SQL Wildcard

The SQL Wildcards are used in the LIKE operator to search for a specified pattern in a column. Wildcards allows you to filter results based on partial matches rather than exact values, making it easier to find relevant data in large databases.

SQL Wildcard Syntax

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

SQL Wildcard Characters

• % : Represents zero or more characters.
• _ : Represents a single character.
• [] : Represents any single character within the brackets.
• – : Used within brackets to specify a range of characters.
• ^: Represents ay character not in the brackets.

SQL Wildcard Microsoft Access Wildcard

• * : Used instead of % to represent zero or more characters.
• ? : Used instead of _ to represent a single character.

Note: These are specific to Microsoft Access databases, so in those environments, you would use * and ? instead of & and _.

SQL Wildcard Example

SQL Wildcard Using The % Wildcard Example

This query uses the % wildcard to find all patients whose first names starts with letter ‘A’.

SELECT first_name, last_name
FROM Patients
WHERE first_name LIKE 'A%';

SQL Wildcard Visual Diagram

SQL Wildcard Labs