How Can I Query a Database Ignoring Spaces in Field Values?

Querying with Space-Ignorance

The task of finding database entries while ignoring spaces in field values can be achieved by employing a simple technique. In this scenario, the goal is to identify entries that match "John Bob Jones" with or without spaces.

Solution Using Space Replacement

To achieve this, a query can be constructed that replaces all spaces in both the field value and the search criteria with an empty string. This essentially eliminates the impact of spaces in the comparison. The resulting query would resemble:

SELECT * FROM mytable 
    WHERE REPLACE(username, ' ', '') = REPLACE("John Bob Jones", ' ', '')

By using the REPLACE() function, spaces are removed from both the field value and the search criteria. As a result, the query would identify all entries that match "John Bob Jones" regardless of the spacing used.

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