PostgreSQL LIKE

LIKE

The LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specified pattern in a column.

There are two wildcards often used in conjunction with the LIKE operator:

• % The percent sign represents zero, one, or multiple characters
• _ The underscore sign represents one, single character

Starts with

To return records that starts with a specific letter or phrase, add the % at the end of the letter or phrase.

Example

SELECT * FROM customers
WHERE customer_name LIKE 'A%';

Contains

To return records that contains a specific letter or phrase, add the % both before and after the letter or phrase.

Example

SELECT * FROM customers
WHERE customer_name LIKE '%A%';

ILIKE

Note: The LIKE operator is case sensitive, if you want to do a case insensitive search, use the ILIKE operator instead.

Example

SELECT * FROM customers
WHERE customer_name ILIKE '%A%';

Ends with

To return records that ends with a specific letter or phrase, add the % before the letter or phrase.

Example

SELECT * FROM customers
WHERE customer_name LIKE '%en';

The Underscore _ 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 'L_nd__';