MySQL 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.
MySQL Wildcard Characters
| Symbol | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| % | Represents zero, one, or multiple characters | bl% finds bl, black, blue, and blob |
| _ | Represents a single character | h_t finds hot, hat, and hit |
The wildcards can also be used in combinations!
Here are some examples showing different LIKE operators with '%' and '_' wildcards:
| LIKE Operator | Description |
|---|---|
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a%' | Finds any values that starts with "a" |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%a' | Finds any values that ends with "a" |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%or%' | Finds any values that have "or" in any position |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE '_r%' | Finds any values that have "r" in the second position |
| WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a_%_%' | Finds any values that starts with "a" and are at least 3 characters in length |
| WHERE ContactName LIKE 'a%o' | Finds any values that starts with "a" and ends with "o" |
Demo Database
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table in the Northwind sample database:
| 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.
The following SQL selects all customers with a City starting with "ber":
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE City LIKE 'ber%';
The following SQL selects all customers with a City containing the pattern "es":
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE City LIKE '%es%';
Using the _ Wildcard
The _ wildcard represents a single character.
It can be any character or number, but each _ represents one, and only one, character.
The following SQL selects all customers with a City starting with any character, followed by "ondon":
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE City LIKE '_ondon';
The following SQL selects all customers with a City starting with "L", followed by any character, followed by "n", followed by any character, followed by "on":
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE City LIKE 'L_n_on';
