_watching (12/1/2015)
Having come across this, as a follow up if anyone's interested in benchmark comparisons, here's an easy to read posting:http://cc.davelozinski.com/sql/like-vs-substring-vs-leftright-vs-charindex
which shows the speed differences between LEFT, RIGHT, LIKE, SUBSTRING, and CHARINDEX.
No it doesn't, it's a confusing mess. It's discussed in detail in this thread.
For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden