Search all databases for a value
Let's say there is a table named: People
| Id | Name | Code |
| 1 | John | 857 |
| 2 | Mike | 893 |
| 3 | Sara | 935 |
This table is in the PeopleDb database
Now I want to search for the keyword "Mike". Situation:
I do not know which database to look for, tables.
I need a query that searches all databases and tables and shows me the following:
| Id | DatabaseName | TableName | ColumnName | Pk | SearchValue
| 1 | 'PeopleDb' | 'People' | 'Name' | 2 | 'Mike'
I have no idea how to write a query to search all databases and tables.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Edit:
Speed is not an issue here and I need to do it.
I tried this query, I want the same one, but it searches all databases.
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
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')
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
Update:
I need a working T-Sql that searches all databases, tables, columns, all variable types. The current answers will not work in some situations such asConnection String in nvarchar field.
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I have updated your logic to match below and it works great, please take a look:
DECLARE @SearchStr VARCHAR(50)='Surat'
DECLARE @Results TABLE(DatabaseName NVARCHAR(500), TableName nvarchar(370),ColumnName nvarchar(370), ColumnValue nvarchar(3630),PrimaryKey nvarchar(200), PrimaryKeyValue nvarchar(4000))
SET NOCOUNT ON
DECLARE @TableList AS Table
(
TableName VARCHAR(500),
RowNo INT
)
DECLARE @ColumnList AS Table
(
ColumnName VARCHAR(500),
RowNo INT
)
DECLARE @PrimaryKeyList AS Table
(
PrimaryKeyName VARCHAR(500)
)
DECLARE @TableName nvarchar(256), @ColumnName nvarchar(128), @SearchStr2 nvarchar(110), @PrimaryKey nvarchar(200), @CurrentTableName nvarchar(256)
SET @TableName = ''
SET @SearchStr2 = QUOTENAME('%' + @SearchStr + '%', '''')
DECLARE @DatabaseCount INT=0, @Index INT=0, @DatabaseName NVARCHAR(500), @TotalColumnCount INT, @ColumnIndex INT=0, @TotalTableCount INT, @TableIndex INT=0
SELECT
*,
ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY name) AS RowNo
INTO #tblDatabases
FROM Sys.Databases
WHERE name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb')
SELECT @DatabaseCount=COUNT (*) FROM #tblDatabases
WHILE @Index<@DatabaseCount
BEGIN
SET @Index=@Index+1
SELECT @DatabaseName='',@TableIndex=0,@ColumnIndex=0,@TableName='',@ColumnName=''
SELECT @DatabaseName=name FROM #tblDatabases WHERE RowNo=@Index
DELETE FROM @TableList
INSERT INTO @TableList
EXEC('
SELECT QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + ''.'' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME),
ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY TABLE_NAME)
FROM ['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE TABLE_TYPE = ''BASE TABLE''
')
SELECT @TotalTableCount=COUNT(*) FROM @TableList
WHILE @TableIndex<@TotalTableCount
BEGIN
SET @TableIndex=@TableIndex+1
SELECT @ColumnName = '',@ColumnIndex=0
SELECT @TableName=TableName FROM @TableList WHERE RowNo=@TableIndex
SET @CurrentTableName=REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(@TableName,'[dbo].',''),'[',''),']','')
DELETE FROM @ColumnList
INSERT INTO @ColumnList
EXEC('SELECT
COLUMN_NAME,ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY COLUMN_NAME)
FROM ['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = PARSENAME('''+@TableName+''', 2)
AND TABLE_NAME = PARSENAME('''+@TableName+''', 1)
AND DATA_TYPE IN (''char'', ''varchar'', ''nchar'', ''nvarchar'')
')
SELECT @TotalColumnCount=COUNT(*) FROM @ColumnList
WHILE @ColumnIndex<@TotalColumnCount
BEGIN
SET @ColumnIndex=@ColumnIndex+1
SET @ColumnName=''
SELECT @ColumnName=ColumnName FROM @ColumnList WHERE RowNo=@ColumnIndex
DELETE FROM @PrimaryKeyList
INSERT INTO @PrimaryKeyList
EXEC('
SELECT Col.Column_Name from
['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS Tab,
['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.CONSTRAINT_COLUMN_USAGE Col
WHERE
Col.Constraint_Name = Tab.Constraint_Name
AND Col.Table_Name = Tab.Table_Name
AND Constraint_Type = ''PRIMARY KEY''
AND Col.Table_Name= '''+@CurrentTableName+'''
')
SELECT @PrimaryKey=''
SELECT @PrimaryKey=PrimaryKeyName FROM @PrimaryKeyList
SET @PrimaryKey=ISNULL(@PrimaryKey,'')
IF @ColumnName IS NOT NULL AND @PrimaryKey<>''
BEGIN
INSERT INTO @Results
EXEC
(
'SELECT '''+@DatabaseName+''','''+@CurrentTableName+''',''' + @ColumnName + ''', LEFT(' + @ColumnName + ', 3630) , '''+@PrimaryKey+''', [' + @PrimaryKey + ']
FROM ['+@DatabaseName+'].' + @TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +
' WHERE ' + @ColumnName + ' LIKE ' + @SearchStr2
)
END
END
END
END
SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY DatabaseName) AS Id,DatabaseName,TableName,ColumnName, ColumnValue AS SearchValue,PrimaryKeyValue AS Pk, PrimaryKey FROM @Results
DROP TABLE #tblDatabases
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you can use this storage procedure
CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.SearchAllDatabases
@SearchTerm NVARCHAR(255) = NULL
AS
BEGIN
SET NOCOUNT ON;
SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL READ UNCOMMITTED;
IF @SearchTerm IS NULL OR @SearchTerm NOT LIKE N'%[^%^_]%'
BEGIN
RAISERROR(N'Please enter a valid search term.', 11, 1);
RETURN;
END
CREATE TABLE #results
(
[database] SYSNAME,
[schema] SYSNAME,
[table] SYSNAME,
[column] SYSNAME,
ExampleValue NVARCHAR(1000)
);
DECLARE
@DatabaseCommands NVARCHAR(MAX) = N'',
@ColumnCommands NVARCHAR(MAX) = N'';
SELECT @DatabaseCommands = @DatabaseCommands + N'
EXEC ' + QUOTENAME(name) + '.sys.sp_executesql
@ColumnCommands, N''@SearchTerm NVARCHAR(MAX)'', @SearchTerm;'
FROM sys.databases
WHERE database_id > 4 -- non-system databases
AND [state] = 0 -- online
AND user_access = 0; -- multi-user
SET @ColumnCommands = N'DECLARE @q NCHAR(1),
@SearchCommands NVARCHAR(MAX);
SELECT @q = NCHAR(39),
@SearchCommands = N''DECLARE @VSearchTerm VARCHAR(255) = @SearchTerm;'';
SELECT @SearchCommands = @SearchCommands + CHAR(10) + N''
SELECT TOP (1)
[db] = DB_NAME(),
[schema] = N'' + @q + s.name + @q + '',
[table] = N'' + @q + t.name + @q + '',
[column] = N'' + @q + c.name + @q + '',
ExampleValue = LEFT('' + QUOTENAME(c.name) + '', 1000)
FROM '' + QUOTENAME(s.name) + ''.'' + QUOTENAME(t.name) + ''
WHERE '' + QUOTENAME(c.name) + N'' LIKE @'' + CASE
WHEN c.system_type_id IN (35, 167, 175) THEN ''V''
ELSE '''' END + ''SearchTerm;''
FROM sys.schemas AS s
INNER JOIN sys.tables AS t
ON s.[schema_id] = t.[schema_id]
INNER JOIN sys.columns AS c
ON t.[object_id] = c.[object_id]
WHERE c.system_type_id IN (35, 99, 167, 175, 231, 239)
AND c.max_length >= LEN(@SearchTerm);
PRINT @SearchCommands;
EXEC sys.sp_executesql @SearchCommands,
N''@SearchTerm NVARCHAR(255)'', @SearchTerm;';
INSERT #Results
(
[database],
[schema],
[table],
[column],
ExampleValue
)
EXEC [master].sys.sp_executesql @DatabaseCommands,
N'@ColumnCommands NVARCHAR(MAX), @SearchTerm NVARCHAR(255)',
@ColumnCommands, @SearchTerm;
SELECT [Searched for] = @SearchTerm;
SELECT [database],[schema],[table],[column],ExampleValue
FROM #Results
ORDER BY [database],[schema],[table],[column];
END
GO
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It seems like a crazy thing - searching can kill your server completely. That said, if it's a one-time / accidental use of manual triggering, you can create a script to generate the required SQL commands and then execute the result set. I've done this before to reorganize the columns in the database. Your script needs to run a query first to get the names of all DBs on your sql server instance
SELECT * FROM sys.databases
Then create a dynamic sql including a USE command to point the DB and use the .tables and .columns information_schemes to get the names of all the tables and columns you want to find - it's up to you how you decide to select the columns for (these are just columns like N '% name%'.
Then use this information in a for loop to create individual queries on the table / columns. For efficiency (and to help you debug if it doesn't work), I suggest using @table variables.
Finally, select the content of any @tables containing the generated tables.
This output can be run on the server - if you have enabled use commands or prefixed table names with [dbname]. [schema].
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