# Database Discussions > Microsoft SQL Server 2005 >  Can't find more than 348 characters in WHERE clause

## bobbo

I have a table with a field called description of nvarchar(4000).
It contains the value below which is 440 characters long.

When I select from the table with _where description = the value_, it will not find it.
When I select from the table with _where left(description, 349) = the first 349 chars_, it will not find it.
When I select from the table with _where left(description, 348) = the first 348 chars_, it finds it.

The 349th character is a semicolon ( :Wink: .
What is going on?


'Financing Information;;Borrower under 525 Eurohypo Facility;Borrower under $2.1b SMCF;Borrower under ANZ/NAB $800 Facility;Borrower under ¥8.36 OCBC Facility;Borrower under £320 RBS/Lloyds;Borrower under 27m Taberna Facility;EMTN Guarantor;EMTN Issuer;RBS Revolver (Borrowers);RBS Revolver (Guarantors);Obligors under $485m Macquarie/CIC facility;Areal Borrowers;Areal Facility (Guarantors);Support Group Borrower;Support Group investor '

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## bobbo

On another row, I put 'Yardi Code' repeated 100 times and it found it just fine.

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## skhanal

Is the 349th character ; on column or the string you are comparing?

If if it is in string then ; may be interpreted as end of sql command.

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## bobbo

The contents of the column and the string are exactly the same. That's the point - they should match no matter how many characters I compare but once I compare beyond the 348th character they don't. Also there is more than one semicolon in the string.

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## rmiao

What's db compatibility level?

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## bobbo

Sql 2005 
90

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