How can I introduce multiple conditions in LIKE operator?

Mastering multiple LIKE conditions

Should you find yourself dealing with a labyrinth of LIKE conditions, worry not. You can still vanquish that beast and even keep your code clean and neat.

Creating temporary tables

For situations that resemble an escape room riddle, let's create a temporary table to store our patterns, and then join it to your main table:

-- Bubble, bubble, my temporary table 
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE patterns (pattern VARCHAR(100));

-- Feed the beast. Add patterns!
INSERT INTO patterns (pattern) VALUES ('%a'), ('%b'), ('%c');

-- You shall not pass...without a matching pattern!
SELECT DISTINCT your_table.*
FROM your_table
JOIN patterns ON your_table.your_column LIKE patterns.pattern;
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Get every unique row from your main table that matches any pattern using DISTINCT. Just like a Pokémon game, but you can only catch each once.

Oracle's power - REGEXP_LIKE

Oracle users, you're in for a treat! You can implement multiple conditions using REGEXP_LIKE. It's like your LIKE went to the gym and came back buff!

-- Look at these muscles flex!
SELECT * FROM your_table WHERE REGEXP_LIKE(your_column, 'pattern1|pattern2|pattern3');


The vertical bar | stands for OR. (It's not a lightsaber, trust me!) It allows you to search for either pattern.

Merger of the LIKEs - UNION

There's strength in unity. Use UNION for efficient combination of LIKE patterns:

-- Two is better than one, combining forces with UNION
SELECT * FROM your_table WHERE your_column LIKE 'pattern1'
UNION
SELECT * FROM your_table WHERE your_column LIKE 'pattern2';


Faster than using multiple OR conditions, hence it's like the Usain Bolt of SQL!

Advanced LIKE patterns

Besides the usual % and _ wildcard characters, LIKE supports a variety of patterns. SQL is like the Lego of the database world, tons of building blocks!

-- Just like ordering a SPecial burger with exactly two extra toppings
WHERE your_column LIKE 'SP__' 


Where % matches any sequence of characters and _ matches exactly one character.

Keep an eye on performance

Don't get lost in the sauce! Complex queries can slow you down. Use Explain Plan or similar tools to check if you need to fine-tune your queries.

SQL cross compatibility

Different SQL systems? No problem! For example, in SQL Server, use [ ] to indicate a range of characters:

-- SQL Server's version of speed dating
WHERE your_column LIKE '[A-D]%'


Leverage Oracle and regex

Working with Oracle? Spice up your queries using REGEXP_REPLACE, REGEXP_INSTR, and REGEXP_SUBSTR functions.

Diving into regular expressions

Regular expressions are the secret sauce. In SQL, you could compact multiple LIKE conditions into more efficient expressions:

-- Once you pop, you can't stop!
SELECT * FROM your_table WHERE your_column ~ '^(pattern1|pattern2|pattern3)';


Should your performance suffer, run a performance test in your specific database environment.