SQL select query retrieval blank return

I have to retrieve distinct entities from a column, all of which start with a vowel. The query looks like this :

Select DISTINCT column_name 
FROM table_name 
WHERE column_name LIKE '[aeiou]%';

It’s not giving compilation errors, but it’s not returning anything. Any ideas?

Answer

You can use regular expressions:

Select DISTINCT column_name 
FROM table_name 
WHERE column_name REGEXP '^[aeiou]';

LIKE wildcard patterns do not support character classes, except in a couple of databases that extend the definitions of the LIKE pattern.

Also, you might want:

WHERE column_name REGEXP '^[aeiouAEIOU]'

If you have a case-sensitive collation.