contains operator

Filters a record set for data containing a case-insensitive string. contains searches for arbitrary sub-strings rather than terms.

The following table compares the contains operators using the abbreviations provided:

• RHS = right-hand side of the expression
• LHS = left-hand side of the expression

Operator	Description	Case-Sensitive	Example (yields true)
contains	RHS occurs as a subsequence of LHS	No	"FabriKam" contains "BRik"
!contains	RHS doesn't occur in LHS	No	"Fabrikam" !contains "xyz"
contains_cs	RHS occurs as a subsequence of LHS	Yes	"FabriKam" contains_cs "Kam"
!contains_cs	RHS doesn't occur in LHS	Yes	"Fabrikam" !contains_cs "Kam"

For more information about other operators and to determine which operator is most appropriate for your query, see datatype string operators.

Performance tips

Note

Performance depends on the type of search and the structure of the data. For best practices, see Query best practices.

When possible, use contains_cs - a case-sensitive version of the operator.

If you're looking for a term, use has for faster results.

Syntax

T | where col contains_cs (string)

Learn more about syntax conventions.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
T	string	✔️	The tabular input whose records are to be filtered.
col	string	✔️	The name of the column to check for string.
string	string	✔️	The case-sensitive string by which to filter the data.

Returns

Rows in T for which string is in col.

Example

Run the query

StormEvents
| summarize event_count=count() by State
| where State contains "enn"
| where event_count > 10
| project State, event_count
| render table

Output

State	event_count
PENNSYLVANIA	1687
TENNESSEE	1125