LIMIT and OFFSET for pagination in MySQL - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - LIMIT and OFFSET for pagination

Start Query

↓

Apply OFFSET

↓

Skip OFFSET rows

↓

Apply LIMIT

↓

Return LIMIT rows

↓

End Query

The query starts, skips rows based on OFFSET, then returns a limited number of rows based on LIMIT.

Execution Sample

MySQL

SELECT * FROM employees ORDER BY id LIMIT 3 OFFSET 2;

This query returns 3 rows from the employees table, skipping the first 2 rows.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Rows Considered	Rows Skipped (OFFSET)	Rows Returned (LIMIT)
1	Start query execution	All rows in employees ordered by id	0	0
2	Apply OFFSET 2	All rows	2 rows skipped	0
3	Apply LIMIT 3	Remaining rows after offset	2	3 rows selected
4	Return result	3 rows	2 skipped	3 returned
5	End query	Result sent to client	2 skipped	3 returned

💡 Query ends after returning 3 rows following skipping 2 rows due to OFFSET

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After OFFSET	After LIMIT	Final
Rows considered	All rows ordered by id	All rows minus first 2	3 rows selected	3 rows returned
Rows skipped	0	2	2	2
Rows returned	0	0	3	3

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does OFFSET skip rows before LIMIT is applied?

OFFSET tells the database how many rows to skip first, so LIMIT then picks rows only after those skipped ones, as shown in execution_table step 2 and 3.

What happens if OFFSET is larger than total rows?

No rows remain after skipping, so LIMIT returns zero rows. This is implied in execution_table step 3 where remaining rows after offset could be zero.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, how many rows are skipped at step 2?

A 3

B 2

C 0

D 5

💡 Hint

Check the 'Rows Skipped (OFFSET)' column at step 2 in execution_table.

At which step does the query decide how many rows to return?

A Step 1

B Step 5

C Step 3

D Step 2

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Action' column in execution_table where LIMIT is applied.

If LIMIT was changed to 5, how would 'Rows Returned' change after step 3?

A It would be 5

B It would be 3

C It would be 2

D It would be 0

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker 'Rows returned' after LIMIT is applied.

Concept Snapshot

LIMIT and OFFSET control pagination in SQL.
OFFSET skips a number of rows first.
LIMIT sets how many rows to return after skipping.
Syntax: SELECT ... LIMIT count OFFSET skip;
Use ORDER BY to ensure consistent row order.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how LIMIT and OFFSET work together in a MySQL query. The query starts by ordering all rows. OFFSET skips the first specified number of rows. Then LIMIT picks the next set of rows to return. The execution table tracks these steps clearly, showing rows skipped and returned. The variable tracker follows how rows considered, skipped, and returned change step by step. Key moments clarify why OFFSET comes before LIMIT and what happens if OFFSET is too large. The quiz tests understanding of these steps by referencing the execution table and variable tracker. The snapshot summarizes the syntax and behavior for quick recall.