Problem
Is there a method to search for a string across all tables of a SQL Server database?
I’d want to look for the string john. The tables and rows that include john should be displayed as a result.
Asked by Ramiz Raja
Solution #1
If you’re like me and working in a production environment, you might want to utilize a table variable instead of a temp table and an ad-hoc query instead of a create method.
Table variables must, of course, be supported by your SQL server instance.
I also included a USE statement to limit the scope of the search.
USE DATABASE_NAME
DECLARE @SearchStr nvarchar(100) = 'SEARCH_TEXT'
DECLARE @Results TABLE (ColumnName nvarchar(370), ColumnValue nvarchar(3630))
SET NOCOUNT ON
DECLARE @TableName nvarchar(256), @ColumnName nvarchar(128), @SearchStr2 nvarchar(110)
SET @TableName = ''
SET @SearchStr2 = QUOTENAME('%' + @SearchStr + '%','''')
WHILE @TableName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
SET @ColumnName = ''
SET @TableName =
(
SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME))
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'
AND QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME) > @TableName
AND OBJECTPROPERTY(
OBJECT_ID(
QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME)
), 'IsMSShipped'
) = 0
)
WHILE (@TableName IS NOT NULL) AND (@ColumnName IS NOT NULL)
BEGIN
SET @ColumnName =
(
SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME))
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = PARSENAME(@TableName, 2)
AND TABLE_NAME = PARSENAME(@TableName, 1)
AND DATA_TYPE IN ('char', 'varchar', 'nchar', 'nvarchar', 'int', 'decimal')
AND QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @ColumnName
)
IF @ColumnName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
INSERT INTO @Results
EXEC
(
'SELECT ''' + @TableName + '.' + @ColumnName + ''', LEFT(' + @ColumnName + ', 3630)
FROM ' + @TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +
' WHERE ' + @ColumnName + ' LIKE ' + @SearchStr2
)
END
END
END
SELECT ColumnName, ColumnValue FROM @Results
Answered by Brandon Culley
Solution #2
It’s a little late, but hopefully it’ll be useful.
Why not try some of the third-party tools that are compatible with SSMS?
I’ve had decent results using ApexSQL Search (which is completely free) for both schema and data searches, and there’s also an SSMS tools pack that provides this feature (not free for SQL 2012 but quite affordable).
The stored procedure above is fantastic; but, this is far more convenient in my perspective. Also, if you wish to search for datetime columns or GUID columns, you’ll need to make some minor changes…
Answered by Thomas Bovee
Solution #3
To bring TechDo’s answer up to date for SQL Server 2012. You need to change: ‘FROM ‘ + @TableName + ‘ (NOLOCK) ‘ to FROM ‘ + @TableName + ‘WITH (NOLOCK) ‘ +
If you don’t, you’ll get the following error: In this version of SQL Server, the deprecated feature ‘Table hint without WITH’ is not supported.
The updated stored procedure is as follows:
CREATE PROC SearchAllTables
(
@SearchStr nvarchar(100)
)
AS
BEGIN
CREATE TABLE #Results (ColumnName nvarchar(370), ColumnValue nvarchar(3630))
SET NOCOUNT ON
DECLARE @TableName nvarchar(256), @ColumnName nvarchar(128), @SearchStr2 nvarchar(110)
SET @TableName = ''
SET @SearchStr2 = QUOTENAME('%' + @SearchStr + '%','''')
WHILE @TableName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
SET @ColumnName = ''
SET @TableName =
(
SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME))
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'
AND QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME) > @TableName
AND OBJECTPROPERTY(
OBJECT_ID(
QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME)
), 'IsMSShipped'
) = 0
)
WHILE (@TableName IS NOT NULL) AND (@ColumnName IS NOT NULL)
BEGIN
SET @ColumnName =
(
SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME))
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = PARSENAME(@TableName, 2)
AND TABLE_NAME = PARSENAME(@TableName, 1)
AND DATA_TYPE IN ('char', 'varchar', 'nchar', 'nvarchar', 'int', 'decimal')
AND QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @ColumnName
)
IF @ColumnName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
INSERT INTO #Results
EXEC
(
'SELECT ''' + @TableName + '.' + @ColumnName + ''', LEFT(' + @ColumnName + ', 3630)
FROM ' + @TableName + 'WITH (NOLOCK) ' +
' WHERE ' + @ColumnName + ' LIKE ' + @SearchStr2
)
END
END
END
SELECT ColumnName, ColumnValue FROM #Results
END
Answered by Rafi
Solution #4
Although it’s a little late, this query can easily discover a string.
DECLARE
@search_string VARCHAR(100),
@table_name SYSNAME,
@table_id INT,
@column_name SYSNAME,
@sql_string VARCHAR(2000)
SET @search_string = 'StringtoSearch'
DECLARE tables_cur CURSOR FOR SELECT ss.name +'.'+ so.name [name], object_id FROM sys.objects so INNER JOIN sys.schemas ss ON so.schema_id = ss.schema_id WHERE type = 'U'
OPEN tables_cur
FETCH NEXT FROM tables_cur INTO @table_name, @table_id
WHILE (@@FETCH_STATUS = 0)
BEGIN
DECLARE columns_cur CURSOR FOR SELECT name FROM sys.columns WHERE object_id = @table_id
AND system_type_id IN (167, 175, 231, 239)
OPEN columns_cur
FETCH NEXT FROM columns_cur INTO @column_name
WHILE (@@FETCH_STATUS = 0)
BEGIN
SET @sql_string = 'IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM ' + @table_name + ' WHERE [' + @column_name + ']
LIKE ''%' + @search_string + '%'') PRINT ''' + @table_name + ', ' + @column_name + ''''
EXECUTE(@sql_string)
FETCH NEXT FROM columns_cur INTO @column_name
END
CLOSE columns_cur
DEALLOCATE columns_cur
FETCH NEXT FROM tables_cur INTO @table_name, @table_id
END
CLOSE tables_cur
DEALLOCATE tables_cur
Answered by Noor A Shuvo
Solution #5
Nested looping isn’t required (outer looping through tables and inner looping through all table columns). From INFORMATION SCHEMA.COLUMNS, one may receive all (or arbitrary selected/filtered) table-column combinations and simply pass through (search) them all in one loop:
DECLARE @search VARCHAR(100), @table SYSNAME, @column SYSNAME
DECLARE curTabCol CURSOR FOR
SELECT c.TABLE_SCHEMA + '.' + c.TABLE_NAME, c.COLUMN_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS c
JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES t
ON t.TABLE_NAME=c.TABLE_NAME AND t.TABLE_TYPE='BASE TABLE' -- avoid views
WHERE c.DATA_TYPE IN ('varchar','nvarchar') -- searching only in these column types
--AND c.COLUMN_NAME IN ('NAME','DESCRIPTION') -- searching only in these column names
SET @search='john'
OPEN curTabCol
FETCH NEXT FROM curTabCol INTO @table, @column
WHILE (@@FETCH_STATUS = 0)
BEGIN
EXECUTE('IF EXISTS
(SELECT * FROM ' + @table + ' WHERE ' + @column + ' = ''' + @search + ''')
PRINT ''' + @table + '.' + @column + '''')
FETCH NEXT FROM curTabCol INTO @table, @column
END
CLOSE curTabCol
DEALLOCATE curTabCol
Answered by sbrbot
Post is based on https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15757263/find-a-string-by-searching-all-tables-in-sql-server