RLIKE

Tests if a string matches a given regular expression pattern.

RLIKE and LIKE are similar, but RLIKE uses POSIX regular expressions instead of the SQL patterns.

See also: LIKE, REGEXP_COUNT, REGEXP_INSTR, REGEXP_SUBSTR.

Syntax

string_expr [ NOT ] RLIKE string_test_expr

Arguments

Parameter Description
string_expr String to test
string_test_expr Test pattern

Test patterns

Pattern Description
^ Match the beginning of a string
$ Match the end of a string
. Match any character (including whitespace such as carriage return and newline)
* Match the preceding pattern zero or more times
+ Match the preceding pattern at least once
? Match the preceding pattern once at most
de|abc Match either de or abc
(abc)* Match zero or more instances of the sequence abc
{2} Match the preceding pattern exactly two times
{2,4} Match the preceding pattern between two and four times
[a-dX], [^a-dX] Matches any character that is (or is not when negated with ^) either a, b, c, d, or X. The - character between two other characters forms a range that matches all characters from the first character to the second. For example, [0-9] matches any decimal digit. To include a literal ] character, it must immediately follow the opening bracket [. To include a literal - character, it must be written first or last. Any character that does not have a defined special meaning inside a [] pair matches only itself.

Returns

TRUE if the test string matches the pattern, or FALSE otherwise.

Notes

  • The test pattern must be literal string. Column references or complex expressions are currently unsupported.
  • If the value is NULL, the result is NULL.

Examples

For these examples, assume a table named nba, with the following structure:

CREATE TABLE nba
(
   Name varchar(40),
   Team varchar(40),
   Number tinyint,
   Position varchar(2),
   Age tinyint,
   Height varchar(4),
   Weight real,
   College varchar(40),
   Salary float
 );

Here’s a peek at the table contents (Download nba.csv):

nba.csv
Name Team Number Position Age Height Weight College Salary
Avery Bradley Boston Celtics 0.0 PG 25.0 6-2 180.0 Texas 7730337.0
Jae Crowder Boston Celtics 99.0 SF 25.0 6-6 235.0 Marquette 6796117.0
John Holland Boston Celtics 30.0 SG 27.0 6-5 205.0 Boston University  
R.J. Hunter Boston Celtics 28.0 SG 22.0 6-5 185.0 Georgia State 1148640.0
Jonas Jerebko Boston Celtics 8.0 PF 29.0 6-10 231.0   5000000.0
Amir Johnson Boston Celtics 90.0 PF 29.0 6-9 240.0   12000000.0
Jordan Mickey Boston Celtics 55.0 PF 21.0 6-8 235.0 LSU 1170960.0
Kelly Olynyk Boston Celtics 41.0 C 25.0 7-0 238.0 Gonzaga 2165160.0
Terry Rozier Boston Celtics 12.0 PG 22.0 6-2 190.0 Louisville 1824360.0

Match the beginning of a string

This form is equivalent to ... LIKE "Portland%"

nba=> SELECT "Name","Age","Salary","Team" FROM nba WHERE "Team" RLIKE '^(Portland)+' LIMIT 5;
Name            | Age | Salary  | Team
----------------+-----+---------+-----------------------
Cliff Alexander |  20 |  525093 | Portland Trail Blazers
Al-Farouq Aminu |  25 | 8042895 | Portland Trail Blazers
Pat Connaughton |  23 |  625093 | Portland Trail Blazers
Allen Crabbe    |  24 |  947276 | Portland Trail Blazers
Ed Davis        |  27 | 6980802 | Portland Trail Blazers

Negate with NOT

nba=> SELECT "Name","Age","Salary","Team" FROM nba WHERE "Team" NOT RLIKE '^(Portland)+' LIMIT 5;
Name          | Age | Salary  | Team
--------------+-----+---------+---------------
Avery Bradley |  25 | 7730337 | Boston Celtics
Jae Crowder   |  25 | 6796117 | Boston Celtics
John Holland  |  27 |         | Boston Celtics
R.J. Hunter   |  22 | 1148640 | Boston Celtics
Jonas Jerebko |  29 | 5000000 | Boston Celtics

Match the middle of a string

nba=> SELECT "Name","Age","Salary","Team" FROM nba WHERE "Team" RLIKE '(zz)' LIMIT 5;
Name           | Age | Salary  | Team
---------------+-----+---------+------------------
Jordan Adams   |  21 | 1404600 | Memphis Grizzlies
Tony Allen     |  34 | 5158539 | Memphis Grizzlies
Chris Andersen |  37 | 5000000 | Memphis Grizzlies
Matt Barnes    |  36 | 3542500 | Memphis Grizzlies
Vince Carter   |  39 | 4088019 | Memphis Grizzlies

Find players with a Roman numeral suffix

Use $ to match only the end of the string

nba=> SELECT "Name","Age","Salary","Team" FROM nba WHERE "Name" RLIKE '[XCLVMI]$';
Name                | Age | Salary  | Team
--------------------+-----+---------+------------------
Glenn Robinson III  |  22 | 1100000 | Indiana Pacers
Johnny O'Bryant III |  23 |  845059 | Milwaukee Bucks
Frank Kaminsky III  |  23 | 2612520 | Charlotte Hornets

Find players with just one middle name

nba=> SELECT "Name","Age","Salary","Team" FROM nba WHERE "Name" RLIKE '^[a-zA-Z]+ [a-zA-Z]+ [a-zA-Z]+$';
Name                 | Age | Salary  | Team
---------------------+-----+---------+----------------------
James Michael McAdoo |  23 |  845059 | Golden State Warriors
Metta World Peace    |  36 |  947276 | Los Angeles Lakers
Glenn Robinson III   |  22 | 1100000 | Indiana Pacers
Frank Kaminsky III   |  23 | 2612520 | Charlotte Hornets