How Can I Simulate MySQL's LIMIT Clause in Microsoft SQL Server 2000?

Replicating MySQL's LIMIT in Microsoft SQL Server 2000

MySQL's LIMIT clause simplifies retrieving specific row subsets. SQL Server 2000 lacks this feature directly, necessitating workarounds. This article explores several methods to achieve similar results.

One method uses nested SELECT statements. To mimic LIMIT 10, 20 (offset 10, fetch 20), you could use:

<code class="language-sql">SELECT TOP 20 *
FROM (
    SELECT TOP 30 *
    FROM mytable ORDER BY somecolumn
) z2
ORDER BY somecolumn DESC;</code>

This selects the top 30 rows, then from that subset, selects the top 20.

Alternatively, if a unique column (e.g., "key") exists, you can use:

<code class="language-sql">SELECT TOP 20 *
FROM tablename
WHERE key NOT IN (
    SELECT TOP 10 key
    FROM tablename
    ORDER BY key
);</code>

This excludes the first 10 rows based on the unique key, effectively returning the next 20.

Limitations: The nested query approach might be problematic for the last "page" if the total row count isn't a multiple of the page size. The unique column method requires a suitable unique column. A purely SQL-based, universally applicable solution for replicating LIMIT in SQL Server 2000 is not feasible. However, these techniques offer practical alternatives.

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