Can you Combine SQL LIKE and IN for Advanced String Matching?

Combining SQL LIKE and IN for Advanced String Matching

Often, database queries require matching a column value against multiple specific strings. This task can be accomplished using either the LIKE or IN operators. However, there may be scenarios where it's beneficial to combine both operators.

Consider the following query:

SELECT * FROM tablename WHERE column IN ('M510%', 'M615%', 'M515%', 'M612%');

This query aims to match the column with substrings starting with specific prefixes ('M510', 'M515'). Unfortunately, SQL does not allow direct nesting of LIKE and IN operators.

Alternative Solution: Substring and IN

As an alternative, you can utilize the SUBSTRING function along with the IN operator. This approach involves extracting a substring from the column, which is then compared to the desired prefixes using the IN operator.

SELECT * FROM tablename WHERE SUBSTRING(column, 1, 4) IN ('M510', 'M615', 'M515', 'M612');

In this query, the SUBSTRING function extracts the first four characters from the column, effectively matching the desired prefixes. The IN operator efficiently checks for matches against these extracted substrings.

This method offers a concise and efficient solution, allowing you to perform complex string matching operations in a single query without the need for loops or additional joins.

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