Re: SQL*plus -- limiting maximum number of returned rows?

From: <GO.MSB_at_isumvs.iastate.edu>
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 20:49:47 GMT
Message-ID: <1992Aug31.204947.7478_at_news.iastate.edu>


In article <BtuK40.8By_at_ef2007.efhd.ford.com>, wwm_at_ef2007.efhd.ford.com (William Meahan) writes:
>In SQL*Plus (not embedded SQL!) is there any way of limiting the number
>of rows returned by a query?
>
>I am working on a report that is supposed to find the "top 5" items in
>a catagory. The query returns 0 or more rows based on the selection
>criteria, sorted in the appropriate order. Some queries return a dozen
>or more rows, but I'm only interested in the first 5.
>
>If I were using embedded SQL in a C program (or a perl script using
>oraperl) the solution would be trivial. For internal reasons, however,
>I'm stuck with using SQL*Plus.
>
>Any ideas?
>--
>Bill Meahan |EFHD Information Systems Staff
>Technical Consultant |Ford Motor Company
>wwm_at_ef2007.efhd.ford.com | +1 313 487 6122
>...!fmsrl7!ef2007!wwm |I'm not paid to speak for Ford!



  try WHERE ROWNUM < 6

ALthough this works, I hate it. If the query returns 2000 rows, it still does and you wait for it to do so. It then hands you the first 5 or whatever you request. ROWNUM is a pseudo-column and doesn't exist until some rows are returned.

Marvin Beck Iowa State University Received on Mon Aug 31 1992 - 22:49:47 CEST

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