mysql pattern matching

1. SQL pattern matching enables you to use “_” to match any single character and “%” to match an arbitrary number of characters (including zero characters).
2. In MySQL, SQL patterns are case-insensitive by default.
3. You do not use = or <> when you use SQL patterns; use the LIKE or NOT LIKE comparison operators instead.
4. The other type of pattern matching provided by MySQL uses extended regular expressions. When you test for a match for this type of pattern, use the REGEXP and NOT REGEXP operators (or RLIKE and NOT RLIKE, which are synonyms).
5. some characteristics of extended regular expressions: 
   
   • “.” matches any single character.
   • “*” matches zero or more instances of the thing preceding it.
   • A REGEXP pattern match succeeds if the pattern matches anywhere in the value being tested. (This differs from a LIKE pattern match, which succeeds only if the pattern matches the entire value.)
   • To anchor a pattern so that it must match the beginning or end of the value being tested, use “^” at the beginning or “$” at the end of the pattern.