SQL LIKE Operator : SQL 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
Note:
- MS Access uses a question mark (?) instead of the underscore (_).
- The percent sign and the underscore can also be used in combinations!
LIKE Syntax
SELECT column1, column2, …
FROM table_name
WHERE columnN LIKE pattern;
Tip:
- You can also combine any number of conditions using AND or OR operators.
- Here are some examples showing different LIKE operators with ‘%’ and ‘_’ wildcards:
| 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” |
Demo Database
Below is a selection from the “Customers” table in the Northwind sample database:
| 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 Taquería | 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 |
SQL LIKE Examples
The following SQL statement selects all customers with a CustomerName starting with “a”:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE ‘a%’;
output
The following SQL statement selects all customers with a CustomerName ending with “a”:
Number of Records: 4
| 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 Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE ‘%a’;
The following SQL statement selects all customers with a CustomerName that have “or” in any position:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE ‘%or%’;
Output
Number of Records: 11
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 36 | Hungry Coyote Import Store | Yoshi Latimer | City Center Plaza 516 Main St. | Elgin | 97827 | USA |
| 40 | La corne d’abondance | Daniel Tonini | 67, avenue de l’Europe | Versailles | 78000 | France |
| 43 | Lazy K Kountry Store | John Steel | 12 Orchestra Terrace | Walla Walla | 99362 | USA |
| 52 | Morgenstern Gesundkost | Alexander Feuer | Heerstr. 22 | Leipzig | 04179 | Germany |
| 53 | North/South | Simon Crowther | South House 300 Queensbridge | London | SW7 1RZ | UK |
| 55 | Old World Delicatessen | Rene Phillips | 2743 Bering St. | Anchorage | 99508 | USA |
| 72 | Seven Seas Imports | Hari Kumar | 90 Wadhurst Rd. | London | OX15 4NB | UK |
| 80 | Tortuga Restaurante | Miguel Angel Paolino | Avda. Azteca 123 | México D.F. | 05033 | Mexico |
| 88 | Wellington Importadora | Paula Parente | Rua do Mercado, 12 | Resende | 08737-363 | Brazil |
The following SQL statement selects all customers with a CustomerName that have “r” in the second position:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE ‘_r%’;
Output
Number of Records: 11
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 17 | Drachenblut Delikatessend | Sven Ottlieb | Walserweg 21 | Aachen | 52066 | Germany |
| 20 | Ernst Handel | Roland Mendel | Kirchgasse 6 | Graz | 8010 | Austria |
| 25 | Frankenversand | Peter Franken | Berliner Platz 43 | München | 80805 | Germany |
| 26 | France restauration | Carine Schmitt | 54, rue Royale | Nantes | 44000 | France |
| 27 | Franchi S.p.A. | Paolo Accorti | Via Monte Bianco 34 | Torino | 10100 | Italy |
| 32 | Great Lakes Food Market | Howard Snyder | 2732 Baker Blvd. | Eugene | 97403 | USA |
| 33 | GROSELLA-Restaurante | Manuel Pereira | 5ª Ave. Los Palos Grandes | Caracas | 1081 | Venezuela |
| 60 | Princesa Isabel Vinhoss | Isabel de Castro | Estrada da saúde n. 58 | Lisboa | 1756 | Portugal |
| 81 | Tradição Hipermercados | Anabela Domingues | Av. Inês de Castro, 414 | São Paulo | 05634-030 | Brazil |
| 82 | Trail’s Head Gourmet Provisioners | Helvetius Nagy | 722 DaVinci Blvd. | Kirkland | 98034 | USA |
The following SQL statement selects all customers with a CustomerName that starts with “a” and are at least 3 characters in length:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE ‘a_%_%’;
Output
Number of Records: 4
| 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 Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
The following SQL statement selects all customers with a ContactName that starts with “a” and ends with “o”:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE ContactName LIKE ‘a%o’;
Output
Number of Records: 3
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 69 | Romero y tomillo | Alejandra Camino | Gran Vía, 1 | Madrid | 28001 | Spain |
The following SQL statement selects all customers with a CustomerName that does NOT start with “a”:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName NOT LIKE ‘a%’;
output
Number of Records: 12
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
| 6 | Blauer See Delikatessen | Hanna Moos | Forsterstr. 57 | Mannheim | 68306 | Germany |
| 7 | Blondel père et fils | Frédérique Citeaux | 24, place Kléber | Strasbourg | 67000 | France |
| 8 | Bólido Comidas preparadas | Martín Sommer | C/ Araquil, 67 | Madrid | 28023 | Spain |
| 9 | Bon app’ | Laurence Lebihans | 12, rue des Bouchers | Marseille | 13008 | France |
| 10 | Bottom-Dollar Marketse | Elizabeth Lincoln | 23 Tsawassen Blvd. | Tsawassen | T2F 8M4 | Canada |
| 11 | B’s Beverages | Victoria Ashworth | Fauntleroy Circus | London | EC2 5NT | UK |
| 12 | Cactus Comidas para llevar | Patricio Simpson | Cerrito 333 | Buenos Aires | 1010 | Argentina |
| 13 | Centro comercial Moctezuma | Francisco Chang | Sierras de Granada 9993 | México D.F. | 05022 | Mexico |
| 14 | Chop-suey Chinese | Yang Wang | Hauptstr. 29 | Bern | 3012 | Switzerland |
| 15 | Comércio Mineiro | Pedro Afonso | Av. dos Lusíadas, 23 | São Paulo | 05432-043 | Brazil |
| 16 | Consolidated Holdings | Elizabeth Brown | Berkeley Gardens 12 Brewery | London | WX1 6LT | UK |