PHP MySQL Limit Data Selections
Limit Data Selections From a MySQL Table
The MySQL LIMIT clause is used to limit the number of records
returned by a SELECT command.
The LIMIT clause is very useful on large tables. Returning a large number of records can
impact performance.
Assume we wish to select all records from 1 - 30 (inclusive) from a table called "Orders".
The SQL query would then look like this:
$sql = "SELECT * FROM Orders LIMIT 30";
When the SQL query above is run, it will return the first 30 records.
What if we want to select records 16 - 25 (inclusive)?
Mysql also provides a way to handle this: by using OFFSET.
The SQL query below says "return only 10 records, start on record 16 (OFFSET 15)":
$sql = "SELECT * FROM Orders LIMIT 10 OFFSET 15";
You could also use a shorter syntax to achieve the same result:
$sql = "SELECT * FROM Orders LIMIT 15, 10";
Notice that the numbers are reversed when you use a comma.
