SQL Column Name wildcard - sql

Question

I have a table with 30+ fields and I want to quickly narrow my selection down to all fields where column name start with 'Flag'.
select * Like Flag% from Table1

Answer 1

You will want to build a dynamic query as explained here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/4797728/9553919
SELECT COLUMN_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
WHERE table_name = 'Foods'
AND table_schema = 'YourDB'
AND column_name LIKE 'Vegetable%'

Answer 2

This SQL Statement should be useful. You may be able to simplify it but it does work.
Edit2: I just now saw your pervasive-sql tag. Unfortunately I've never worked with that and don't know if the syntax is compatible with MS SQL Server. I'll let my answer here in case it helps others, but wanted to share that I tested this using SQL Server.
Edit: SCHEMA_NAME function isn't necessary. You can replace SCHEMA_NAME(schema_id) with the name of your schema in single quotes if you want, but either will work.
SELECT t.name AS table_name,
SCHEMA_NAME(schema_id) AS schema_name,
c.name AS column_name
FROM
sys.tables AS t
INNER JOIN
sys.columns c ON t.OBJECT_ID = c.OBJECT_ID
WHERE
t.name = 'Table1' AND
c.name Like 'Flag%'
ORDER BY
c.name
or
SELECT t.name AS table_name,
'MySchema' AS schema_name,
c.name AS column_name
FROM
sys.tables AS t
INNER JOIN
sys.columns c ON t.OBJECT_ID = c.OBJECT_ID
WHERE
t.name = 'Table1' AND
c.name Like 'Flag%'
ORDER BY
c.name

Answer 3

To do this, you will need to query the system tables for the columns associated to the table and filter them to what you want. From there, place them into a variable table and create a CSV of columns. From there, you can dynamically construct your query as needed. The below example should help you get started.
DECLARE #tableName VARCHAR(100) = 'dbo.SomeTable'
DECLARE #columnNames TABLE
(
Id INT IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY,
ColumnName VARCHAR(100)
)
--Grabs all of the columns into a variable table
INSERT INTO #columnNames (ColumnName)
SELECT
[name]
FROM sys.columns
WHERE
[object_id] = OBJECT_ID(#tableName)
AND
[name] LIKE '%Flag'
DECLARE #columns VARCHAR(1000)
--Creates a CSV of columns
SET #columns =
STUFF(
(
SELECT
',' + ColumnName
FROM #columnNames
FOR XML PATH(''))
,1,1,'')
DECLARE #selectStatement NVARCHAR(4000) = CONCAT('SELECT ', #columns, ' FROM ', #tableName)
PRINT #selectStatement
EXEC #selectStatement