partial search performance

To search for partial string we are using WHERE column_name LIKE '%str%'.
But its taking long time to return the results. Is there any way to improve
the performance.
What is the datatype of the column you are searching against. An index would
help majorly but it has to been an allowable type.
/*
Warren Brunk - MCITP,MCTS,MCDBA
www.techintsolutions.com
*/
"Ramu" <Ramu@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2C4BB57B-48AA-41A1-9594-48DCA08AB50A@.microsoft.com...
> To search for partial string we are using WHERE column_name LIKE
> '%str%'.
> But its taking long time to return the results. Is there any way to
> improve
> the performance.
|||datatype of the column is varchar(max). This column contains the description
of the product. Users want to search for a string rather than a word. If
search by a word is the requirement, I would have gone with FTE.
"Warren Brunk" wrote:

> What is the datatype of the column you are searching against. An index would
> help majorly but it has to been an allowable type.
> --
> /*
> Warren Brunk - MCITP,MCTS,MCDBA
> www.techintsolutions.com
> */
> "Ramu" <Ramu@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2C4BB57B-48AA-41A1-9594-48DCA08AB50A@.microsoft.com...
>
>
|||using a wildcard at the start of a LIKE expression does not use an INDEX SEEK
but rather an INDEX SCAN so the query will be slow even if you created
indexes on this column
http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/jnelson/archive/2007/11/16/108354.aspx
Misbah Arefin
"Ramu" wrote:
[vbcol=seagreen]
> datatype of the column is varchar(max). This column contains the description
> of the product. Users want to search for a string rather than a word. If
> search by a word is the requirement, I would have gone with FTE.
>
> "Warren Brunk" wrote: