Does this look similar?
- Yes, it's almost the same!
- The difference?: SELECT TOP is ANSI SQL compliant.
Data used
USE sql911;
go
SELECT sales_date,sales_qty,sales_price,emp_short
FROM sales;
go
go
SELECT sales_date,sales_qty,sales_price,emp_short
FROM sales;
go
sales_date sales_qty sales_price emp_short ----------------------- --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- ---------- 2005-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2005-11-06 10:01:01.000 9.00 11.75 000110 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2005-12-06 11:01:01.000 8.00 11.75 000010 2006-02-06 13:01:01.000 NULL NULL 000190 2006-03-06 14:01:01.000 5.00 11.75 000110 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000190 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000190 2006-04-06 15:01:01.000 4.00 11.75 000030 2006-05-06 16:01:01.000 3.00 11.75 000010 2004-10-06 10:01:01.000 NULL NULL 000310 2005-11-06 10:01:01.000 9.00 11.75 000010 2006-06-06 17:01:01.000 2.00 11.75 000190 2006-01-06 12:01:01.000 7.00 11.75 000310 2006-02-06 13:01:01.000 6.00 11.75 000110 2005-03-06 14:01:01.000 5.00 11.75 000190 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000110 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 3.00 11.75 000110 2007-06-06 17:01:01.000 2.00 11.75 000010 2007-04-06 00:00:00.000 4.00 11.75 000010 2007-05-01 00:00:00.000 5.00 11.75 000030 2007-07-06 00:00:00.000 1.00 11.75 000190 2007-05-03 09:00:00.000 3.00 11.75 000010 2007-05-05 04:00:00.000 1.00 11.75 000010 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000030 2004-03-06 14:01:01.000 NULL NULL 000110 2005-04-06 15:01:01.000 4.00 11.75 000010 2005-05-06 16:01:01.000 3.00 11.75 000190 2006-06-06 17:01:01.000 2.00 11.75 000030 2006-07-06 19:01:01.000 1.00 11.75 000310 2006-03-06 14:01:01.000 5.00 11.75 000310 2006-04-06 15:01:01.000 4.00 11.75 000010 2007-05-07 11:00:00.000 2.00 11.75 000010 2006-06-06 17:01:01.000 NULL NULL 000110 2006-07-06 19:01:01.000 1.00 11.75 000190 2005-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000030 2007-05-08 15:00:00.000 1.50 11.75 000010 2005-12-06 11:01:01.000 8.00 11.75 000190 2006-01-06 12:01:01.000 7.00 11.75 000030 2007-05-07 11:30:00.000 2.00 10.50 000030 2007-05-08 13:30:00.000 1.00 10.00 000030 2006-07-06 19:01:01.000 1.00 11.75 000010 2007-05-09 14:00:00.000 1.25 10.00 000110 2007-11-06 10:01:01.000 9.00 11.75 000030 2007-05-10 14:00:00.000 5.00 10.00 000190 2007-05-11 14:15:00.000 4.00 10.00 000190 2007-05-12 15:00:00.000 2.00 10.00 000190 2007-05-13 16:00:00.000 1.00 10.00 000190 2007-05-08 05:00:00.000 1.00 10.00 000310 2007-05-07 00:00:00.000 2.00 10.00 000310 2007-05-14 11:00:00.000 3.00 10.00 000310 2006-07-06 00:00:00.000 1.00 11.75 000190 2007-05-11 13:00:00.000 3.50 10.00 000310 2007-05-08 05:00:00.000 1.00 10.00 000010 2007-05-08 07:00:00.000 2.00 10.00 000010 2007-05-08 11:00:00.000 3.00 10.00 000010 (57 row(s) affected)
SET ROWCOUNT
SET rowcount 10;
SELECT sales_date,sales_qty,sales_price,emp_short
FROM sales;
go
SELECT sales_date,sales_qty,sales_price,emp_short
FROM sales;
go
sales_date sales_qty sales_price emp_short ----------------------- --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- ---------- 2005-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2005-11-06 10:01:01.000 9.00 11.75 000110 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2005-12-06 11:01:01.000 8.00 11.75 000010 2006-02-06 13:01:01.000 NULL NULL 000190 2006-03-06 14:01:01.000 5.00 11.75 000110 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000190 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000190 2006-04-06 15:01:01.000 4.00 11.75 000030 (10 row(s) affected)
SELECT TOP
SELECT TOP 10 sales_date,sales_qty,sales_price,emp_short
FROM sales;
go
FROM sales;
go
sales_date sales_qty sales_price emp_short ----------------------- --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- ---------- 2005-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2005-11-06 10:01:01.000 9.00 11.75 000110 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000310 2005-12-06 11:01:01.000 8.00 11.75 000010 2006-02-06 13:01:01.000 NULL NULL 000190 2006-03-06 14:01:01.000 5.00 11.75 000110 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000190 2006-10-06 10:01:01.000 10.00 11.75 000190 2006-04-06 15:01:01.000 4.00 11.75 000030 (10 row(s) affected)
- Same result, identical
- It's preferable to use SELECT TOP xx, it's ANSI SQL compliant.