How to use TOP Clause with Ties In SQL

How to Select the nth Row in SQL Server?

When working with SQL Server databases, it is common to encounter scenarios where we need to retrieve a specific row from a table, such as the nth row. This can be challenging due to the lack of built-in functions or direct methods in SQL Server to retrieve a specific row based on its position in the table. To address the problem of selecting the nth row in a SQL Server database table, the below approaches can be used are as follows:...

1. Using OFFSET and FETCH

Using the OFFSET and FETCH clauses, which is one of the easiest ways to choose the Nth row in SQL Server. The OFFSET clause in SQL is used to skip a certain number of rows in the result set of a query. With the help of these clauses, we can retrieve a certain number of rows from the result set and skip a given number of rows....

2. Using ROW_NUMBER() Function

Using the ROW_NUMBER() function in conjunction with a subquery or a common table expression (CTE) is an additional method. ROW_NUMBER is a function in database language Transact-SQL which assigns a unique sequential number to each row in the result set of a query. Using the given ordering as a guide, this method gives each row in the output set a distinct sequential integer....

3. Using TOP Clause with Ties

In SQL Server, we can also use the TOP clause in conjunction with the WITH TIES option to choose the Nth row. This method includes any more rows that have the same value as the Nth row in the prescribed order after choosing the top N rows....

Conclusion

Overall, selecting the nth row in a SQL Server database table can be achieved using different approaches, such as OFFSET and FETCH, ROW_NUMBER() function, and TOP clause with Ties. The choice of method depends on the specific requirements and performance considerations of the application. By understanding these approaches, developers can efficiently retrieve the desired rows from SQL Server database tables...