Oracle PL/SQL Tutorial/Regular Expressions Functions/OR

The Alternation Operator

When specifying a pattern, it is often convenient to specify the string using logical "OR."

The alternation operator is a single vertical bar: "|".

SQL>
SQL> -- create demo table
SQL> create table myTable(
  2    id           NUMBER(2),
  3    value        VARCHAR(50)
  4  );
Table created.
SQL>
SQL> insert into myTable(id, value)values(1,"1234 4th St. Vancouver");
1 row created.
SQL> insert into myTable(id, value)values(2,"4 Maple Ct. New York");
1 row created.
SQL> insert into myTable(id, value)values(3,"4321 Green Blvd. London");
1 row created.
SQL> insert into myTable(id, value)values(4,"33 Third St. Toronto");
1 row created.
SQL> insert into myTable(id, value)values(5,"One First Drive. Queen");
1 row created.
SQL> insert into myTable(id, value)values(6,"1664 1/2 Springhill Ave");
1 row created.
SQL> insert into myTable(id, value)values(7,"665 Fall Ave. Linken");
1 row created.
SQL>
SQL> select * from mytable;
        ID VALUE
---------- --------------------------------------------------
         1 1234 4th St. Vancouver
         2 4 Maple Ct. New York
         3 4321 Green Blvd. London
         4 33 Third St. Toronto
         5 One First Drive. Queen
         6 1664 1/2 Springhill Ave
         7 665 Fall Ave. Linken
7 rows selected.
SQL>
SQL>
SQL> SELECT value,
  2      REGEXP_INSTR(value,"r[ds]|pl")
  3  FROM myTable
  4  WHERE REGEXP_INSTR(value,"r[ds]|pl") > 0;
VALUE                                              REGEXP_INSTR(VALUE,"R[DS]|PL")
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
4 Maple Ct. New York                                                            5
33 Third St. Toronto                                                            7
One First Drive. Queen                                                          7
SQL>
SQL>
SQL> drop table myTable;
Table dropped.
SQL>
SQL>
SQL>