The SQL LIKE Operator
The LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specified pattern within a column's text data.
There are two wildcards often used in conjunction with the LIKE operator:
- A percent sign % - represents zero, one, or multiple characters
- A underscore sign _ - represents a single character
The following SQL selects all customers that starts with the letter "a":
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a%';Syntax
SELECT column1, column2, ... FROM table_name WHERE columnN LIKE pattern ;
Demo Database
Below is a selection from the Customers table used in the examples:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno TaquerÃa | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
The % Wildcard
The % wildcard represents any number of characters, even zero characters.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE city LIKE '%on%';The _ Wildcard
The _ wildcard represents one single character.
It can be any character or number, but each _ represents one, and only one, character.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE city LIKE 'l_nd__';Starts With
To return records that starts with a specific letter or phrase, add the % at the end of the letter or phrase.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'La%';Tip
You can also combine any number of conditions using AND or OR operators.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a%' OR CustomerName LIKE 'b%';Ends With
To return records that ends with a specific letter or phrase, add the % at the beginning of the letter or phrase.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%a';Tip
You can also combine "starts with" and "ends with":
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'b%s';Contains
To return records that contains a specific letter or phrase, add the % both before and after the letter or phrase.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%or%';Combine Wildcards
Any wildcard, like % and _ , can be used in combination with other wildcards.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a__%';Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '_r%';Without Wildcards
If no wildcard is specified, the phrase has to have an exact match to return a result.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE Country
LIKE 'Spain';