Using the SQL LIKE Operator: A Comprehensive Guide
☰Fullscreen
The SQL LIKE clause is used to compare a value to similar values using wildcard operators. There are two wildcards used in conjunction with the LIKE operator.
- The percent sign (%)
- The underscore (_)
The percent sign represents zero, one or multiple characters. The underscore represents a single number or character. These symbols can be used in combinations.
Here are some examples showing different LIKE operators with '%' and '_' wildcards:
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%b' | Finds any values that ends with "b" |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%or%' | Finds any values that have "or" in any position |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '_p%' | Finds any values that have "p" in the second position |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'b_%_%' | Finds any values that starts with "b" and are at least 3 characters in length |
| WHERE ContactName LIKE 'b%o' | Finds any values that starts with "b" and ends with "o" |
Syntax:
<span class="pln"> SELECT FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE </span><span class="str">'XXXX%'</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="kwd">or</span><span class="pln"> SELECT FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE </span><span class="str">'%XXXX%'</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="kwd">or</span><span class="pln"> SELECT FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE </span><span class="str">'XXXX_'</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="kwd">or</span><span class="pln"> SELECT FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE </span><span class="str">'_XXXX'</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="kwd">or</span><span class="pln"> SELECT FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE </span><span class="str">'_XXXX_'</span><span class="pln"> </span>
No Questions Data Available.
No Program Data.