SQL LIKE Operator

The LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specific pattern in a column.

Syntax

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

Pattern Matching

You can use the following wildcard characters in the pattern:

• %: Matches any character sequence, zero or more times.
• _: Matches any single character.

Examples

Example 1: Find all products that start with 'Ch'

SELECT *
FROM Products
WHERE ProductName LIKE 'Ch%';

Example 2: Find all products that contain 'an' anywhere in the name

SELECT *
FROM Products
WHERE ProductName LIKE '%an%';

Example 3: Find all products that end with 'syrup'

SELECT *
FROM Products
WHERE ProductName LIKE '%syrup';

Example 4: Find all products with a 4-character product ID starting with '1'

SELECT *
FROM Products
WHERE ProductID LIKE '1___';

Note: The specific implementation and syntax might vary slightly depending on the database system you're using (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server). However, the core concept of using the LIKE operator with wildcard characters remains consistent.