← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

SQL LIKE with the % wildcard

LIKE in a WHERE clause matches part of a text value. The % wildcard stands for any characters, so '%at%' finds text containing at, 'S%' starts with S and '%s' ends with s.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Structured Data and Queries — Module 33, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Data Management — Module 66

Understanding SQL LIKE with the % wildcard in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

What it does: A % on both sides of at means any characters can come before and after it, so at can be anywhere in the name. A% means A comes first, then any characters. '%A' would find names that END with A. % can match many characters, one character, or even no characters at all. The LIKE pattern is text, so it must be inside quotes: 'P%'. Smith starts with S. Ross only ends with s, so it would match '%s' instead. Football contains the letters at in the middle (footb-a-ll has no at; check: f-o-o-t-b-a-l-l). Pencil has no at either. The = operator only matches the whole value exactly. LIKE lets % stand for any characters.

Common mistakes: Without the % wildcard, LIKE 'P' only matches a name that is exactly P. To find names that start with P, write LIKE 'P%'. The fields in a SELECT list must be separated by a comma. It should be SELECT name, price.

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 365–411) and word search (Modules 331–411).

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Each concept is reinforced from every angle — learned, then applied, then tested.

Learning

Duo

Which query finds students whose first name starts with the letter A?

SELECT * FROM students WHERE firstName LIKE 'A%';SELECT * FROM students WHERE firstName LIKE '%A';

Matches

SELECT * FROM students WHERE firstName = 'A%';

↓

The = operator looks for the exact text A%, so the wildcard does not work. It should be LIKE 'A%'.

Applying

Meanings

Term

LIKE '%at%'

Meaning

LIKE in a WHERE clause matches part of a text value. The % wildcard stands for any characters, so '%at%' finds text containing at, 'S%' starts with S and '%s' ends with s.

Practice

SELECT name, price

Testing

Gaps

WHERE firstName 'A%';

Check Answer

Spots

3WHERE stock > 0

4AND name LIKE 'P';

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Quick Questions

1. Which query finds students whose first name starts with the letter A?

A. SELECT * FROM students WHERE firstName LIKE 'A%'; ✓

B. SELECT * FROM students WHERE firstName LIKE '%A';

A% means A comes first, then any characters. '%A' would find names that END with A.

2. What does LIKE '%s' find in a text field?

A. Text that ends with s ✓

B. Text that starts with s

The % comes first and stands for any characters, so the s must be the last letter.

3. Which pattern finds product names that contain the letters at anywhere?

A. LIKE 'at'

B. LIKE '%at%' ✓

A % on both sides allows any characters before and after at. Without %, LIKE 'at' only matches the exact text at.

4. True or false: the % wildcard can stand for any number of characters.

A. False

B. True ✓

% can match many characters, one character, or even no characters at all.

5. Which query is written correctly?

A. SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE 'P%'; ✓

B. SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE P%;

The LIKE pattern is text, so it must be inside quotes: 'P%'.

Match the Pairs

WHERE lastName LIKE 'S%' → Finds students whose last name starts with S, because % stands for any characters after the S

WHERE name LIKE '%s' → Finds products whose name ends with s, because % stands for any characters before the s

Find products whose name contains the letters at anywhere in the text → SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE '%at%';

Find students whose first name starts with L → SELECT firstName FROM students WHERE firstName LIKE 'L%';

SELECT * FROM students WHERE firstName = 'A%'; → The = operator looks for the exact text A%, so the wildcard does not work. It should be LIKE 'A%'.

SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE %at%; → The pattern is missing its quote marks. It should be LIKE '%at%'.

Key Term

LIKE '%at%'

LIKE in a WHERE clause matches part of a text value. The % wildcard stands for any characters, so '%at%' finds text containing at, 'S%' starts with S and '%s' ends with s.

Fill in the Blanks

1. SELECT firstName FROM students WHERE firstName LIKE 'A%';

Hint: Type the keyword that compares a text value to a pattern.

2. SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE 'P%';

Hint: Type the wildcard symbol that stands for any characters after the P.

3. SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE '%s';

Hint: Type the wildcard symbol so any characters can come before the final letter.

4. SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE '%at%';

Hint: Type the field whose text is being searched for the pattern.

5. SELECT name FROM products WHERE name LIKE 'P%';

Hint: Type the clause keyword that filters records before LIKE is used.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A SELECT name, price

B FROM products

C WHERE stock > 0

D AND name LIKE 'P';

Line D — Without the % wildcard, LIKE 'P' only matches a name that is exactly P. To find names that start with P, write LIKE 'P%'.

Question 2

A SELECT name price

B FROM products

C WHERE name LIKE '%ball'

D ORDER BY price;

Line A — The fields in a SELECT list must be separated by a comma. It should be SELECT name, price.

Question 3

A SELECT firstName,

B FROM students

C WHERE firstName LIKE 'S%';

Line A — There must be no comma after the last field in the SELECT list. A trailing comma makes the query fail. It should be SELECT firstName.

Question 4

A SELECT name FROM products

B WHERE name IS '%s'

C ORDER BY name;

Line B — Pattern matching needs the LIKE keyword. IS cannot be used with the % wildcard. It should be WHERE name LIKE '%s'.

Question 5

A SELECT firstName, house

B FROM students

C WHERE house = 'R%'

D ORDER BY firstName;

Line C — The = operator looks for the exact text R%, so the % is not treated as a wildcard. Use LIKE: WHERE house LIKE 'R%'.

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