How to find a text inside SQL Server procedures / triggers?

Question

I have a linkedserver that will change. Some procedures call the linked server like this: [10.10.100.50].dbo.SPROCEDURE_EXAMPLE. We have triggers also doing thi

Answer 1

I use this one for work. leave off the []'s though in the @TEXT field, seems to want to return everything...

SET NOCOUNT ON

DECLARE @TEXT   VARCHAR(250)
DECLARE @SQL    VARCHAR(250)

SELECT  @TEXT='10.10.100.50'

CREATE TABLE #results (db VARCHAR(64), objectname VARCHAR(100),xtype VARCHAR(10), definition TEXT)

SELECT @TEXT as 'Search String'
DECLARE #databases CURSOR FOR SELECT NAME FROM master..sysdatabases where dbid>4
    DECLARE @c_dbname varchar(64)   
    OPEN #databases
    FETCH #databases INTO @c_dbname   
    WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS  -1
    BEGIN
        SELECT @SQL = 'INSERT INTO #results '
        SELECT @SQL = @SQL + 'SELECT ''' + @c_dbname + ''' AS db, o.name,o.xtype,m.definition '   
        SELECT @SQL = @SQL + ' FROM '+@c_dbname+'.sys.sql_modules m '   
        SELECT @SQL = @SQL + ' INNER JOIN '+@c_dbname+'..sysobjects o ON m.object_id=o.id'   
        SELECT @SQL = @SQL + ' WHERE [definition] LIKE ''%'+@TEXT+'%'''   
        EXEC(@SQL)
        FETCH #databases INTO @c_dbname
    END
    CLOSE #databases
DEALLOCATE #databases

SELECT * FROM #results order by db, xtype, objectname
DROP TABLE #results

Answer 2

Any searching with select statement yield you only object name, where search keyword contains. Easiest and efficient way is get script of procedure/function and then search in generated text file, I also follows this technique :) So you are exact pinpoint.

Answer 3

You can find it like

SELECT DISTINCT OBJECT_NAME(id) FROM syscomments WHERE [text] LIKE '%User%'

It will list distinct stored procedure names that contain text like 'User' inside stored procedure. More info

Answer 4

This will work for you:

use [ANALYTICS]  ---> put your DB name here
GO
SELECT sm.object_id, OBJECT_NAME(sm.object_id) AS object_name, o.type, o.type_desc, sm.definition
FROM sys.sql_modules AS sm
JOIN sys.objects AS o ON sm.object_id = o.object_id
where sm.definition like '%SEARCH_WORD_HERE%' collate SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS
ORDER BY o.type;
GO

Answer 5

This one i tried in SQL2008, which can search from all the db at one go.

Create table #temp1 
(ServerName varchar(64), dbname varchar(64)
,spName varchar(128),ObjectType varchar(32), SearchString varchar(64))

Declare @dbid smallint, @dbname varchar(64), @longstr varchar(5000)
Declare @searhString VARCHAR(250)

set  @searhString='firstweek'

declare db_cursor cursor for 
select dbid, [name] 
from master..sysdatabases
where [name] not in ('master', 'model', 'msdb', 'tempdb', 'northwind', 'pubs')



open db_cursor
fetch next from db_cursor into @dbid, @dbname

while (@@fetch_status = 0)
begin
    PRINT 'DB='+@dbname
    set @longstr = 'Use ' + @dbname + char(13) +        
        'insert into #temp1 ' + char(13) +  
        'SELECT @@ServerName,  ''' + @dbname + ''', Name 
        , case  when [Type]= ''P'' Then ''Procedure''
                when[Type]= ''V'' Then ''View''
                when [Type]=  ''TF'' Then ''Table-Valued Function'' 
                when [Type]=  ''FN'' Then ''Function'' 
                when [Type]=  ''TR'' Then ''Trigger'' 
                else [Type]/*''Others''*/
                end 
        , '''+ @searhString +''' FROM  [SYS].[SYSCOMMEnTS]
        JOIN  [SYS].objects ON ID = object_id
        WHERE TEXT LIKE ''%' + @searhString + '%'''

 exec (@longstr)
 fetch next from db_cursor into @dbid, @dbname
end

close db_cursor
deallocate db_cursor
select * from #temp1
Drop table #temp1

Answer 6

[Late answer but hopefully usefull]

Using system tables doesn't always give 100% correct results because there might be a possibility that some stored procedures and/or views are encrypted in which case you'll need to use DAC connection to get the data you need.

I'd recommend using a third party tool such as ApexSQL Search that can deal with encrypted objects easily.

Syscomments system table will give null value for text column in case object is encrypted.