5 Ways To Use Sql Like Wildcard In Vba

SQL LIKE wildcard is a powerful tool for filtering data in databases, but did you know you can also use it in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications)? VBA is a programming language used in Microsoft Office applications, such as Excel, Access, and Word. In this article, we will explore five ways to use SQL LIKE wildcard in VBA.

Why Use SQL LIKE Wildcard in VBA?

Before we dive into the examples, let's discuss why you would want to use SQL LIKE wildcard in VBA. The LIKE operator is commonly used in SQL to search for patterns in data. By using SQL LIKE wildcard in VBA, you can leverage this powerful search functionality in your VBA applications. This is particularly useful when working with large datasets or when you need to perform complex searches.

Example 1: Using SQL LIKE Wildcard with ADO

The first example demonstrates how to use SQL LIKE wildcard with ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) in VBA. ADO is a COM-based library that allows you to interact with databases.

Sub UseSQLLikeWildcardWithADO()
    Dim cn As ADODB.Connection
    Dim rs As ADODB.Recordset
    Dim sql As String
    
    ' Create a connection to the database
    Set cn = New ADODB.Connection
    cn.Open "DRIVER={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)};DBQ=C:\Path\To\Database.mdb"
    
    ' Create a recordset
    Set rs = New ADODB.Recordset
    
    ' Define the SQL query using LIKE wildcard
    sql = "SELECT * FROM TableName WHERE FieldName LIKE '%pattern%'"
    
    ' Open the recordset
    rs.Open sql, cn
    
    ' Loop through the recordset
    While Not rs.EOF
        Debug.Print rs!FieldName
        rs.MoveNext
    Wend
    
    ' Close the recordset and connection
    rs.Close
    Set rs = Nothing
    cn.Close
    Set cn = Nothing
End Sub

In this example, we use the LIKE operator with the '%' wildcard to search for patterns in the FieldName column of the TableName table.

Example 2: Using SQL LIKE Wildcard with DAO

The second example demonstrates how to use SQL LIKE wildcard with DAO (Data Access Object) in VBA. DAO is another COM-based library that allows you to interact with databases.

Sub UseSQLLikeWildcardWithDAO()
    Dim db As DAO.Database
    Dim rs As DAO.Recordset
    Dim sql As String
    
    ' Create a database object
    Set db = OpenDatabase("C:\Path\To\Database.mdb")
    
    ' Create a recordset
    Set rs = db.OpenRecordset("TableName")
    
    ' Define the SQL query using LIKE wildcard
    sql = "SELECT * FROM TableName WHERE FieldName LIKE '%pattern%'"
    
    ' Open the recordset
    rs.OpenRecordset sql
    
    ' Loop through the recordset
    While Not rs.EOF
        Debug.Print rs!FieldName
        rs.MoveNext
    Wend
    
    ' Close the recordset and database
    rs.Close
    Set rs = Nothing
    db.Close
    Set db = Nothing
End Sub

In this example, we use the LIKE operator with the '%' wildcard to search for patterns in the FieldName column of the TableName table.

Example 3: Using SQL LIKE Wildcard with Excel

The third example demonstrates how to use SQL LIKE wildcard with Excel in VBA. We will use the Range.Find method to search for patterns in a range of cells.

Sub UseSQLLikeWildcardWithExcel()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Dim rng As Range
    Dim cel As Range
    
    ' Set the worksheet and range
    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1")
    Set rng = ws.Range("A1:A100")
    
    ' Use the Range.Find method with LIKE wildcard
    Set cel = rng.Find(what:="pattern*", lookat:=xlPart)
    
    ' Loop through the range
    While Not cel Is Nothing
        Debug.Print cel.Value
        Set cel = rng.FindNext(cel)
    Wend
End Sub

In this example, we use the Range.Find method with the '*' wildcard to search for patterns in the range A1:A100 of the Sheet1 worksheet.

Example 4: Using SQL LIKE Wildcard with Word

The fourth example demonstrates how to use SQL LIKE wildcard with Word in VBA. We will use the Find object to search for patterns in a Word document.

Sub UseSQLLikeWildcardWithWord()
    Dim doc As Document
    Dim rng As Range
    
    ' Set the document and range
    Set doc = ThisDocument
    Set rng = doc.Content
    
    ' Use the Find object with LIKE wildcard
    With rng.Find
       .ClearFormatting
       .MatchWildcards = True
       .Text = "pattern*"
       .Execute
    End With
    
    ' Loop through the range
    While rng.Find.Found
        Debug.Print rng.Text
        rng.Find.Execute
    Wend
End Sub

In this example, we use the Find object with the '*' wildcard to search for patterns in the ThisDocument document.

Example 5: Using SQL LIKE Wildcard with Access

The fifth example demonstrates how to use SQL LIKE wildcard with Access in VBA. We will use the DoCmd.FindRecord method to search for patterns in an Access form.

Sub UseSQLLikeWildcardWithAccess()
    Dim frm As Form
    
    ' Set the form
    Set frm = Forms!Form1
    
    ' Use the DoCmd.FindRecord method with LIKE wildcard
    DoCmd.FindRecord "pattern*", acEntire, acStart,, acSearchAll, acSearchAll
    
    ' Loop through the records
    While Not frm.NewRecord
        Debug.Print frm.Recordset.Fields("FieldName").Value
        DoCmd.FindNext
    Wend
End Sub

In this example, we use the DoCmd.FindRecord method with the '*' wildcard to search for patterns in the Form1 form.

Gallery of SQL LIKE Wildcard Examples

SQL LIKE Wildcard Examples

Conclusion

In this article, we explored five ways to use SQL LIKE wildcard in VBA. We demonstrated how to use SQL LIKE wildcard with ADO, DAO, Excel, Word, and Access. We also provided a gallery of examples to illustrate the different ways to use SQL LIKE wildcard in VBA. By using SQL LIKE wildcard in VBA, you can leverage the power of SQL to search for patterns in your data.

What's Next?

We hope this article has inspired you to use SQL LIKE wildcard in your VBA applications. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. In our next article, we will explore more advanced topics in VBA, such as using regular expressions and XML. Stay tuned!

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