Starting with version 10g, Oracle Database supports POSIX Extended Regular Expressions via four functions. REGEXP_LIKE is just like LIKE, except that it uses a regex pattern rather than a SQL pattern. The REGEXP_SUBSTR function extracts the part of a column that matches a regex, while the REGEXP_REPLACE function replaces that part with another string. Finally, REGEXP_INST returns the position at which a regex matches in a string, which you can use in more advanced SQL code. Together, these three allow you to create some very powerful SQL queries with very little code.
First, use RegexBuddy to define a regex or retrieve a regexp saved in a RegexBuddy library. Rely on RegexBuddy’s clear regex analysis, which is constantly updated as you build the pattern, rather than dealing with the cryptic regex syntax on your own. Detailed help on that syntax is always only a click away.
If you copied a regex written for another programming language or database, simply paste it into RegexBuddy, select the original application, and then convert the regex to the specific version of Oracle you’re using. If you’re writing a code library that needs to work with multiple versions of Oracle, compare your regex between those Oracle versions to make sure it will work exactly the same with all of them. RegexBuddy supports all versions of Oracle that support regular expressions (10g, 11g, and 12c) and knows exactly which features are available in each version.
If you created a new regular expression, test and debug it in RegexBuddy before using it in your Oracle queries. Test each regex in RegexBuddy’s safe sandbox without risking precious data. Quickly apply the regex to a wide variety of input and sample data, without having to produce that input through your database.
Finally, let RegexBuddy generate a source code snippet that you can copy and paste directly into whichever database application you use. Just choose what you want to use the regex for, and a fully functional code snippet is ready. You can change the names of tables and columns to suit your naming style or the current situation, which RegexBuddy automatically remembers.
Don’t bother trying to remember Oracle’s specific regexp syntax. And don’t worry about properly escaping backslashes and other characters. Just tell RegexBuddy what you want to do, and you will get the proper Oracle code straight away.