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The MS SQL Server 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. The symbols can be used in combinations.
Syntax
Following is the basic syntax of % and _.
SELECT *column-list FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE ''XXXX%'' or SELECT *column-list FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE ''%XXXX%'' or SELECT *column-list FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE ''XXXX_'' or SELECT *column-list FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE ''_XXXX'' or SELECT *column-list FROM table_name WHERE column LIKE ''_XXXX_''
You can combine N number of conditions using AND or OR operators. XXXX could be any numeric or string value.
Example
Following are a number of examples showing WHERE part having different LIKE clause with ”%” and ”_” operators.
| Sr.No | Statement & Description |
|---|---|
| 1 |
WHERE SALARY LIKE ”200%” Finds any values that start with 200 |
| 2 |
WHERE SALARY LIKE ”%200%” Finds any values that have 200 in any position |
| 3 |
WHERE SALARY LIKE ”_00%” Finds any values that have 00 in the second and third positions |
| 4 |
WHERE SALARY LIKE ”2_%_%” Finds any values that start with 2 and are at least 3 characters in length |
| 5 |
WHERE SALARY LIKE ”%2” Finds any values that end with 2 |
| 6 |
WHERE SALARY LIKE ”_2%3” Finds any values that have a 2 in the second position and end with a 3 |
| 7 |
WHERE SALARY LIKE ”2___3” Finds any values in a five-digit number that start with 2 and end with 3 |
Consider the CUSTOMERS table having the following records.
ID NAME AGE ADDRESS SALARY 1 Ramesh 32 Ahmedabad 2000.00 2 Khilan 25 Delhi 1500.00 3 kaushik 23 Kota 2000.00 4 Chaitali 25 Mumbai 6500.00 5 Hardik 27 Bhopal 8500.00 6 Komal 22 MP 4500.00 7 Muffy 24 Indore 10000.00
Following command is an example, which will display all the records from CUSTOMERS table where SALARY starts with 200.
SELECT * FROM CUSTOMERS WHERE SALARY LIKE ''200%'';
The above command will produce the following output.
ID NAME AGE ADDRESS SALARY 1 Ramesh 32 Ahmedabad 2000.00 3 kaushik 23 Kota 2000.00
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