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$top/$limit

Functionality​

Definition​

The $top and $limit parameters allow you to define the maximum number of entities to return in a response. These parameters can be used interchangeably and are useful for controlling the size of the result set.

Syntax​

To limit the number of entities returned, use the following syntax:

GET /rest/{{dataClass}}?$top={{number}}

or

GET /rest/{{dataClass}}?$limit={{number}}

Detailed Behavior​

Limiting the Number of Entities​

By default, the server returns up to 100 entities. You can specify a different limit by using $top or $limit to control the number of entities returned. For example, setting $top=50 will limit the response to 50 entities.

Using $top/$limit with $skip​

You can combine $top or $limit with $skip to paginate through a large collection of entities. This combination allows you to navigate the result set by specifying the starting point and the number of entities to return.

Combining with Other Parameters​

The $top/$limit parameter can be combined with other parameters to control the number of entities returned in a query efficiently:

  • $skip: Use in conjunction with $top/$limit to navigate through the dataset by specifying the starting point and the number of entities to return.

  • $filter: Narrow down the dataset before limiting the number of entities returned.

  • $orderby: Sort the dataset before applying the limit to ensure consistent results.

  • $expand: Include related data in the results while limiting the number of entities returned.

  • $attributes: Specify which attributes to include in the results after limiting the number of entities.

  • $method=entityset: Create an entity set and control the number of entities returned from the set.

  • $savedfilter: Apply a saved filter to the dataset before limiting the number of entities returned.

  • $savedorderby: Apply a saved sorting order to the dataset before limiting the number of entities returned.

  • $compute: Perform computations on a limited number of entities from the dataset.

  • $lock: Limit the number of entities when locking or unlocking entities to ensure the operation applies to a specific subset of the dataset.

  • $distinct: Limit the number of distinct values returned from a dataset.

Use Cases​

Retrieving a Limited Number of Entities​

Request:

GET /rest/Employee?$top=50

Response:

Returns the first 50 entities from the Employee dataclass.

Paginating Through Results​

Retrieve entities 51 to 60:

Request:

GET /rest/Employee?$skip=50&$top=10

Response:

Returns entities 51 to 60 from the Employee dataclass.

Limiting Filtered Results​

Retrieve the top 5 employees with the highest salaries:

Request:

GET /rest/Employee?$filter="salary>0"&$orderby="salary DESC"&$top=5

Response:

Returns the top 5 employees sorted by salary in descending order.

Best Practices​

  • Use Pagination: When dealing with large datasets, use $skip and $top together to paginate results efficiently.

  • Specify Limits: Always specify a reasonable limit to avoid performance issues and large payloads.

  • Combine with Filters: Use $filter along with $top or $limit to refine the result set and return only the necessary data.