Search for one value in any column of any table inside a database

Question

Is there a way to search for one value (in my case it is a UID of the type char(64)) inside any column of any table inside one MS SQL Server database?

I

Answer 1

I expanded the code, because it's not told me the 'record number', and I must to refind it.

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

-- Copyright @ 2012 Gyula Kulifai. All rights reserved.
-- Extended By: Gyula Kulifai
-- Purpose: To put key values, to exactly determine the position of search
-- Resources: Anatoly Lubarsky
-- Date extension: 19th October 2012 12:24 GMT
-- Tested on: SQL Server 10.0.5500 (SQL Server 2008 SP3)

CREATE TABLE #Results (TableName nvarchar(370), KeyValues nvarchar(3630), ColumnName nvarchar(370), ColumnValue nvarchar(3630))

SET NOCOUNT ON

DECLARE @TableName nvarchar(256), @ColumnName nvarchar(128), @SearchStr2 nvarchar(110)
    ,@TableShortName nvarchar(256)
    ,@TableKeys nvarchar(512)
    ,@SQL nvarchar(3830)

SET  @TableName = ''
SET @SearchStr2 = QUOTENAME('%' + @SearchStr + '%','''')

WHILE @TableName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
    SET @ColumnName = ''

    -- Scan Tables
    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
    )
    Set @TableShortName=PARSENAME(@TableName, 1)
    -- print @TableName + ';' + @TableShortName +'!' -- *** DEBUG LINE ***

        -- LOOK Key Fields, Set Key Columns
        SET @TableKeys=''
        SELECT @TableKeys = @TableKeys + '''' + QUOTENAME([name]) + ': '' + CONVERT(nvarchar(250),' + [name] + ') + ''' + ',' + ''' + '
         FROM syscolumns 
         WHERE [id] IN (
            SELECT [id] 
             FROM sysobjects 
             WHERE [name] = @TableShortName)
           AND colid IN (
            SELECT SIK.colid 
             FROM sysindexkeys SIK 
             JOIN sysobjects SO ON 
                SIK.[id] = SO.[id]  
             WHERE 
                SIK.indid = 1
                AND SO.[name] = @TableShortName)
        If @TableKeys<>''
            SET @TableKeys=SUBSTRING(@TableKeys,1,Len(@TableKeys)-8)
        -- Print @TableName + ';' + @TableKeys + '!' -- *** DEBUG LINE ***

    -- Search in Columns
    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
        ) -- Set ColumnName

        IF @ColumnName IS NOT NULL
        BEGIN
            SET @SQL='
                SELECT 
                    ''' + @TableName + '''
                    ,'+@TableKeys+'
                    ,''' + @ColumnName + '''
                ,LEFT(' + @ColumnName + ', 3630) 
                FROM ' + @TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +
                ' WHERE ' + @ColumnName + ' LIKE ' + @SearchStr2
            --Print @SQL -- *** DEBUG LINE ***
            INSERT INTO #Results
                Exec (@SQL)
        END -- IF ColumnName
    END -- While Table and Column
END --While Table

SELECT TableName, KeyValues, ColumnName, ColumnValue FROM #Results
END