I have a sql file where I want to match the string "sk_term(" in the file when I am using
:/sk_term(
it giving the following error
E486: Pattern not found: sk_term(
as wbogacz suggested, try using parenthesis
:/sk_term\(
Parenthesis are almost always used as a grouping character, and to find them uniquely you need to escape them to be recognized as a character.