Like

SQL LIKE is a clause used in SQL statements to search for patterns in a database. It is used in conjunction with the SELECT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements to filter records based on a specified pattern. The LIKE operator is often used to search for a specific string of characters within a column in a table.

Syntax

The basic syntax for using the LIKE operator is as follows:

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

In this syntax, the column_name represents the column in the table that you want to search for a pattern. The table_name represents the table that contains the column, and the pattern is the string of characters that you want to search for within the column.

The pattern parameter can contain special characters, such as percent signs (%), which represent any number of characters, and underscore (_), which represents a single character. For example, if you want to search for all records in a table where the column_name starts with the letter “A,” you would use the following SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name LIKE 'A%';

This statement would return all records where the column_name starts with the letter “A,” followed by any number of characters.

Similarly, if you want to search for all records in a table where the column_name contains the word “apple,” you would use the following SQL statement:

SELECT *
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name LIKE '%apple%';

This statement would return all records where the column_name contains the word “apple” anywhere in the column.

In conclusion, the SQL LIKE clause is a powerful tool that allows you to search for specific patterns in a database. By using the LIKE operator, you can quickly and easily filter records based on a specified pattern, which can be extremely useful when working with large databases.