Find Employees by Name Prefix
Find employees whose first name begins with J.
- Filtering
Exercise brief
Understand the request
HR data coordinator The employee directory needs a prefix search for first names.
Return employees whose first name begins with the letter J.
Return
- Return first_name, last_name in this exact left-to-right order.
Constraints
- Use a prefix pattern; characters after the initial J may vary.
Data you will use
Review the relevant tables before deciding how to join, filter, or aggregate them.
employees
first_nameVARCHAR(50)last_nameVARCHAR(50)
Hints, when you need them
Open one clue at a time so you still do the reasoning.
Hint 1
LIKE evaluates a text pattern, and `%` can represent any remaining characters.
Hint 2
Anchor the required letter at the beginning of the pattern and place the multi-character wildcard after it.
Hint 3
SELECT first_name, last_name FROM employees WHERE first_name LIKE /* prefix pattern */;
Verified SQL answer
Attempt the problem first, then compare structure and reasoning—not just syntax.
Reveal solution and explanation
SELECT first_name, last_name FROM employees WHERE first_name LIKE 'J%';Why this works
A trailing `%` lets LIKE match any first name that begins with the required prefix, including a one-character name. User-supplied `%` or `_` characters are an edge case and must be escaped when they should be treated literally. PostgreSQL LIKE is case-sensitive, while SQLite, MySQL, and SQL Server behavior depends on configuration or collation; use ILIKE or normalized operands when the requirement is case-insensitive.
Success check
Every returned first name starts with J.
Expected result
Use this output to verify values, aliases, ordering, and row count.
| first_name | last_name |
|---|---|
| John | Doe |
| Jane | Smith |
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