OFFSET for pagination in SQL - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to skip the first 10 rows in the result.

SQL

SELECT * FROM employees ORDER BY id [1] 10;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ALIMIT

BGROUP BY

CWHERE

DOFFSET

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using LIMIT instead of OFFSET to skip rows.

Placing OFFSET before ORDER BY.

The OFFSET keyword skips the first N rows before returning the result.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to get 5 rows after skipping the first 20 rows.

SQL

SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY price DESC LIMIT 5 [1] 20;

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AHAVING

BWHERE

COFFSET

DGROUP BY

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using WHERE to filter rows instead of OFFSET.

Placing OFFSET before LIMIT.

Use OFFSET after LIMIT to skip rows and limit the number of rows returned.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the query to correctly paginate results by skipping 15 rows.

SQL

SELECT name FROM customers ORDER BY signup_date LIMIT 10 [1] 15;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AOFFSET

BGROUP BY

CLIMIT

DWHERE

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using LIMIT instead of OFFSET to skip rows.

Placing WHERE instead of OFFSET.

The OFFSET keyword must be used to skip rows before limiting the result set.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to select 8 rows after skipping the first 30 rows, ordered by date.

SQL

SELECT * FROM orders ORDER BY order_date [1] 8 [2] 30;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AOFFSET

BWHERE

CLIMIT

DGROUP BY

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Swapping LIMIT and OFFSET positions.

Using WHERE instead of OFFSET.

Use OFFSET to skip rows and LIMIT to restrict the number of rows returned.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill the blanks to paginate products: skip 40 rows, then get 10 rows ordered by name.

SQL

SELECT * FROM products ORDER BY product_name [1] 10 [2] 40;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AWHERE

BLIMIT

COFFSET

DGROUP BY

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using WHERE instead of OFFSET or LIMIT.

Placing OFFSET before LIMIT.

Use OFFSET to skip rows and LIMIT to get a fixed number of rows.

Practice

1. What does the OFFSET clause do in an SQL query?

easy

A. It skips a specified number of rows before returning the result set.

B. It limits the number of rows returned by the query.

C. It sorts the rows in ascending order.

D. It groups rows based on a column.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand OFFSET purpose

   The OFFSET clause tells SQL to skip a certain number of rows before starting to return rows.

2. Step 2: Compare with other clauses

   LIMIT controls how many rows to return, ORDER BY sorts rows, GROUP BY groups rows. OFFSET specifically skips rows.

3. Final Answer:

   It skips a specified number of rows before returning the result set. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   OFFSET = skip rows [OK]

Hint: OFFSET skips rows; LIMIT controls count [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing OFFSET with LIMIT
• Thinking OFFSET sorts rows
• Assuming OFFSET groups rows

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to skip the first 10 rows in a query?

easy

A. SELECT * FROM table OFFSET;

B. SELECT * FROM table SKIP 10;

C. SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 10 OFFSET;

D. SELECT * FROM table OFFSET 10;

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall OFFSET syntax

   The correct syntax is to write OFFSET followed by the number of rows to skip, e.g., OFFSET 10.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   SELECT * FROM table OFFSET 10; uses correct syntax. SELECT * FROM table SKIP 10; uses SKIP which is invalid. SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 10 OFFSET; misplaces OFFSET. SELECT * FROM table OFFSET; lacks a number.

3. Final Answer:

   SELECT * FROM table OFFSET 10; -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   OFFSET number correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use OFFSET number after FROM clause [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using SKIP instead of OFFSET
• Omitting the number after OFFSET
• Placing OFFSET before FROM

3. Given the table Employees with columns id and name, what will this query return?

SELECT id, name FROM Employees ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 3 OFFSET 2;

medium

A. Rows with the first 3 employees ordered by id.

B. Rows 1, 2, and 3 ordered by id ascending.

C. Rows 3, 4, and 5 ordered by id ascending.

D. Rows 2, 3, and 4 ordered by id ascending.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand OFFSET and LIMIT effect

   OFFSET 2 skips the first 2 rows. LIMIT 3 returns the next 3 rows after skipping.

2. Step 2: Apply ORDER BY

   Rows are ordered by id ascending, so rows with id 3, 4, and 5 are returned.

3. Final Answer:

   Rows 3, 4, and 5 ordered by id ascending. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   OFFSET 2 skips first 2, LIMIT 3 returns next 3 [OK]

Hint: OFFSET skips rows, LIMIT picks next rows [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring OFFSET and returning first rows
• Confusing OFFSET number with LIMIT
• Not applying ORDER BY before OFFSET

4. Identify the error in this query:

SELECT * FROM Products LIMIT 5 OFFSET;

medium

A. LIMIT cannot be used with OFFSET.

B. OFFSET requires a number after it.

C. SELECT * is not allowed with OFFSET.

D. OFFSET must come before LIMIT.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check OFFSET syntax

   OFFSET must be followed by a number indicating how many rows to skip.

2. Step 2: Analyze the query

   The query ends with OFFSET but no number is given, causing a syntax error.

3. Final Answer:

   OFFSET requires a number after it. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   OFFSET needs number [OK]

Hint: Always put a number after OFFSET [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Leaving OFFSET without a number
• Thinking OFFSET must come before LIMIT
• Believing SELECT * disallows OFFSET

5. You want to display page 4 of a product list with 20 items per page, ordered by created_at descending. Which query correctly uses OFFSET and LIMIT?

hard

A. SELECT * FROM Products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20 OFFSET 60;

B. SELECT * FROM Products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20 OFFSET 80;

C. SELECT * FROM Products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 4 OFFSET 20;

D. SELECT * FROM Products ORDER BY created_at DESC OFFSET 20 LIMIT 4;

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate OFFSET for page 4

   Each page has 20 items, so page 4 starts after 3 pages: 3 * 20 = 60 rows skipped.

2. Step 2: Check LIMIT and OFFSET usage

   LIMIT 20 returns 20 rows, OFFSET 60 skips first 60 rows, so page 4 shows rows 61-80.

3. Step 3: Verify ORDER BY

   ORDER BY created_at DESC ensures newest products first, consistent paging.

4. Final Answer:

   SELECT * FROM Products ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20 OFFSET 60; -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Page 4 offset = 60, limit = 20 [OK]

Hint: OFFSET = (page-1)*page_size, LIMIT = page_size [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calculating OFFSET as page*page_size
• Swapping LIMIT and OFFSET values
• Omitting ORDER BY for consistent paging