The SQL WHERE LIKE syntax

The general syntax is:

1. SELECT column–names
2. FROM table–name
3. WHERE column–name LIKE value

Optional Wildcard characters allowed in ‘value’ are % (percent) and _ (underscore).
A % matches any string with zero or more characters.
An _ matches any single character.

SQL WHERE LIKE Examples

Problem: List all products with names that start with ‘Ca’

1. SELECT Id, ProductName, UnitPrice, Package
2. FROM Product
3. WHERE ProductName LIKE ‘Ca%’

Results: 2 records.

Problem: List all products that start with ‘Cha’ or ‘Chan’ and have one more character.

1. SELECT Id, ProductName, UnitPrice, Package
2. FROM Product
3. WHERE ProductName LIKE ‘Cha_’ OR ProductName LIKE ‘Chan_’

Results: 2 records.