SQL LIKE

SQL > SQL Advanced > SQL LIKE

What is SQL LIKE?

The SQL LIKE operator enables a comparison to a part of a string using the % wild card character.

Why Use SQL LIKE?

The SQL LIKE operator is a powerful way to check for matching strings. It is often used for interactive display of lists.

How To Use SQL LIKE

SQL LIKE is used as follows.

SQL LIKE Syntax

SELECT <column_list>
FROM <table_name>
WHERE <column_name> LIKE <like_condition>

The <like_condition> supports the following patterns:

'ABC%' - where a string begins with the letters 'ABC'
'%XYZ' - where a string ends with the 'XYZ'
'%TUV%' - where the string contais 'TUV' anywhere

SQL LIKE Example

The following example lists rows from the branch table where branch_name begins with the leading characters 'San'.

Here are the contents of the table:

Table: BRANCH

branch_nbr branch_name region_nbr employee_count

108 New York 100 10

110 Boston 100 6

212 Chicago 200 5

404 San Diego 400 6

415 San Jose 400 3

This SQL Statement with LIKE is executed:

SELECT branch_nbr, branch_name, employee_count
FROM branch
WHERE branch_name LIKE 'San%'

Here is the result.

branch_nbr branch_name employee_count

404 San Diego 6

415 San Jose 3