Why Does My Postgresql Query Return 'column 'Smith' does not exist' Even Though the Column Exists?

Column Name Not Recognized in Postgresql Query

When attempting to execute a simple SELECT statement in Postgresql, you may encounter the error "column 'Smith' does not exist." This can be perplexing, especially when you know that the column you're referencing does indeed exist in your database.

Root Cause:

The issue stems from the way Postgresql handles quoted and unquoted column names. In this case, you have placed double quotes around the column name "lName" to indicate that it's an exact match. However, the value you're comparing it to, "Smith," is not enclosed in quotes.

Solution:

To resolve this issue, ensure that both the column name and the comparison value are enclosed in the same type of quotes. In Postgresql, it's generally recommended to use single quotes for string literals:

SELECT * FROM employee WHERE "lName" LIKE 'Smith'

Moreover, you may want to consider including a wildcard in your LIKE expression. Without a wildcard, a LIKE comparison is equivalent to an equality check. If you intended to perform a partial match, include a wildcard character, such as '%':

SELECT * FROM employee WHERE "lName" LIKE '%Smith%'

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