SQL Wildcard Characters
A wildcard character is used to substitute one or more characters in a string.
Wildcard characters are used with the SQL LIKE operator. The LIKE operator is used in a WHERE clause to search for a specified pattern in a column.
Wildcard Characters in MS Access
| Symbol |
Description |
Example |
| * |
Represents zero or more characters |
bl* finds bl, black, blue, and blob |
| ? |
Represents a single character |
h?t finds hot, hat, and hit |
| [] |
Represents any single character within the brackets |
h[oa]t finds hot and hat, but not hit |
| ! |
Represents any character not in the brackets |
h[!oa]t finds hit, but not hot and hat |
| - |
Represents a range of characters |
c[a-b]t finds cat and cbt |
| # |
Represents any single numeric character |
2#5 finds 205, 215, 225, 235, 245, 255, 265, 275, 285, and 295 |
Wildcard Characters in SQL Server
| Symbol |
Description |
Example |
| % |
Represents zero or more characters |
bl% finds bl, black, blue, and blob |
| _ |
Represents a single character |
h_t finds hot, hat, and hit |
| [] |
Represents any single character within the brackets |
h[oa]t finds hot and hat, but not hit |
| ^ |
Represents any character not in the brackets |
h[^oa]t finds hit, but not hot and hat |
| - |
Represents a range of characters |
c[a-b]t finds cat and cbt |
