Suppress exceeding number of records using SQL

[H303]

Is there any way how to limit the number of returned records to a certain value? I have a Paradox table which holds millions of measurement data and timestamps. When I do a select for a certain time range, I may get back thousends of records and I only need to present the first 25 for a preview.

Functions like:
SELECT ... ... WHERE ROWNUM <= 25 (Oracle)
or
SELECT FIRST 10 * (Informix)
did not work with Paradox and BDE.

Many thanks for every hint!
Hermann

 

[2ffat]

I've not done this using SQL statements but I have with TTable. Let me know if you want to fo this route. James P. Cottingham

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.
[tab][tab]Albert Einstein explaining his Theory of Relativity to a group of journalists.

 

[H303]

Hi James, thanks for your response.
I do have to use SQL, but anyway it would be very interesting how to solve the problem. When we run into serious problems with this issue then, may be, I woud be very glad to have solution beside SQL.
Regards Hermann

 

[butthead]

copy a thousand or so records to a temp file
and then do your sql. if you dont get enough
do it again. you could implement a random copy
also.

maybe not so elegant but it might get the job
done for now.

tomcruz.net