laravel/framework · error · RuntimeException

This database engine does not support case sensitive like…

Error message

This database engine does not support case sensitive like operations.

What it means

The base Grammar's whereLike throws when $where['caseSensitive'] is true and the grammar does not override the method. MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite all override whereLike to handle case sensitivity (e.g., MySQL uses BINARY, PostgreSQL switches between LIKE and ILIKE). SqlServerGrammar does not override it, so case-sensitive LIKE on SQL Server triggers the throw.

Solutions

Switch to a connection whose grammar supports case-sensitive LIKE (mysql, pgsql, or sqlite)
On SQL Server, use a raw where clause with COLLATE: ->whereRaw("[column] COLLATE Latin1_General_CS_AS LIKE ?", ['value'])
Use where() with DB::raw() to apply an explicit case-sensitive collation per query

Example fix

// before — throws on SQL Server
User::whereLike('email', 'Admin@Example.com', caseSensitive: true)->get();

// after — raw COLLATE clause works on SQL Server
User::whereRaw("email COLLATE Latin1_General_CS_AS LIKE ?", ['Admin@Example.com'])->get();

Defensive patterns

Strategy: type-guard

Validate before calling

$driver = DB::connection()->getDriverName();

if ($driver !== 'sqlsrv') {
    $query->whereLike('email', $value, caseSensitive: true);
} else {
    $query->whereRaw("email COLLATE Latin1_General_CS_AS LIKE ?", [$value]);
}

Type guard

function supportsCaseSensitiveLike(): bool {
    return DB::connection()->getDriverName() !== 'sqlsrv';
}

Try / catch

try {
    $query->whereLike('email', $value, caseSensitive: true);
} catch (\RuntimeException $e) {
    if (str_contains($e->getMessage(), 'case sensitive like')) {
        $query->whereRaw("email COLLATE Latin1_General_CS_AS LIKE ?", [$value]);
    } else {
        throw $e;
    }
}

Prevention

If targeting SQL Server, avoid caseSensitive: true in whereLike calls
Test case-sensitive LIKE queries against all target DB engines
Keep a COLLATE clause ready as a SQL Server fallback

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ->whereLike('column', 'value', caseSensitive: true) or ->orWhereLike with caseSensitive: true on a SQL Server (sqlsrv) connection.

Common situations: Application originally developed on MySQL or PostgreSQL using case-sensitive LIKE, then migrated to SQL Server. Developer unaware that SQL Server's grammar lacks a case-sensitive LIKE override in Laravel.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of laravel/framework@e0f6eb3518 (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ce4dc6b2a711a9e6. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/Illuminate/Database/Query/Grammars/Grammar.php:338

     */
    protected function whereBitwise(Builder $query, $where)
    {
        return $this->whereBasic($query, $where);
    }

    /**
     * Compile a "where like" clause.
     *
     * @param  \Illuminate\Database\Query\Builder  $query
     * @param  array  $where
     * @return string
     *
     * @throws \RuntimeException
     */
    protected function whereLike(Builder $query, $where)
    {
        if ($where['caseSensitive']) {
            throw new RuntimeException('This database engine does not support case sensitive like operations.');
        }

        $where['operator'] = $where['not'] ? 'not like' : 'like';

        return $this->whereBasic($query, $where);
    }

    /**
     * Compile a "where null safe equals" clause.
     *
     * @param  \Illuminate\Database\Query\Builder  $query
     * @param  array  $where
     * @return string
     */
    protected function whereNullSafeEquals(Builder $query, $where)
    {
        return $this->wrap($where['column']).' is not distinct from '.$this->parameter($where['value']);
    }

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