!= (not equals) operator
Applies to: ✅ Microsoft Fabric ✅ Azure Data Explorer ✅ Azure Monitor ✅ Microsoft Sentinel
Filters a record set for data that doesn't match a case-sensitive string.
The following table provides a comparison of the == (equals) operators:
| Operator | Description | Case-Sensitive | Example (yields true) |
|---|---|---|---|
== |
Equals | Yes | "aBc" == "aBc" |
!= |
Not equals | Yes | "abc" != "ABC" |
=~ |
Equals | No | "abc" =~ "ABC" |
!~ |
Not equals | No | "aBc" !~ "xyz" |
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.
Syntax
T | where column != (expression)
Learn more about syntax conventions.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| T | string |
✔️ | The tabular input whose records are to be filtered. |
| column | string |
✔️ | The column by which to filter. |
| expression | scalar | ✔️ | The scalar or literal expression for which to search. |
Returns
Rows in T for which the predicate is true.
Example
StormEvents
| summarize event_count=count() by State
| where (State != "FLORIDA") and (event_count > 4000)
| project State, event_count
Output
| State | event_count |
|---|---|
| TEXAS | 4,701 |