Monday, June 23, 2014

How to search all columns of all tables in a database for a keyword

Create this procedure in the required database and here is how you run it:

--To search all columns of all tables in Pubs database for the keyword "Computer"
EXEC SearchAllTables 'Computer'
GO


Here is the complete stored procedure code:

CREATE PROC SearchAllTables
(
               @SearchStr nvarchar(100)
)
AS
BEGIN

               -- Copyright © 2002 Narayana Vyas Kondreddi. All rights reserved.
               -- Purpose: To search all columns of all tables for a given search string
               -- Written by: Narayana Vyas Kondreddi
               -- Site: http://vyaskn.tripod.com
               -- Tested on: SQL Server 7.0 and SQL Server 2000
               -- Date modified: 28th July 2002 22:50 GMT


               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')
                                                                            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

END