How can one modify a SQL query to calculate the sum of only the top 8 results?

To modify a SQL query to calculate the sum of only the top 8 results, you can use the LIMIT clause in your query to restrict the number of rows returned to 8, and then calculate the sum of those rows. This can be achieved by first ordering the results in descending order based on the column you want to sum, and then using the LIMIT 8 clause to limit the results to the top 8 rows.

$query = "SELECT SUM(column_name) AS total_sum 
          FROM table_name 
          ORDER BY column_name DESC 
          LIMIT 8";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);
$row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result);
$total_sum = $row['total_sum'];
echo "Total sum of top 8 results: " . $total_sum;