SQL Wildcard Characters
A wildcard character is used to substitute one or more characters in a string.
Wildcard characters are used with the LIKE operator. The LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specified pattern in a column.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a%';
Wildcard Characters
| Symbol | Description |
|---|---|
| % | Represents zero or more characters |
| _ | Represents a single character |
| [] | Represents any single character within the brackets * |
| ^ | Represents any character not in the brackets * |
| - | Represents any single character within the specified range * |
| {} | Represents any escaped character ** |
- Not supported in PostgreSQL and MySQL databases.
** Supported only in Oracle databases.
Demo Database
Below is a selection from the Customers table used in the examples:
| 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 |
Using the % Wildcard
The % wildcard represents any number of characters, even zero characters.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%es';
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%mer%';
Using the _ Wildcard
The _ wildcard represents a single character.
It can be any character or number, but each _ represents one, and only one, character.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE City LIKE '_ondon';
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE City LIKE 'L___on';
Using the [] Wildcard
The [] wildcard returns a result if any of the characters inside gets a match.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '[bsp]%';
Using the - Wildcard
The - wildcard allows you to specify a range of characters inside the [] wildcard.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '[a-f]%';
Combine Wildcards
Any wildcard, like % and _ , can be used in combination with other wildcards.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a__%';
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '_r%';
Without Wildcard
If no wildcard is specified, the phrase has to have an exact match to return a result.
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE Country
LIKE 'Spain';
Microsoft Access Wildcards
The Microsoft Access Database has some other wildcards:
| Symbol | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| * | Represents zero or more characters | bl* finds bl, black, blue, and blob |
| ? | Represents a single character | h?t finds hot, hat, and hit |
| [] | Represents any single character within the brackets | h[oa]t finds hot and hat, but not hit |
| ! | Represents any character not in the brackets | h[!oa]t finds hit, but not hot and hat |
| - | Represents any single character within the specified range | c[a-b]t finds cat and cbt |
| # | Represents any single numeric character | 2#5 finds 205, 215, 225, 235, 245, 255, 265, 275, 285, and 295 |
