LIKE

Keyword LIKE

Match expression with pattern.

Syntax:

    expression LIKE pattern

The pattern syntax uses these special characters:

• % - any amount of any character
• _ - Exactly one character of any type

Pattern	Regex	Matches	Doesn't Match
A%	/^A[\\s\\S]*$/i	A, AB, Apple, ANYTHING	Banana
%A	/^[\\s\\S]*A$/i	A, BA, PIZZA	AB, Apple
_A	/^.A$/i	BA, CA, 1A	A, AAA
A_	/^A.$/i	AB, A1, AZ	A, ABC
_4_	/^.4.$/i	444, a4b, X4Y	4, 44, 404*
%4%	/^[\\s\\S]*4[\\s\\S]*$/i	4, 444, 1234, a4b	123, abc

*Note: '404' does NOT match '4' because:

• First character: '4' (matches _)
• Second character: '0' (needs to match literal '4') ❌ FAILS
• Third character: '4' (would match _)

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In AlaSQL the match is case-insensitive meaning we are aligning with MySQL, MSSQL and SQLite.

Database	LIKE Default	ILIKE Support	Notes
PostgreSQL	Case-SENSITIVE	✅ Case-insensitive	ILIKE is PostgreSQL extension
Oracle	Case-SENSITIVE	❌	Use UPPER()/LOWER() instead
MySQL/MariaDB	Case-INSENSITIVE*	❌	*Depends on collation (default: ci)
MSSQL	Case-INSENSITIVE*	❌	*Depends on collation (default: ci)
SQLite	Case-INSENSITIVE**	❌	**ASCII only; case-sensitive for non-ASCII
AlaSQL	Case-INSENSITIVE	⚠️ Same as LIKE	All variants are case-insensitive

Please note that Postgres and Oracle behaves differently and the SQL might need to be adapted.

See also: MATCH