How to retrieve a random row or multiple random rows in MySQL?

You can use RAND() method for this. To retrieve a random row, use the following syntax

SELECT *FROM yourTableName ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT yourIntegerNumber;

To understand the above syntax, let us create a table. The query to create a table is as follows

mysql> create table gettingRandomRow
   -> (
   -> CustomerId int NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
   -> CustomerName varchar(100)
   -> );
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.45 sec)

Insert some records in the table using insert command. The query is as follows −

mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Chris');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.14 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Robert');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.10 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Ramit');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.15 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('James');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.11 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Jace');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.12 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Mike');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.15 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Sam');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.17 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Bob');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.12 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Carol');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.11 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('David');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.16 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Maxwell');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.14 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('Larry');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.13 sec)
mysql> insert into gettingRandomRow(CustomerName) values('John');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.11 sec)

Display all records from the table using select statement. The query is as follows −

mysql> select *from gettingRandomRow;

The following is the output

+------------+--------------+
| CustomerId | CustomerName |
+------------+--------------+
|          1 | Chris        |
|          2 | Robert       |
|          3 | Ramit        |
|          4 | James        |
|          5 | Jace         |
|          6 | Mike         |
|          7 | Sam          |
|          8 | Bob          |
|          9 | Carol        |
|         10 | David        |
|         11 | Maxwell      |
|         12 | Larry        |
|         13 | John         |
+------------+--------------+
13 rows in set (0.00 sec)

Here is the query to get a random row or multiple random rows.

Case 1: The query is as follows −

mysql> select *from gettingRandomRow order by rand() LIMIT 1;

The following is the output

+------------+--------------+
| CustomerId | CustomerName |
+------------+--------------+
|         13 | John         |
+------------+--------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

Case 2: The query is as follows −

mysql> select *from gettingRandomRow order by rand() LIMIT 2;

The following is the output

+------------+--------------+
| CustomerId | CustomerName |
+------------+--------------+
|          2 | Robert       |
|          3 | Ramit        |
+------------+--------------+
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)

Case 3: The query is as follows −

mysql> select *from gettingRandomRow order by rand() LIMIT 2;

The following is the output

+------------+--------------+
| CustomerId | CustomerName |
+------------+--------------+
|          4 | James        |
|         9 | Carol         |
+------------+--------------+
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)