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$skip

Functionality​

Definition​

The $skip parameter defines the starting point within a collection of entities. By default, the collection starts with the first entity. To start with a different entity, you specify the number of entities to skip.

Syntax​

To use $skip, include it in your GET request with the number of entities you wish to skip:

GET /rest/{{dataClass}}/$entityset/{{entitySetID}}?$skip={{number}}
tip

Integer value indicating the number of entities to skip.

Detailed Behavior​

Starting Point​

By default, entity collections start from the first entity. By using $skip, you can define a different starting point. For instance, $skip=10 will start the collection from the 11th entity.

Combining with Other Parameters​

The $skip parameter can be combined with other parameters to navigate through a collection of entities efficiently:

  • $top/$limit: Use in conjunction with $skip to control the number of entities returned after skipping a certain number.

  • $filter: Narrow down the dataset before skipping a specified number of entities.

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

  • $expand: Include related data in the results while skipping a certain number of entities.

  • $attributes: Specify which attributes to include in the results after skipping entities.

  • $method=entityset: Create an entity set and navigate through it by skipping entities.

  • $savedfilter: Apply a saved filter to the dataset before skipping entities.

  • $savedorderby: Apply a saved sorting order to the dataset before skipping entities.

  • $compute: Perform computations on a dataset after skipping a specified number of entities.

  • $lock: Skip entities when locking or unlocking entities to ensure the operation starts from a specific point in the dataset.

  • $distinct: Skip a number of entities when retrieving distinct values from a dataset.

Use Cases​

Skipping Entities​

To skip the first 20 entities and start the collection from the 21st entity:

Request:

GET /rest/Employee/$entityset/CB1BCC603DB0416D939B4ED379277F02?$skip=20

Response:

This request would return entities starting from the 21st entity in the collection.

{
    "__DATACLASS": "Employee",
    "__entityModel": "Employee",
    "__GlobalStamp": 0,
    "__COUNT": 50,
    "__FIRST": 20,
    "__ENTITIES": [...]
}

Skipping and Limiting Results​

To skip the first 10 entities and retrieve the next 2 entities:

Request:

GET /rest/Employee/$entityset/CB1BCC603DB0416D939B4ED379277F02?$skip=10&$top=5

Response:

This request would return the 11th through 15th entities in the collection.

{
    "__DATACLASS": "Employee",
    "__entityModel": "Employee",
    "__GlobalStamp": 0,
    "__COUNT": 50,
    "__FIRST": 10,
    "__ENTITIES": [...],
    "__SENT": 5
}

Best Practices​

  • Combine with $top/$limit: Use $skip in combination with $top or $limit for efficient pagination.

  • Optimize Queries: Ensure your queries are optimized for performance, especially when working with large datasets.

  • Error Handling: Implement error handling for cases where the skip value exceeds the number of entities in the collection.