PGoCareerGoCareer prep tools
LoginSign up
  • Java
  • Python
  • AI
  • React
  • Angular
  • PHP
  • Node.js
  • SQL
  • DSA
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JS
  • Spring
  • ML
  • MongoDB

SQL · Theory

regexp Operator

← All stacks

Theory

107/439

regexp Operator

regexp Operator is pattern matching. LIKE uses % and _. REGEXP / RLIKE uses regular expressions (e.g. name REGEXP '^[A-Z]'). They are not interchangeable.

REGEXP_LIKE, REGEXP_REPLACE, REGEXP_SUBSTR, REGEXP_INSTR are MySQL 8 helpers. Don’t write Java-style /pattern/g.

Trap — LIKE with regex stars. Trap: REGEXP on a huge unindexed column.

On the example next to this theory: regexp Operator: create two demo rows, then SELECT qty >= 2 ordered. Say which labels come back.

Exam tip

LIKE vs REGEXP in one sentence, plus one example.

regexp Operator — sample query

-- regexp Operator
CREATE TABLE demo (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  label TEXT NOT NULL,
  qty INTEGER DEFAULT 0
);
INSERT INTO demo (id, label, qty) VALUES
  (1, 'alpha', 2),
  (2, 'beta', 5);
SELECT label, qty FROM demo WHERE qty >= 2 ORDER BY qty DESC;

regexp Operator: create two demo rows, then SELECT qty >= 2 ordered. Say which labels come back.

Short notes

  • Defregexp Operator matches text by a pattern.
  • RuleLIKE = % _. REGEXP = regular expressions.
  • TrapMixing LIKE wildcards with regex.

Questions

1

LIKE vs REGEXP?

107 / 439

P

GoCareerGo

Utilities · Preparation Hub · Resume · CV · Tools — one workspace.

Workspace

DashboardProfilePreparation HubResume builderCV builderCareer planning

PDF Tools

Merge PDFSplit PDFCompress PDFImage to PDFAll toolsJobs

Image & QR

Compress ImageResize ImageQR ScannerQR GeneratorBlogIT interview prep

Company

FAQFeedbackContactPrivacyTermsSitemap

© 2026 GoCareerGo. Keep moving forward.