SQL Wildcard Characters:-
A wildcard character is used to substitute any other character(s) in a string.
Wildcard characters are used with the SQL LIKE operator. The LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specified pattern in a column.
There are two wildcards used in conjunction with the LIKE operator:
- % - The percent sign represents zero, one, or multiple characters
- _ - The underscore represents a single character
| LIKE Operator | Description |
|---|---|
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a%' | Finds any values that starts with "a" |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%a' | Finds any values that ends with "a" |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%or%' | Finds any values that have "or" in any position |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '_r%' | Finds any values that have "r" in the second position |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a_%_%' | Finds any values that starts with "a" and are at least 3 characters in length |
| WHERE ContactName LIKE 'a%o' | Finds any values that starts with "a" and ends with "o" |