Search all tables

  • Hi Guys,

    I need to search all tables in my user database to find a value. I don't know what the column name is.

    I know of one table that contains the value, but I need to look through all the tables and all there columns to see if I can find if this value exists in more than one place. It is an int value - 394789.

    It would be awesome if anyone could help me with this.

    Kind Regards

    JD

  • Hi,

    Here is a proc that will help you. it is a modified version of the original code taken from http://vyaskn.tripod.com/search_all_columns_in_all_tables.htm

    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 QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @ColumnName

    )

    IF @ColumnName IS NOT NULL

    BEGIN

    INSERT INTO #Results

    EXEC

    (

    'SELECT ''' + @TableName + '.' + @ColumnName + ''', LEFT(CONVERT(varchar(max), ' + @ColumnName + '), 3630)

    FROM ' + @TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +

    ' WHERE CONVERT(varchar(max), ' + @ColumnName + ') LIKE ' + @SearchStr2

    )

    END

    END

    Hope it helps..!!

    Regards

    Shafat Husain

    Regards,
    Shafat Husain
    🙂
    And Your Lord Never Forgets...!! (64:19 -- Quran)

  • Hi,

    I have tried this one already.

    It showed the first value I put in and then it shows the table where I know the value exists, but I need to know if it exists anywhere else.

    And it only worked once, when I changed the value, it showed me the first value I put in and not the new one.

    For example, the first time the input value was 395268

    Now I changed the value to 394789 but it shows the first value the whole time.

  • Hi,

    Try this one.

    DECLARE @SearchStr nvarchar(100)

    SET @SearchStr = 'Value to Search'

    -- 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

    -- Updated and tested by Tim Gaunt

    -- http://www.thesitedoctor.co.uk

    -- http://blogs.thesitedoctor.co.uk/tim/2010/02/19/Search+Every+Table+And+Field+In+A+SQL+Server+Database+Updated.aspx

    -- Tested on: SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2010

    -- Date modified: 03rd March 2011 19:00 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', '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

    DROP TABLE #Results

    Regards

    Shafat Husain

    Regards,
    Shafat Husain
    🙂
    And Your Lord Never Forgets...!! (64:19 -- Quran)

  • Hi Shafat,

    The second one works perfectly.

    Thanks man appreciate it.

  • Welcome.!!

    Regards

    Shafat Husain

    Regards,
    Shafat Husain
    🙂
    And Your Lord Never Forgets...!! (64:19 -- Quran)

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