Q: In X++, what is the purpose of the like relational operator, and which of the following statements about its usage is correct?

In X++, the like relational operator is used to compare patterns in strings. It works similarly to SQL's LIKE clause. Here's a breakdown of why option D is correct:

✔️ like Operator Behavior:

• It returns true if the first expression (expression1) matches the pattern provided in the second expression (expression2).

• The second expression can contain wildcards:

  • * (asterisk) → matches zero or more characters.

  • ? (question mark) → matches exactly one character.

📝 Example:

select * from xRefPaths
    where xRefPaths.Path like "\\\\Classes\\\\AddressSelectForm";

• This will select records where the Path field matches the string \\Classes\\AddressSelectForm.

🔒 Important Notes:

• like is evaluated by the SQL Server backend, not directly in X++.

  • So results may vary depending on the SQL collation or case-sensitivity of the server.

• expression2 must not exceed 1000 characters.

• When matching file paths, each \ must be written as \\ (because \ is an escape character), so you need four backslashes: \\\\.

❌ Why other options are incorrect:

• A: The like operator is not used for numeric equality.

• B: * matches zero or more characters, and ? matches one character — this option got the meanings reversed.

• C: Since like is processed by SQL, its results may vary across environments — especially if SQL settings differ.