MySQL SELECT TOP 2 - SQL

MySQL SELECT TOP 2 is a command that allows you to retrieve only the top two rows of data from a table in MySQL using the SQL language. This command is useful to limit the amount of data returned and to speed up queries when working with large tables.

Syntax

The syntax for MySQL SELECT TOP 2 is as follows:

SELECT * FROM table_name ORDER BY column_name DESC LIMIT 2;

Parameters

• table_name: the name of the table containing the data you want to retrieve.
• column_name: the name of the column by which you want to sort the data. DESC means sorting by descending order.
• LIMIT 2: specifies that you want to retrieve only two rows of data.

Example

Suppose we have a table called "employees" with the following data:

| id | name | salary | |----|--------|--------| | 1 | John | 50000 | | 2 | Jane | 60000 | | 3 | Peter | 45000 | | 4 | Sarah | 65000 | | 5 | Robert | 55000 |

To retrieve the top two earners, we would issue the following command:

SELECT * FROM employees ORDER BY salary DESC LIMIT 2;

This would result in the following output:

| id | name | salary | |----|--------|--------| | 4 | Sarah | 65000 | | 2 | Jane | 60000 |

Conclusion

In conclusion, MySQL SELECT TOP 2 is a simple yet powerful command that can be used to retrieve the top two rows of data from a table in MySQL using the SQL language. It can be a useful tool in limiting the amount of data returned and speeding up queries when working with large tables.