Using LIKE operator with stored procedure parameters

Scarnet picture Scarnet · May 5, 2013 · Viewed 116.5k times · Source

I have a stored procedure that uses the LIKE operator to search for a truck location among some other parameters

   @location nchar(20),
   @time time,
   @date date
AS
   select 
       DonationsTruck.VechileId, Phone, Location, [Date], [Time]
   from 
       Vechile, DonationsTruck
    where 
       Vechile.VechileId = DonationsTruck.VechileId
       and (((Location like '%'+@location+'%') or (Location like '%'+@location) or (Location like @location+'%') ) or [Date]=@date or [Time] = @time)

I null the other parameters and search by location only but it always returns no results even when I used the full name of the location

Answer

bummi picture bummi · May 5, 2013

Your datatype for @location nchar(20) should be @location nvarchar(20), since nChar has a fixed length (filled with Spaces).
If Location is nchar too you will have to convert it:

 ... Cast(Location as nVarchar(200)) like '%'+@location+'%' ...   

To enable nullable parameters with and AND condition just use IsNull or Coalesce for comparison, which is not needed in your example using OR.

e.g. if you would like to compare for Location AND Date and Time.

@location nchar(20),
@time time,
@date date
as
select DonationsTruck.VechileId, Phone, Location, [Date], [Time]
from Vechile, DonationsTruck
where Vechile.VechileId = DonationsTruck.VechileId
and (((Location like '%'+IsNull(@location,Location)+'%')) and [Date]=IsNUll(@date,date) and [Time] = IsNull(@time,Time))