ORDER BY and LIMIT

After you filter, sort and cap the result so reviewers and pipelines see a stable slice.

Executive summary

ORDER BY sorts rows; LIMIT (or dialect equivalents) caps how many return. Use both for “top N” reports and for safe peeks at large tables.

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SELECT product_id, revenue
FROM product_daily
WHERE day = DATE '2026-07-01'
ORDER BY revenue DESC
LIMIT 10;

Notes:

• ASC is usually the default; use DESC for top values.
• Without ORDER BY, LIMIT alone is not a stable ranking.
• Dialects differ (LIMIT, FETCH FIRST, TOP) — learn the idea, then the vendor form.

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Check understanding

What does ORDER BY do?

• Sorts the result rows
• Creates a new table
• Deletes matching rows

Why pair ORDER BY with LIMIT for “top N”?

Select all that apply

• LIMIT alone does not define a ranking
• ORDER BY defines which rows count as “top”
• LIMIT replaces WHERE

What to do next

1. Continue to Module 2 · Joins.
2. Or jump to INNER JOIN.