Check if string is found in one of multiple columns in SQL - sql

Question

I want to search a string in multiple columns to check if it exists in any.
I found a solution for it here
The answer by Thorsten is short but that is a solution for mysql server not for SQL Server.
So I would like to apply similar query in SQL Server.
Here is the query suggested by Thorsten.
Select *
from tblClients
WHERE name || surname LIKE '%john%'
I tried it as
/* This returns nothing */
Select *
from Items
Where ISNULL(Code, '') + ISNULL(Code1, '') = '6922896068701';
Go
/* This generate error Msg 102, Level 15, State 1, Line 3
Incorrect syntax near '|'.
I also used this one in mysql but it does not show the exact match.
*/
Select *
from Items
WHERE Code || Code1 = '6922896068701';
Go
/* This generate error Msg 4145, Level 15, State 1, Line 5
An expression of non-boolean type specified in a context where a condition is expected, near 'Or'. */
Select *
from Items
WHERE Code Or Code1 = '6922896068701';
Go
Is it really possible in SQL Server?
Note: The answer by J__ works accurately in the upper Question link but I want the comparison string to be entered once for all columns where I look for it like Thorsten.

Answer 1

Actually I think that separate logical checks in the WHERE clause for each column is the way to go here. If you can't do that for some reason, consider using a WHERE IN (...) clause:
SELECT *
FROM Items
WHERE '6922896068701' IN (Code, Code1);
If instead you want LIKE logic, then it gets tricky. If you knew that the matching codes would always consist of numbers/letters, then you could try:
SELECT *
FROM Items
WHERE ',' + Code + ',' + Code1 + ',' LIKE '%,6922896068701,%';

Answer 2

I would recommend doing the two comparisons separately:
WHERE name LIKE '%john%' OR
surname LIKE '%john%'
Unless you specifically want to find times when the names are combined, such as "Maryjoh" "Needlebaum" or whatever.
It is generally better to focus on one column at a time, because that helps the optimizer.

Answer 3

For MS SQL this may work;
Select *
from Items
WHERE Code = '6922896068701' Or Code1 = '6922896068701'