ILIKE Operator

The ILIKE operator is a case-insensitive string comparison operator used primarily in SQL databases, most notably in PostgreSQL. It functions similarly to the LIKE operator but ignores differences in letter case when matching patterns, making it useful for text searches where capitalization may vary. For example, 'ILIKE 'john%'' would match 'John', 'JOHN', and 'john' in a database column.

Also known as: ilike, case-insensitive like, ILIKE, i like, case insensitive pattern matching

Why learn ILIKE Operator?

Developers should use the ILIKE operator when performing text searches in SQL queries where case sensitivity is not required, such as in user-facing search features, data cleaning, or filtering names and titles. It simplifies queries by eliminating the need for additional case-conversion functions like LOWER() or UPPER(), improving readability and performance in databases that support it, particularly PostgreSQL.

Learning Resources

• docs: PostgreSQL Documentation: Pattern Matching
• tutorial: W3Schools SQL LIKE Tutorial
• tutorial: PostgreSQL Tutorial: ILIKE Operator
• video: YouTube: SQL Pattern Matching with LIKE and ILIKE