Section outline

  • Topics Objective

    1. Explain how to solve problem using Like, IN, Between, Top Operator 

    Topics Outcomes

    1. Able to implement condition while solving problem using  Like, IN, Between, Top Operator 


    The SQL LIKE Operator

    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:

    1. % - The percent sign represents zero, one, or multiple characters
    2. _ - The underscore represents a single character


    LIKE Syntax

    SELECT column1, column2, ... FROM table_name WHERE columnN LIKE pattern;

    Here are some examples showing different LIKE operators with '%' and '_' wildcards:

    LIKE OperatorDescription
    WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a%'Finds any values that start with "a"
    WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%a'Finds any values that end 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 start with "a" and are at least 2 characters in length
    WHERE CustomerName LIKE 'a__%'Finds any values that start with "a" and are at least 3 characters in length
    WHERE ContactName LIKE 'a%o'Finds any values that start with "a" and ends with "o"


    The SQL IN Operator

    The IN operator allows you to specify multiple values in a WHERE clause. The IN operator is a shorthand for multiple OR conditions.

    IN Syntax

    SELECT column_name(s) FROM table_name WHERE column_name IN (value1, value2, ...);


    The SQL BETWEEN Operator

    The BETWEEN operator selects values within a given range. The values can be numbers, text, or dates. The BETWEEN operator is inclusive: begin and end values are included. 

    BETWEEN Syntax

    SELECT column_name(s) FROM table_name WHERE column_name BETWEEN value1 AND value2;


    The SQL SELECT TOP Clause

    The SELECT TOP clause is used to specify the number of records to return. The SELECT TOP clause is useful on large tables with thousands of records. Returning a large number of records can impact performance.

    Top Syntax

    SELECT TOP number|percent column_name(s) FROM table_name WHERE condition;