SQL SET ROWCOUNT statement gives administrators some control over the execution of "runaway" queries issued by naive users of SQL. This statement stops the execution of a query as soon as a specified number of rows has been retrieved. In this way, system resources are not wasted, but users can see at least a partial result set. An informational message is displayed after the result set, indicating that SET ROWCOUNT is in effect.
If a fully executed query happens to return the exact number of rows specified by the ROWCOUNT value, the query-termination message is still displayed.
Example of SQL SET ROWCOUNT
SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEES
- It will return 10 rows of records.
After add SET ROWCOUNT
SET ROWCOUNT 5
SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEES
- It will return 5 rows of records instead of 10 row.
(Bacause you set the RowCount to 5)
SQL SET ROWCOUNT