SQL Rowcount vs Top

Question

What is the difference between

Set Rowcount X

And

Select Top X *
From Z

in TSQL?

Answer 1

The main difference is that top will only effect the query you are running while set rowcount will persist with the connection and apply to all queries executed within that connection.

Answer 2

Top can do a few more things for you. For one, you can specify a percentage, instead of an integer. You can also handle situations where ties in column values occur.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189463.aspx