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Like operator (Microsoft Access SQL)

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Applies to: Access 2013 | Access 2016

Compares a string expression to a pattern in an SQL expression.

Syntax

expression Like "pattern"

The Like operator syntax has these parts:

Part Description
expression SQL expression used in a WHERE clause.
pattern String or character string literal against which expression is compared.

Remarks

Use the Like operator to find values in a field that match the pattern you specify. For pattern, you can specify the complete value (for example, Like "Smith"), or you can use wildcard characters to find a range of values (for example, ), or you can use wildcard characters to find a range of values (for example, `Like "Sm*").

In an expression, you can use the Like operator to compare a field value to a string expression. For example, if you enter Like "C*" in an SQL query, the query returns all field values beginning with the letter C. In a parameter query, you can prompt the user for a pattern to search for.

The following example returns data that begins with the letter P followed by any letter between A and F and three digits:

Like "P[A-F]###"

The following table shows how you can use Like to test expressions for different patterns.

Kind of match Pattern Match (returns True) No match (returns False)
Multiple characters a*a aa, aBa, aBBBa aBC
ab abc, AABB, Xab aZb, bac
Special character a[*]a a*a aaa
Multiple characters ab* abcdefg, abc cab, aab
Single character a?a aaa, a3a, aBa aBBBa
Single digit a#a a0a, a1a, a2a aaa, a10a
Range of characters [a-z] f, p, j 2, &
Outside a range [!a-z] 9, &, % b, a
Not a digit [!0-9] A, a, &, ~ 0, 1, 9
Combined a[!b-m]# An9, az0, a99 abc, aj0

Example

This example returns a list of employees whose names begin with the letters A through D. It calls the EnumFields procedure, which you can find in the SELECT statement example.

Sub LikeX() 
 
    Dim dbs As Database, rst As Recordset 
 
    ' Modify this line to include the path to Northwind 
    ' on your computer. 
    Set dbs = OpenDatabase("Northwind.mdb") 
 
    ' Return a list of employees whose names begin with 
    ' the letters A through D. 
    Set rst = dbs.OpenRecordset("SELECT LastName," _ 
        & " FirstName FROM Employees" _ 
        & " WHERE LastName Like '[A-D]*';") 
 
    ' Populate the Recordset. 
    rst.MoveLast 
 
    ' Call EnumFields to print the contents of the  
    ' Recordset. Pass the Recordset object and desired 
    ' field width. 
    EnumFields rst, 15 
    
    dbs.Close 
 
End Sub

See also

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