The Problem (Q-score 6, ranked #60th of 67 in the Access VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2012
I have a query where I want to return all Clients that have a certain string in the name with wildcards on either side. So the input could be “Smith” and i want to return all things like “The John Smith Company” or “Smith and Bros”. I want [Client] to be prompted so I set up the SQL like this:
PARAMETERS Client Text ( 255 );
SELECT *
WHERE (((tbl_IncomingChecks.Client) Like'%' + [Client] + '%')
ORDER BY tbl_IncomingChecks.Client;
The query is not returning any results. Please help
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 67 Access VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds niche answer (below median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+5)
Advisory answer — community consensus with reference links
Note: the verified answer below is a reference / advisory response rather than a copy-ready snippet.
MS Access uses * as a wildcard not %, so your query will be trying to match literal ‘%’ characters. Use * instead unless you are using ADO.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/like-operator-HP001032253.aspx
When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)
Ranked #60th in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 84% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Access VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2012 and 2026
The answer is 14 years old. The Access VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.