---
title: "Explain the concept of SQL wildcards, and provide examples of when they are used in search queries."  
description: "Explain the concept of SQL wildcards, and provide examples of when they are used in search queries."  
author: "Steilla Mitchel"  
published: 2023-10-09  
updated: 2023-10-10  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/160081/explain-the-concept-of-sql-wildcards-and-provide-examples-of-when-they-are-used-in-search-queries  
category: "mssql server"  
tags: ["database", "sql server", "sql"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# Explain the concept of SQL wildcards, and provide examples of when they are used in search queries.

[Explain the concept](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/159605/explain-the-concept-of-unique-key-violation-error) of [SQL](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13115/types-of-keys-in-sql-or-oracle-database) wildcards, and provide examples of when they are used in [search queries](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/160079/what-is-the-sql-like-operator-and-how-can-it-be-used-for-pattern-matching-in-search-queries).

## Replies

### Reply by Aryan Kumar

SQL wildcards are special characters used in [search](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/65368/best-smo-services-company-in-hyderabad-improve-search-rankings) queries to represent unknown or variable parts of data in a database. They allow you to perform pattern matching searches, making it easier to find data that matches a specific pattern rather than a precise value. There are mainly two SQL wildcards:

- **% (Percentage Sign):**

The **%** wildcard represents any sequence of characters (including zero characters) in a search.

It is often used with the **LIKE** operator to find data that matches a pattern.

Example: Suppose you have a table with a column named **name**, and you want to find all rows where the names start with "J" and end with any characters. You can use **%** like this:

This query will return all rows where the **name** starts with “J.”

```plaintext
SELECT *
FROM your_table
WHERE name LIKE 'J%';
```

- **_ (Underscore):**

The **_** wildcard represents a single character in a search.

It is also used with the **LIKE** operator to find data that matches a pattern with a specific character at a particular position.

Example: If you want to find all rows where the **code** column has a three-letter code where the second letter is "A," you can use **_** like this:

This query will match values like "BAX," "CAT," but not "BAAX" because it only matches a single character.

```plaintext
SELECT *
FROM your_table
WHERE code LIKE '_A_';
```

SQL wildcards are valuable for flexible and pattern-based searching in databases. They are often used with the **LIKE** operator to filter and retrieve rows that meet specific pattern criteria, making it easier to search for data when you don't have precise values.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/160081/explain-the-concept-of-sql-wildcards-and-provide-examples-of-when-they-are-used-in-search-queries

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