📌 Definition

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

👉 It is mainly used with text (string) data.

🧠 Syntax

SELECT column_name
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name LIKE pattern;

🔑 Wildcards Used with LIKE

📊 Example Table: Students

1. Using % (Multiple Characters)

✅ Starts with a letter

SELECT * FROM Students
WHERE Name LIKE 'A%';

📌 Result

• Amit

💡 Explanation

Returns names that start with 'A'.

✅ Ends with a letter

SELECT * FROM Students
WHERE Name LIKE '%a';

📌 Result

• Riya
• Neha

💡 Explanation

Returns names that end with 'a'.

✅ Contains a letter

SELECT * FROM Students
WHERE Name LIKE '%h%';

📌 Result

• Rahul
• Neha

💡 Explanation

Returns names that contain 'h' anywhere.

2. Using _ (Single Character)

✅ Example

SELECT * FROM Students
WHERE Name LIKE '_i%';

📌 Result

• Riya

💡 Explanation

• First character → anything
• Second character → must be i

✅ Exact Length Pattern

SELECT * FROM Students
WHERE Name LIKE '____';

💡 Explanation

• Matches names with exactly 4 characters 👉 (e.g., Amit)

3. NOT LIKE

📌 Definition

Used to exclude patterns.

🧠 Syntax

SELECT * FROM table_name
WHERE column_name NOT LIKE pattern;

✅ Example

SELECT * FROM Students
WHERE Name NOT LIKE 'A%';

💡 Explanation

Returns names that do not start with 'A'.

⚠️ Important Notes

1. Case Sensitivity

• Depends on the database system.
• Some databases treat LIKE as case-insensitive.

2. Works Only with Strings

Age LIKE '2%'   -- Not recommended for numeric columns

3. Combination with WHERE

SELECT * FROM Students
WHERE Name LIKE 'R%' AND Age > 18;

🔄 Comparison with Other Operators

🎯 Key Insight

The LIKE operator is essential when:

• You do not know the exact value
• You need pattern-based searching
• You work with names, emails, text fields