SQL : Select a table name containing specific string [duplicate] - sql

Question

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Find a value anywhere in a database
(18 answers)
Search all tables, all columns for a specific value SQL Server [duplicate]
(4 answers)
Closed 5 years ago.
Suppose I have string to search "Sample String" and I have 100 tables in my database.
I want to search if any of the table contains this string.
Eg. If tlbSample contains string "Sample String" then it should show it.
I tried :-
SELECT name
FROM sys.tables
WHERE name LIKE '%Sample String%'
But no luck.
Please help me.

Answer 1

You can use this. I have copied it from here : https://stackoverflow.com/a/13588431/400447
DECLARE #SearchStrTableName nvarchar(255), #SearchStrColumnName nvarchar(255), #SearchStrColumnValue nvarchar(255), #SearchStrInXML bit, #FullRowResult bit, #FullRowResultRows int
SET #SearchStrColumnValue = '%searchthis%' /* use LIKE syntax */
SET #FullRowResult = 1
SET #FullRowResultRows = 3
SET #SearchStrTableName = NULL /* NULL for all tables, uses LIKE syntax */
SET #SearchStrColumnName = NULL /* NULL for all columns, uses LIKE syntax */
SET #SearchStrInXML = 0 /* Searching XML data may be slow */
IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#Results') IS NOT NULL DROP TABLE #Results
CREATE TABLE #Results (TableName nvarchar(128), ColumnName nvarchar(128), ColumnValue nvarchar(max),ColumnType nvarchar(20))
SET NOCOUNT ON
DECLARE #TableName nvarchar(256) = '',#ColumnName nvarchar(128),#ColumnType nvarchar(20), #QuotedSearchStrColumnValue nvarchar(110), #QuotedSearchStrColumnName nvarchar(110)
SET #QuotedSearchStrColumnValue = QUOTENAME(#SearchStrColumnValue,'''')
DECLARE #ColumnNameTable TABLE (COLUMN_NAME nvarchar(128),DATA_TYPE nvarchar(20))
WHILE #TableName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
SET #TableName =
(
SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME))
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'
AND TABLE_NAME LIKE COALESCE(#SearchStrTableName,TABLE_NAME)
AND QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME) > #TableName
AND OBJECTPROPERTY(OBJECT_ID(QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + '.' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME)), 'IsMSShipped') = 0
)
IF #TableName IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
DECLARE #sql VARCHAR(MAX)
SET #sql = 'SELECT QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME),DATA_TYPE
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = PARSENAME(''' + #TableName + ''', 2)
AND TABLE_NAME = PARSENAME(''' + #TableName + ''', 1)
AND DATA_TYPE IN (' + CASE WHEN ISNUMERIC(REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(#SearchStrColumnValue,'%',''),'_',''),'[',''),']',''),'-','')) = 1 THEN '''tinyint'',''int'',''smallint'',''bigint'',''numeric'',''decimal'',''smallmoney'',''money'',' ELSE '' END + '''char'',''varchar'',''nchar'',''nvarchar'',''timestamp'',''uniqueidentifier''' + CASE #SearchStrInXML WHEN 1 THEN ',''xml''' ELSE '' END + ')
AND COLUMN_NAME LIKE COALESCE(' + CASE WHEN #SearchStrColumnName IS NULL THEN 'NULL' ELSE '''' + #SearchStrColumnName + '''' END + ',COLUMN_NAME)'
INSERT INTO #ColumnNameTable
EXEC (#sql)
WHILE EXISTS (SELECT TOP 1 COLUMN_NAME FROM #ColumnNameTable)
BEGIN
PRINT #ColumnName
SELECT TOP 1 #ColumnName = COLUMN_NAME,#ColumnType = DATA_TYPE FROM #ColumnNameTable
SET #sql = 'SELECT ''' + #TableName + ''',''' + #ColumnName + ''',' + CASE #ColumnType WHEN 'xml' THEN 'LEFT(CAST(' + #ColumnName + ' AS nvarchar(MAX)), 4096),'''
WHEN 'timestamp' THEN 'master.dbo.fn_varbintohexstr('+ #ColumnName + '),'''
ELSE 'LEFT(' + #ColumnName + ', 4096),''' END + #ColumnType + '''
FROM ' + #TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +
' WHERE ' + CASE #ColumnType WHEN 'xml' THEN 'CAST(' + #ColumnName + ' AS nvarchar(MAX))'
WHEN 'timestamp' THEN 'master.dbo.fn_varbintohexstr('+ #ColumnName + ')'
ELSE #ColumnName END + ' LIKE ' + #QuotedSearchStrColumnValue
INSERT INTO #Results
EXEC(#sql)
IF ##ROWCOUNT > 0 IF #FullRowResult = 1
BEGIN
SET #sql = 'SELECT TOP ' + CAST(#FullRowResultRows AS VARCHAR(3)) + ' ''' + #TableName + ''' AS [TableFound],''' + #ColumnName + ''' AS [ColumnFound],''FullRow>'' AS [FullRow>],*' +
' FROM ' + #TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +
' WHERE ' + CASE #ColumnType WHEN 'xml' THEN 'CAST(' + #ColumnName + ' AS nvarchar(MAX))'
WHEN 'timestamp' THEN 'master.dbo.fn_varbintohexstr('+ #ColumnName + ')'
ELSE #ColumnName END + ' LIKE ' + #QuotedSearchStrColumnValue
EXEC(#sql)
END
DELETE FROM #ColumnNameTable WHERE COLUMN_NAME = #ColumnName
END
END
END
SET NOCOUNT OFF
SELECT TableName, ColumnName, ColumnValue, ColumnType, COUNT(*) AS Count FROM #Results
GROUP BY TableName, ColumnName, ColumnValue, ColumnType