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.

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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

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