How to Compare two Strings in SQL

Problem:

You want to to compare two strings alphabetically in SQL.

Solution:

The most straightforward method to compare two strings in SQL is to use standard comparison operators (<, >, =, etc.):

SELECT 'Michael' < 'Mike';

Here is the result:

The result of 1 means 'true'. A result of 'false' would show a 0.

We get the result of 'false' if we use the > (greater than) or = (equals) comparison operator. Let's try it:

SELECT 'Michael' > 'Mike';

SELECT 'Michael' = 'Mike';

We get 0 in both cases. As discussed above, this means 'false'.

The string 'Mike' is greater than 'Michael' because of the alphabetical value of its letters: the first letter, M, is the same for both words, as is the second one, i. But the third letter k in 'Mike' has a greater value than c, the third letter in 'Michael'. So, 'Mike' has a greater value overall.

Discussion:

Case sensitivity varies by SQL dialect. In MySQL and SQL Server, the comparison is case-insensitive, while in SQLite, PostgreSQL, and Oracle SQL, the comparison is case-sensitive. In a case-insensitive comparison, the case of the character (lowercase or uppercase) does not matter. In a case-sensitive comparison, however, the case of the character matters. 'MIKE' and 'Mike' are treated as different strings if the comparison is case-sensitive, while a case-insensitive comparison treats them as the same.