sql select with column name like

Question

I have a table with column names a1,a2...,b1.b2....

How can I select all those with column names like a%?

Answer 1

You cannot with standard SQL. Column names are not treated like data in SQL.

If you use a SQL engine that has, say, meta-data tables storing column names, types, etc. you may select on that table instead.

Answer 2

Here is a nice way to display the information that you want:

SELECT B.table_catalog as 'Database_Name',
         B.table_name as 'Table_Name',
        stuff((select ', ' + A.column_name
              from INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS A
              where A.Table_name = B.Table_Name
              FOR XML PATH(''),TYPE).value('(./text())[1]','NVARCHAR(MAX)')
              , 1, 2, '') as 'Columns'
  FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS B
  WHERE B.TABLE_NAME like '%%'
        AND B.COLUMN_NAME like '%%'
  GROUP BY B.Table_Catalog, B.Table_Name
  Order by 1 asc

Add anything between either '%%' in the main select to narrow down what tables and/or column names you want.