{"id":98,"date":"2016-03-22T14:30:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T14:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sqltutorial.org\/?page_id=98"},"modified":"2025-02-04T07:22:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T14:22:57","slug":"sql-like","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-like\/","title":{"rendered":"SQL LIKE Operator"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><strong>Summary<\/strong>: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the SQL <code>LIKE<\/code> operator to test whether a value matches a pattern.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='introduction-to-sql-like-operator'>Introduction to SQL LIKE operator <a href=\"#introduction-to-sql-like-operator\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"introduction-to-sql-like-operator\" title=\"Anchor for Introduction to SQL LIKE operator\">#<\/a><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The <code>LIKE<\/code> operator is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-logical-operators\/\">SQL logical operators<\/a>. The <code>LIKE<\/code> operator returns <code>true<\/code> if a value matches a pattern or <code>false<\/code> otherwise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Here&#8217;s the syntax of the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-1\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\">expression LIKE pattern<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-1\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In this syntax, the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator tests whether the <code>expression<\/code> matches the <code>pattern<\/code>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>SQL provides you with two wildcard characters to construct a pattern:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>\u00a0<code>%<\/code> percent wildcard matches zero, one, or more characters<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>\u00a0<code>_<\/code> underscore wildcard matches a single character.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>When you use the wildcard characters in a string, SQL will treat them specially.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The following table shows an example of using the <code>%<\/code> and <code>_<\/code> wildcard characters:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\r\n<table>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Expression<\/th>\r\n<th>Meaning<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>LIKE\u00a0<code>'Kim%'<\/code><\/td>\r\n<td>match a string that starts with\u00a0<code>Kim<\/code><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>LIKE\u00a0<code>'%er'<\/code><\/td>\r\n<td>match a string that ends with\u00a0<code>er<\/code><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>LIKE\u00a0<code>'%ch%'<\/code><\/td>\r\n<td>match a string that contains\u00a0<code>ch<\/code><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>LIKE\u00a0<code>'Le_'<\/code><\/td>\r\n<td>match a string that starts with\u00a0<code>Le<\/code>\u00a0and is followed by one character e.g., <code>Les<\/code>, <code>Len<\/code>\u2026<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>LIKE\u00a0<code>'_uy'<\/code><\/td>\r\n<td>match a string that ends with\u00a0<code>uy<\/code>\u00a0and is preceded by one character e.g., <code>guy<\/code><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>LIKE\u00a0<code>'%are_'<\/code><\/td>\r\n<td>match a string that includes the string <code>are<\/code> and ends with one character.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>LIKE\u00a0<code>'_are%'<\/code><\/td>\r\n<td>match a string that includes the string <code>are<\/code>, starts with one character and ends with any number of characters.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"note\">Note that besides the <code>%<\/code> and <code>_<\/code> wildcards, some database systems may support additional wildcard characters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='not-like'>NOT LIKE <a href=\"#not-like\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"not-like\" title=\"Anchor for NOT LIKE\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>To negate the result of a <code>LIKE<\/code> operator, you use the <code>NOT<\/code> operator:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-2\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\">expression NOT LIKE pattern<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-2\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The <code>NOT LIKE<\/code> operator returns <code>true<\/code> if the expression doesn&#8217;t match the pattern or <code>false<\/code> otherwise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='escape-character'>Escape character <a href=\"#escape-character\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"escape-character\" title=\"Anchor for Escape character\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>To match a string that contains wildcard characters for example <code>10%<\/code>, you need to instruct the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator to treat the <code>%<\/code> in <code>10%<\/code> as a regular character.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>To do that, you can explicitly specify an escape character after the <code>ESCAPE<\/code> clause:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-3\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\">expression LIKE pattern ESCAPE escape_character<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-3\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>For example:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-4\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\">value LIKE '%10!%%' ESCAPE '!'<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-4\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In this example, the <code>!<\/code> is an escape character which instructs the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator to treat the <code>%<\/code> appear immediately after it as a regular character.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In practice, you often use the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator in \u00a0<code><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-where\/\">WHERE<\/a><\/code> clause to filter rows whose values match a pattern. Additionally, you can use the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator in the <code>WHERE<\/code> clause of the <code><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-update\/\">UPDATE<\/a><\/code> and <code><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-delete\/\">DELETE<\/a><\/code> to filter rows to update and delete.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='sql-like-operator-examples'>SQL LIKE operator examples <a href=\"#sql-like-operator-examples\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"sql-like-operator-examples\" title=\"Anchor for SQL LIKE operator examples\">#<\/a><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>We&#8217;ll use the <code>employees<\/code> table in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-sample-database\/\">sample database<\/a> for the demonstration.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"273\" class=\"wp-image-237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/employees.png\" alt=\"employees_table\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='finding-names-starting-with-a-string'>Finding names starting with a string <a href=\"#finding-names-starting-with-a-string\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"finding-names-starting-with-a-string\" title=\"Anchor for Finding names starting with a string\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The following query uses the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator to find all employees with the first names starting with the string <code>Da<\/code> :<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-5\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\"><span class=\"hljs-keyword\">SELECT<\/span>\r\n  first_name,\r\n  last_name\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">FROM<\/span>\r\n  employees\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">WHERE<\/span>\r\n  first_name <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">LIKE<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">'Da%'<\/span>\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">ORDER<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">BY<\/span>\r\n  first_name;<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-5\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/playground\/?q=U0VMRUNUIGZpcnN0X25hbWUsIGxhc3RfbmFtZSBGUk9NIGVtcGxveWVlcyBXSEVSRSBmaXJzdF9uYW1lIExJS0UgJ0RhJScgT1JERVIgQlkgZmlyc3RfbmFtZTs%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Try it<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-6\" data-shcb-language-name=\"plaintext\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"plaintext\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-plaintext\"> first_name | last_name\r\n------------+-----------\r\n Daniel     | Faviet\r\n David      | Austin<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-6\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">plaintext<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">plaintext<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='finding-names-ending-with-a-string'>Finding names ending with a string <a href=\"#finding-names-ending-with-a-string\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"finding-names-ending-with-a-string\" title=\"Anchor for Finding names ending with a string\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The following statement uses the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator to find employees whose first names end with <code>er<\/code>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-7\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\"><span class=\"hljs-keyword\">SELECT<\/span>\r\n  first_name,\r\n  last_name\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">FROM<\/span>\r\n  employees\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">WHERE<\/span>\r\n  first_name <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">LIKE<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">'%er'<\/span>\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">ORDER<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">BY<\/span>\r\n  first_name;<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-7\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/playground\/?q=U0VMRUNUIGZpcnN0X25hbWUsIGxhc3RfbmFtZSBGUk9NIGVtcGxveWVlcyBXSEVSRSBmaXJzdF9uYW1lIExJS0UgJyVlcicgT1JERVIgQlkgZmlyc3RfbmFtZTs%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Try it<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-8\" data-shcb-language-name=\"plaintext\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"plaintext\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-plaintext\"> first_name | last_name\r\n------------+-----------\r\n Alexander  | Hunold\r\n Alexander  | Khoo\r\n Jennifer   | Whalen<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-8\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">plaintext<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">plaintext<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='finding-names-that-include-a-string'>Finding names that include a string <a href=\"#finding-names-that-include-a-string\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"finding-names-that-include-a-string\" title=\"Anchor for Finding names that include a string\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The following query uses the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator to find employees whose first names contain the word <code>an<\/code>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-9\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\"><span class=\"hljs-keyword\">SELECT<\/span>\r\n  first_name,\r\n  last_name\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">FROM<\/span>\r\n  employees\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">WHERE<\/span>\r\n  first_name <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">LIKE<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">'%an%'<\/span>\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">ORDER<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">BY<\/span>\r\n  first_name;<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-9\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/playground\/?q=U0VMRUNUIGZpcnN0X25hbWUsIGxhc3RfbmFtZSBGUk9NIGVtcGxveWVlcyBXSEVSRSBsYXN0X25hbWUgTElLRSAnJWFuJScgT1JERVIgQlkgZmlyc3RfbmFtZTs%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Try it<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-10\" data-shcb-language-name=\"plaintext\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"plaintext\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-plaintext\"> first_name  | last_name\r\n-------------+-----------\r\n Alexander   | Khoo\r\n Alexander   | Hunold\r\n Daniel      | Faviet\r\n Diana       | Lorentz\r\n Hermann     | Baer\r\n Jose Manuel | Urman\r\n Nancy       | Greenberg\r\n Shanta      | Vollman\r\n Susan       | Mavris<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-10\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">plaintext<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">plaintext<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='using-the-_-wildcard-character'>Using the _ wildcard character <a href=\"#using-the-_-wildcard-character\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"using-the-_-wildcard-character\" title=\"Anchor for Using the _ wildcard character\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The following query uses the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator to find employees whose first names start with <code>Jo<\/code> and are followed by two characters:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-11\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\"><span class=\"hljs-keyword\">SELECT<\/span>\r\n  first_name,\r\n  last_name\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">FROM<\/span>\r\n  employees\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">WHERE<\/span>\r\n  first_name <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">LIKE<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">'Jo__'<\/span>\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">ORDER<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">BY<\/span>\r\n  first_name;<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-11\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/playground\/?q=U0VMRUNUIGZpcnN0X25hbWUsIGxhc3RfbmFtZSBGUk9NIGVtcGxveWVlcyBXSEVSRSBmaXJzdF9uYW1lIExJS0UgJ0pvX18nIE9SREVSIEJZIGZpcnN0X25hbWU7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Try it<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-12\" data-shcb-language-name=\"plaintext\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"plaintext\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-plaintext\"> first_name | last_name\r\n------------+-----------\r\n John       | Chen\r\n John       | Russell<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-12\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">plaintext<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">plaintext<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='combining-wildcard-characters'>Combining wildcard characters <a href=\"#combining-wildcard-characters\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"combining-wildcard-characters\" title=\"Anchor for Combining wildcard characters\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The following query uses the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator with the <code>%<\/code> and <code>_<\/code> wildcard characters to find employees whose first names start with any number of characters and are followed by a single character:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-13\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\"><span class=\"hljs-keyword\">SELECT<\/span>\r\n  first_name,\r\n  last_name\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">FROM<\/span>\r\n  employees\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">WHERE<\/span>\r\n  first_name <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">LIKE<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">'%are_'<\/span>\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">ORDER<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">BY<\/span>\r\n  first_name;<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-13\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/playground\/?q=U0VMRUNUIGZpcnN0X25hbWUsIGxhc3RfbmFtZSBGUk9NIGVtcGxveWVlcyBXSEVSRSBmaXJzdF9uYW1lIExJS0UgJyVhcmVfJyBPUkRFUiBCWSBmaXJzdF9uYW1lOw%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Try it<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-14\" data-shcb-language-name=\"plaintext\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"plaintext\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-plaintext\"> first_name | last_name\r\n------------+------------\r\n Karen      | Colmenares\r\n Karen      | Partners<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-14\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">plaintext<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">plaintext<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='sql-not-like-operator-example'>SQL NOT LIKE operator example <a href=\"#sql-not-like-operator-example\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"sql-not-like-operator-example\" title=\"Anchor for SQL NOT LIKE operator example\">#<\/a><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The following example uses the <code>NOT LIKE<\/code> operator to find all employees whose first names start with the letter <code>S<\/code> but not start with <code>Sh<\/code>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-15\" data-shcb-language-name=\"SQL (Structured Query Language)\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"sql\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-sql\"><span class=\"hljs-keyword\">SELECT<\/span>\r\n  first_name,\r\n  last_name\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">FROM<\/span>\r\n  employees\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">WHERE<\/span>\r\n  first_name <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">LIKE<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">'S%'<\/span>\r\n  <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">AND<\/span> first_name <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">NOT<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">LIKE<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-string\">'Sh%'<\/span>\r\n<span class=\"hljs-keyword\">ORDER<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">BY<\/span>\r\n  first_name;<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-15\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">SQL (Structured Query Language)<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">sql<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/playground\/?q=U0VMRUNUIGZpcnN0X25hbWUsIGxhc3RfbmFtZSBGUk9NIGVtcGxveWVlcyBXSEVSRSBmaXJzdF9uYW1lIExJS0UgJ1MlJyBBTkQgZmlyc3RfbmFtZSBOT1QgTElLRSAnU2glJyBPUkRFUiBCWSBmaXJzdF9uYW1lOw%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Try it<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-16\" data-shcb-language-name=\"plaintext\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"plaintext\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-plaintext\"> first_name | last_name\r\n------------+-----------\r\n Sarah      | Bell\r\n Sigal      | Tobias\r\n Steven     | King\r\n Susan      | Mavris<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-16\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">plaintext<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">plaintext<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='summary'>Summary <a href=\"#summary\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"summary\" title=\"Anchor for Summary\">#<\/a><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>The <code>LIKE<\/code> operator returns <code>true<\/code> if a value matches a pattern or <code>false<\/code> otherwise.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Use the <code>NOT<\/code> operator to negate the <code>LIKE<\/code> operator.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Use the <code>%<\/code> wildcard to match one or more characters<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Use the <code>_<\/code> wildcard to match a single character.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='databases'>Databases <a href=\"#databases\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"databases\" title=\"Anchor for Databases\">#<\/a><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pgtutorial.com\/postgresql-tutorial\/postgresql-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PostgreSQL LIKE operator<\/a><\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oracletutorial.com\/oracle-basics\/oracle-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oracle LIKE operator<\/a><\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqlservertutorial.net\/sql-server-basics\/sql-server-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SQL Server LIKE operator<\/a><\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mysqltutorial.org\/mysql-basics\/mysql-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MySQL LIKE operator<\/a><\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqlitetutorial.net\/sqlite-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SQLite LIKE operator<\/a><\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.db2tutorial.com\/db2-basics\/db2-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Db2 LIKE operator<\/a><\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mariadbtutorial.com\/mariadb-basics\/mariadb-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MariaDB LIKE operator<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id='quiz'>Quiz <a href=\"#quiz\" class=\"anchor\" id=\"quiz\" title=\"Anchor for Quiz\">#<\/a><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"iframe\" src=\"\/quiz\/?quiz=like\" name=\"quiz\" width=\"600\" height=\"700\"><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"helpful-block-content\" data-title=\"\">\n\t<header>\n\t\t<div class=\"wth-question\">Was this tutorial helpful ?<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wth-thumbs\">\n\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\tdata-post=\"98\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-like\/\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-post-title=\"SQL LIKE Operator\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-response=\"1\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"wth-btn-rounded wth-yes-btn\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<svg\n\t\t\t\t\txmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"\n\t\t\t\t\tviewBox=\"0 0 24 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pattern.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":13,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SQL LIKE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the SQL LIKE operator to test whether a value matches a pattern.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sqltutorial.org\/sql-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SQL LIKE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this tutorial, you will learn how to 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