Beginner

158. LIMIT Clause

Learn how LIMIT restricts the number of rows returned by a query in supported databases.

📘 Lesson 158 of 728 ⏱ 8 min 🎯 Beginner

LIMIT restricts the number of rows returned by a query. It is commonly supported by MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and several other database systems.

Limiting results is useful when testing queries, previewing data, or retrieving only a small number of records.

An analyst can retrieve the first 10 customer records to quickly inspect the table.

SQL 
SELECT
    *
FROM Customers
LIMIT 10;

LIMIT is useful for data exploration, testing, pagination, previews, and sample analysis.

  • LIMIT restricts returned rows.
  • It is supported by several database systems.
  • It is useful for previews.
  • It can support pagination patterns.
  • Other databases may use different syntax.
What does LIMIT do?

LIMIT restricts the number of rows returned by a query in database systems that support it.

Is LIMIT supported by every database?

No. Different database systems may use alternatives such as TOP or FETCH.

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