IN, BETWEEN, and LIKE

So far, we’ve filtered data using simple comparisons. SQL also provides powerful keywords that make filtering cleaner, shorter, and more expressive.

In this lesson, we’ll learn:

• IN – match against a list of values
• BETWEEN – filter within a range
• LIKE – search using patterns

Example Table

We’ll continue using the employees table:

+----+----------+------------+--------+
| id | name     | department | salary |
+----+----------+------------+--------+
| 1  | Alice    | IT         | 75000  |
| 2  | Bob      | IT         | 72000  |
| 3  | Charlie  | HR         | 60000  |
| 4  | Diana    | Finance    | 70000  |
| 5  | Evan     | HR         | 58000  |
+----+----------+------------+--------+
  

The IN Operator

The IN operator allows you to check if a value matches any value from a list.

Instead of writing multiple OR conditions, IN makes queries cleaner.

Syntax:

SELECT *
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name IN (value1, value2, value3);
  

Example: Employees in IT or HR.

SELECT name, department
FROM employees
WHERE department IN ('IT', 'HR');
  

IN vs OR

The BETWEEN Operator

The BETWEEN operator filters values within a range, including the boundaries.

Syntax:

SELECT *
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name BETWEEN value1 AND value2;
  

Example: Employees with salary between 60,000 and 75,000.

SELECT name, salary
FROM employees
WHERE salary BETWEEN 60000 AND 75000;
  

Important note:

• BETWEEN includes both lower and upper values

BETWEEN with Dates

BETWEEN is commonly used with dates.

WHERE order_date BETWEEN '2024-01-01' AND '2024-12-31'
  

This returns records within the given date range.

The LIKE Operator

The LIKE operator is used to search for patterns in text.

It works with wildcard characters:

• % – matches any number of characters
• _ – matches exactly one character

LIKE Examples

Find employees whose name starts with “A”.

SELECT name
FROM employees
WHERE name LIKE 'A%';
  

Find employees whose name ends with “a”.

SELECT name
FROM employees
WHERE name LIKE '%a';
  

Find employees whose name contains “ar”.

SELECT name
FROM employees
WHERE name LIKE '%ar%';
  

LIKE with Single-Character Wildcard

The underscore (_) matches exactly one character.

Example: Names with exactly 5 letters, starting with “A”.

SELECT name
FROM employees
WHERE name LIKE 'A____';
  

NOT with IN, BETWEEN, LIKE

You can combine NOT with these operators to exclude values.

SELECT name
FROM employees
WHERE department NOT IN ('HR');
  

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Forgetting quotes around text values
• Misunderstanding BETWEEN boundaries
• Using LIKE instead of = for exact matches
• Forgetting % wildcard in LIKE

Why These Operators Matter

IN, BETWEEN, and LIKE allow you to:

• Write cleaner queries
• Handle ranges and categories easily
• Search text flexibly
• Build real-world filters

What’s Next?

In the next lesson, we will apply everything learned so far in a Beginner-Level SQL Mini Project, using real questions and step-by-step solutions.