TOP vs LIMIT across databases in SQL - Hands-On Comparison

Using TOP and LIMIT to Control Query Results

📖 Scenario: You work in a small bookstore's database team. The manager wants to see only a few top-selling books from the sales records to decide which books to promote.

🎯 Goal: Build SQL queries that show how to get the first 3 rows from a sales table using both TOP and LIMIT clauses, demonstrating their use in different databases.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a table called sales with columns book_title (text) and copies_sold (integer).

Insert 5 rows with exact book titles and copies sold values.

Write a query using TOP to select the first 3 rows ordered by copies_sold descending.

Write a query using LIMIT to select the first 3 rows ordered by copies_sold descending.

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Bookstores and many businesses often want to see only the top few records from large datasets to make quick decisions.

💼 Career

Knowing how to limit query results is essential for database developers and analysts to optimize performance and deliver relevant data.

1

Create the sales table and insert data

Create a table called sales with columns book_title (text) and copies_sold (integer). Then insert these exact rows: ('The Alchemist', 150), ('1984', 200), ('The Hobbit', 180), ('Pride and Prejudice', 120), ('To Kill a Mockingbird', 170).

SQL

-- Create table sales and insert 5 rows
-- Your code here

Need a hint?

Use CREATE TABLE to make the table and INSERT INTO with multiple rows to add data.

2

Set up ordering for queries

Create a variable or comment to remind yourself to order the sales by copies_sold in descending order before selecting top rows.

SQL

CREATE TABLE sales (book_title TEXT, copies_sold INTEGER);
INSERT INTO sales (book_title, copies_sold) VALUES
('The Alchemist', 150),
('1984', 200),
('The Hobbit', 180),
('Pride and Prejudice', 120),
('To Kill a Mockingbird', 170);
-- Remember to order by copies_sold DESC
-- Your code here

Need a hint?

Ordering helps to get the top selling books first.

3

Write a query using TOP to get top 3 books

Write a SQL query using SELECT TOP 3 to get the first 3 rows from sales ordered by copies_sold descending.

SQL

CREATE TABLE sales (book_title TEXT, copies_sold INTEGER);
INSERT INTO sales (book_title, copies_sold) VALUES
('The Alchemist', 150),
('1984', 200),
('The Hobbit', 180),
('Pride and Prejudice', 120),
('To Kill a Mockingbird', 170);
-- We will order by copies_sold DESC in queries
SELECT TOP 3 book_title, copies_sold FROM sales ORDER BY copies_sold DESC;
-- Your code here

Need a hint?

Use TOP 3 right after SELECT to get the first 3 rows.

4

Write a query using LIMIT to get top 3 books

Write a SQL query using LIMIT 3 at the end to get the first 3 rows from sales ordered by copies_sold descending.

SQL

CREATE TABLE sales (book_title TEXT, copies_sold INTEGER);
INSERT INTO sales (book_title, copies_sold) VALUES
('The Alchemist', 150),
('1984', 200),
('The Hobbit', 180),
('Pride and Prejudice', 120),
('To Kill a Mockingbird', 170);
-- We will order by copies_sold DESC in queries
SELECT TOP 3 book_title, copies_sold FROM sales ORDER BY copies_sold DESC;
SELECT book_title, copies_sold FROM sales ORDER BY copies_sold DESC LIMIT 3;
-- Your code here

Need a hint?

Use LIMIT 3 at the end of the query to get the first 3 rows.