The other answers are correct. Here is some code you…

Question

Asked: May 13, 20262026-05-13T23:23:27+00:00 2026-05-13T23:23:27+00:00

I need to add a new SELECT statement whose search condition include something like

I need to add a new SELECT statement whose search condition include something like leagueCode LIKE ‘nba%’.

I would like to know if the index against leagueCode is still exploitable or introduce any overhead after % is included in the target column.

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Editorial Team · Answer 1 · 2026-05-13T23:23:28+00:00

it depends 100% on the position of the wildcard.

At the beginning: no index. Some servers have inverse indices (starting at the end of the string) and would use them – SQL Server does not.
In the middle: Partial index (beginning part), then seeking within that range.
in the end: Index (Acutally an INDEX SEEK will be shown in the query analyzer).

Overhead? Sure – but it is not exactly high (no table scan) and there is not exactly a way to work around it.