Beginner

343. LIMIT Clause

Learn how to restrict the number of rows returned by a query.

📘 Lesson 343 of 728 ⏱ 8 min 🎯 Beginner

LIMIT restricts the number of rows returned by a query in database systems such as MySQL and PostgreSQL.

Limiting results is useful when exploring large datasets, testing queries, or displaying only a small number of records.

Display the first 10 employees from a table.

SQL 
SELECT
    EmployeeID,
    EmployeeName,
    Salary
FROM Employees
LIMIT 10;

LIMIT is commonly used for data exploration, previews, pagination, and testing analytical queries.

  • LIMIT restricts returned rows.
  • It is commonly supported by MySQL and PostgreSQL.
  • It is useful for testing queries.
  • It can support pagination.
  • Other databases may use different syntax.
What does LIMIT do?

LIMIT restricts the number of rows returned by a query.

Is LIMIT supported by every database?

No. Database systems use different syntax, such as TOP in SQL Server or FETCH/OFFSET in standard-style implementations.

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