SQL Operators: The Asterisk *

The asterisk "*" is used in conjunction with the SELECT keyword to select all fields from a table or a query. The formula to use is:

SELECT * FROM WhatObject;

Here is an example:

SELECT * FROM Employees;

In a LIKE statement, an asterisk wildcard * can be used to match any character, in any combination, for any length. Here is an example

SELECT Employees.DateHired,
       Employees.FirstName,
       Employees.LastName,
       Employees.Department
FROM Employees
WHERE Employees.LastName LIKE 'S*';

To negate the condition, you can precede the criterion with the NOT operator just after WHERE. Here is an example:

SELECT Employees.DateHired,
       Employees.FirstName,
       Employees.LastName,
       Employees.Department
FROM Employees
WHERE NOT (Employees.LastName Like 'S*');

In Microsoft Access, you can type the NOT operator before the LIKE expression. Here is an example:

SELECT Employees.DateHired,
       Employees.FirstName,
       Employees.LastName,
       Employees.Department
FROM Employees
WHERE (Employees.LastName) Not Like 'S*';

You can use the asterisk as a placeholder when creating a parameterized query.

Here is an example that uses the LIKE operator:

LIKE "*" & [A director name that includes] & "*"

Here is an example that uses the BETWEEN keyword:

BETWEEN [Enter a starting year] AND [Enter an ending year]