SELECT TOP Clause

The SELECT TOP clause is used to specify the number of records to return.

The SELECT TOP clause can be very useful on large tables with thousands of records. Returning a large number of records can impact on performance.

Note: Not all database systems support the SELECT TOP clause. This is for SQL Server.

SELECT TOP Equivalent in Oracle

SELECT column_name(s)
 
FROM table_name
 
WHERE ROWNUM <= number;


SELECT * FROM Persons WHERE ROWNUM <=5;