SQL LIKE Operator

The SQL LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specified pattern in a column. It helps in finding records that match a certain pattern.

Using LIKE Operator

The LIKE operator is used in queries to match patterns in text columns. You can use wildcard characters to perform partial matches.

-- Find all employees with names starting with 'J'
SELECT * FROM Employees
WHERE EmployeeName LIKE 'J%';

-- Find all products with names containing 'Pro'
SELECT * FROM Products
WHERE ProductName LIKE '%Pro%';

        

Syntax

The basic syntax for using the LIKE operator is:

SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name LIKE pattern;

        

Wildcard Characters

The LIKE operator uses wildcard characters to define the search pattern:

• %: Represents zero or more characters. Example: 'a%' matches any string that starts with 'a'.
• _: Represents a single character. Example: 'a_c' matches 'abc', 'adc', etc.

Examples

Here are some examples of using the LIKE operator:

-- Find all customers whose names end with 'son'
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%son';

-- Find all orders with descriptions starting with 'Special'
SELECT * FROM Orders
WHERE OrderDescription LIKE 'Special%';