SQL masks can be used when searching for data.

SQL masks can replace one or more characters when searching for data in the database.

SQL masks should be used with the operator SQL LIKE.

In SQL you have the following masks:

An example of the use of masks in SQL

There is a table "Persons":

Use%

Now we want to select all individuals who live in the city, whose name is begins with the letter "sa" from the table above.

For this we use this query:

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SELECT * FROM Persons
WHERE City LIKE 'sa%'

Query Result:

Now we want to select all individuals who live in the city, whose name is contains a letter "nes". It does not matter in what place will be the characters at the beginning or end of words.

For this we use this query:

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SELECT * FROM Persons
WHERE City LIKE '%nes%'

Query Result:

Use _

Now we want to select all individuals who have a name containing the letters "la" from the table above.

For this we use this query:

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SELECT * FROM Persons
WHERE FirstName LIKE '_la'

Query Result:

Now we want to choose people with the surname that starts with the letter "S", then any character, and then "end", then any character, followed by "on" the table "Persons".

For this we use this query:

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SELECT * FROM Persons
WHERE LastName LIKE 'S_end_on'

Query Result:

Ispzovanie [Charlist]

Now we want to choose people with the surname, which begins with "b" or "s" or "p" from the table "Persons".

For this we use this query:

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SELECT * FROM Persons
WHERE LastName LIKE '[Bsp]%'

Query Result:

Now we want to choose people with the surname, which not begins with "b" or "s" or "p" from the table "Persons".

For this we use this query:

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SELECT * FROM Persons
WHERE LastName LIKE '[! Bsp]%'

Query Result: