The `FETCH` specifies the maximum number of rows that can be in the result of a query.
The `ONLY` option is used to return rows that immediately follow the rows omitted by the `OFFSET`. In this case the `FETCH` is an alternative to the [LIMIT](../../../sql-reference/statements/select/limit.md) clause. For example, the following query
``` sql
SELECT * FROM test_fetch ORDER BY a OFFSET 1 ROW FETCH FIRST 3 ROWS ONLY;
```
is identical to the query
``` sql
SELECT * FROM test_fetch ORDER BY a LIMIT 3 OFFSET 1;
```
The `WITH TIES` option is used to return any additional rows that tie for the last place in the result set according to the `ORDER BY` clause. For example, if `fetch_row_count` is set to 5 but two additional rows match the values of the `ORDER BY` columns in the fifth row, the result set will contain seven rows.
!!! note "Note"
According to the standard, the `OFFSET` clause must come before the `FETCH` clause if both are present.