HOWTO update or delete on SQL server a limited number of rows, like TOP condition

If you need to update a limited number of rows on a sql table using a "top"  like condition, here is a solution:

SET ROWCOUNT 100

-- update

SET ROWCOUNT 100

update table1 set column1 = getdate()

-- only 100 rows will be updated

-- delete

SET ROWCOUNT 10

delete from table1

-- only 10 rows will be deleted