MySQL POSITION() Function

Search for "3" in string "W3Schools.com", and return position:

SELECT POSITION("3" IN "W3Schools.com") AS MatchPosition;

Definition and Usage

The POSITION() function returns the position of the first occurrence of a substring in a string.

If the substring is not found within the original string, this function returns 0.

This function performs a case-insensitive search.

Note: The LOCATE() function is equal to the POSITION() function.

POSITION(substring IN string)

Parameter	Description
substring	Required. The substring to search for in string
string	Required. The original string that will be searched

Works in:	From MySQL 4.0

Search for "COM" in string "W3Schools.com", and return position:

SELECT POSITION("COM" IN "W3Schools.com") AS MatchPosition;

Search for "a" in CustomerName column, and return position:

SELECT POSITION("a" IN CustomerName)
FROM Customers;