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 how to select every nth record from a table?

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AskSQLTeam
Ask SQLTeam Question

0 Posts

Posted - 2003-08-15 : 07:03:42
Richard Costin writes "How to select every nth record from a table using Microsoft SQL server?

Version SQL 8.00.760"

Amethystium
Aged Yak Warrior

701 Posts

Posted - 2003-08-15 : 07:55:10
Add a sequential column (1, 2, 3, 4 ....n) and (call it SEQ) to your table. Then do something like this :

SELECT *
FROM someTable
WHERE SEQ%5 = 0

This will return every 5th, 10th, 15th record etc..

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Page47
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

2878 Posts

Posted - 2003-08-15 : 08:11:13
quote:
Originally posted by AskSQLTeam
How to select every nth record from a table using Microsoft SQL server?


Amethystium aludes to this, but there is an inherent misunderstanding that is revealed by your question.

There is nothing in the relational model that says rows in tables are ordered. Re-read Codd's Information Rule: In the relational model, you can ONLY select a row based on its column values. NOTHING ELSE. There is no concept of row ordering. There is no first, no last, no thirty-fifth.

So if you want the nth record, you need to clarify in your query by what order? So, if you want the 5th page the user visited in the session, you would have to find the row with that particular session pk and having the 5th earliest timestamp, more than likely.


Jay White
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SqlStar
Posting Yak Master

121 Posts

Posted - 2003-08-18 : 08:48:11
"In the relational model, you can ONLY select a row based on its column values. NOTHING ELSE. There is no concept of row ordering."

Yeah. That's correct.

":-) IT Knowledge is power :-)"
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