This example limits SELECT result to 100 rows.
SELECT TOP 100 *
FROM table_name;
It is also possible to use a variable to specify the number of rows:
DECLARE @CountDesiredRows int = 100;
SELECT TOP (@CountDesiredRows) *
FROM table_name;
SQL Server 2012
FETCH is generally more useful for pagination, but can be used as an alternative to TOP:
SELECT *
FROM table_name
ORDER BY 1
OFFSET 0 ROWS
FETCH NEXT 50 ROWS ONLY
