How to Identify name starting with a specific letter without using like operator?

Question

Post reply

How to Identify name starting with a specific letter without using like operator?

sharmili.net

Old Hand

Points: 391
More actions
October 25, 2013 at 6:14 am

#278513

Hi All,
How to Identify name starting with a specific letter without using like operator?
Please help me out.
Thanks in advance,
Sharmi

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply

HanShi SSC-Dedicated Points: 33506 More actions · Answer 1

Why do you have the restriction of using the LIKE operator?

But you can accomplish this for example by using the LEFT or the SUBSTRING operator.

** Don't mistake the ‘stupidity of the crowd’ for the ‘wisdom of the group’! **

David Burrows SSC Guru Points: 65138 More actions · Answer 2

HanShi (10/25/2013)
Why do you have the restriction of using the LIKE operator?
But you can accomplish this for example by using the LEFT or the SUBSTRING operator.

Bear in mind thet LEFT and SUBSTRING will not use any suitable indexes (possible performance issues) whereas LIKE will.

Far away is close at hand in the images of elsewhere.
Anon.

Cadavre SSC-Forever Points: 41690 More actions · Answer 3

Could do something odd like this: -

WHERE Names = STUFF(Names,1,1,'A')

That'd tell you if the "Names" started with an A.

Forever trying to learn
My blog - http://www.cadavre.co.uk/
For better, quicker answers on T-SQL questions, click on the following...http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/
For better, quicker answers on SQL Server performance related questions, click on the following...http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/SQLServerCentral/66909/

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 4

sharmili.net (10/25/2013)
Hi All,
How to Identify name starting with a specific letter without using like operator?
Please help me out.

Why? That's what the LIKE operator is there for, refusing to use the tool most suitable to the problem is strange.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003853 More actions · Answer 5

sharmili.net (10/25/2013)
Hi All,
How to Identify name starting with a specific letter without using like operator?
Please help me out.
Thanks in advance,
Sharmi

It depends... how slow do you want the code to actually run? 😀

I join Gail in asking, why would anyone want to do such a thing? The courtesy of a reply would be much appreciated.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Ed Wagner SSC Guru Points: 287024 More actions · Answer 6

It sounds like a homework question to me. The lesson would be that, aside from the obvious approach, there's more than one way to accomplish something. In this case, hopefully eliminating the efficient solution will also be covered in the lesson.

Tally Tables - Performance Personified
String Splitting with True Performance
Best practices on how to ask questions