> hmmm, if i understood right what helen said in an earlier post then
> select and count is faster then "select first x"

I am curious about Helen's post, because from my experience, select
First X is reasonably efficient, providing

a) You do not order the data

or

b) The order by clause can use an index

If you order by a non-indexed field, then of course the entire table
will need to be read.

Adam