There are lots of ways to select a random record or row from a database table. Here are some example SQL statements that don’t require additional application logic, but each database server requires different SQL syntax.

Select a random row with MySQL:

SELECT column FROM table
ORDER BY RAND()
LIMIT 1

Although the specification of the HTTP protocol does not specify any maximum length, practical limits are imposed by web browser and server software.

Microsoft Internet Explorer (Browser)

Microsoft states that the maximum length of a URL in Internet Explorer is 2,083 characters, with no more than 2,048 characters in the path portion of the URL. In my tests, attempts to use URLs longer than this produced a clear error message in Internet Explorer.

Firefox (Browser)

After 65,536 characters, the location bar no longer displays the URL in Windows Firefox 1.5.x. However, longer URLs will work. I stopped testing after 100,000 characters.