Quickest/Easiest way to use Search/Replace through all stored procedures - sql

Question

Actually, this is a 2 part question.
Is it possible to use some sort of functionality to search through every stored procedure for a string and possibly replace it, like a standard Find/Replace function?
If you have all your stored procedure code include the full database path like this [db1].[dbo].[table1] and you change the database name to [db2] is there a way for SQL Server to automatically update all the code from [db1] tables to [db2]? Or does it have to be done manually?

Answer 1

From the Object Explorer Details window in SSMS, open the stored procedures folder. Select all the objects (you can multi-select from this window, which is pretty much the only purpose of the Object Explorer Details window) and right click, choosing to script as DROP and CREATE. You can now do a search/replace on this, replacing all you need in one go before executing it.
Edit: I've blogged about this solution.

Answer 2

Late one but hopefully useful.
There is a free search tool from ApexSQL that can find and rename objects in database.
They say it has a smart rename option that will find/replace all occurrences of some object such as table, function or stored procedure.
I have to add that I haven’t used the rename functionality but I can confirm that search is working quite well.
Also I’m not affiliated with ApexSQL but I do use their tools.

Answer 3

To search: if you need to find database objects (e.g. tables, columns, triggers) by name - have a look at the FREE Red-Gate tool called SQL Search which does this - it searches your entire database for any kind of string(s).
It's a great must-have tool for any DBA or database developer - did I already mention it's absolutely FREE to use for any kind of use?
This tool doesn't support replacing text, however - but even just being able to find all the relevant stored procedures (or other DB objects) is very helpful indeed!

Answer 4

Export all SPs to file. Use your favourite text editing tool to search/replace. Update database by executing the script (as long as you do not rename procedures).
If you explicitly define the full database path, you need to manually (see above) update the stored procedures. If you do not include the database name, or use a linked server or similar, no changes are necessary.

Answer 5

Stored procedures cannot be updated in place without first scripting them out as ALTER PROCEDURE statements (or DROP/CREATE, but I prefer ALTER PROCEDURE..more on that in a moment). The good news is, you can script all the procedures to a single file through SSMS. The DDL statements will initially be CREATE PROCEDURE, which you'll want to replace with ALTER PROCEDURE, along with your other changes.
While you could alternatively script the procedures as DROP/CREATE, I don't like doing this for a large number of scripts because it tends to cause dependency errors.
As for part 2 of your question, you'll need to edit any database path changes manually through the script.

Answer 6

I found this script where you can define search for and replace by text and simply run it to get text replaced in all procedures at once. I hope this will help you in bulk.
-- set "Result to Text" mode by pressing Ctrl+T
SET NOCOUNT ON
DECLARE #sqlToRun VARCHAR(1000), #searchFor VARCHAR(100), #replaceWith VARCHAR(100)
-- text to search for
SET #searchFor = '[MY-SERVER]'
-- text to replace with
SET #replaceWith = '[MY-SERVER2]'
-- this will hold stored procedures text
DECLARE #temp TABLE (spText VARCHAR(MAX))
DECLARE curHelp CURSOR FAST_FORWARD
FOR
-- get text of all stored procedures that contain search string
-- I am using custom escape character here since i need to espape [ and ] in search string
SELECT DISTINCT 'sp_helptext '''+OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(id)+'.'+OBJECT_NAME(id)+''' '
FROM syscomments WHERE TEXT LIKE '%' + REPLACE(REPLACE(#searchFor,']','\]'),'[','\[') + '%' ESCAPE '\'
ORDER BY 'sp_helptext '''+OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME(id)+'.'+OBJECT_NAME(id)+''' '
OPEN curHelp
FETCH next FROM curHelp INTO #sqlToRun
WHILE ##FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
--insert stored procedure text into a temporary table
INSERT INTO #temp
EXEC (#sqlToRun)
-- add GO after each stored procedure
INSERT INTO #temp
VALUES ('GO')
FETCH next FROM curHelp INTO #sqlToRun
END
CLOSE curHelp
DEALLOCATE curHelp
-- find and replace search string in stored procedures
-- also replace CREATE PROCEDURE with ALTER PROCEDURE
UPDATE #temp
SET spText = REPLACE(REPLACE(spText,'CREATE PROCEDURE', 'ALTER PROCEDURE'),#searchFor,#replaceWith)
SELECT spText FROM #temp
-- now copy and paste result into new window
-- then make sure everything looks good and run
GO
Here is the reference link :
http://www.ideosity.com/ourblog/post/ideosphere-blog/2013/06/14/how-to-find-and-replace-text-in-all-stored-procedures

Answer 7

You can search the text of the stored procedure definitions using this
SELECT
Name
FROM
sys.procedures
WHERE
OBJECT_DEFINITION(OBJECT_ID) LIKE '%YourSearchText%'
Replacing is generally a bad idea, since you don't know the context of the text you'll find in the stored procedures. It probably is possible though via Powershell scripting.
I prefer this solution to any others, since I'm comfortable writing queries- so finding text in all stored procs, that are in schema (x) and database (y) and names that start with (z) is quite an easy and intuitive query.

Answer 8

Here's one I wrote today to help with a server upgrade project.
Searches all stored procs and views in all user databases on a server, and automatically replaces the search string with another. Ideal for changing hard-coded linked server names and the like:
set nocount on
if OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#dbs') is not null
drop table #dbs
if OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#objects') is not null
drop table #objects
declare #find as nvarchar(128) = 'Monkey'
declare #replace as nvarchar(128) = 'Chimp'
declare #SQL as nvarchar(max)
declare #current_db as sysname
declare #current_schema as sysname
declare #current_object as sysname
declare #current_type as char(2)
declare #current_ansi as bit
declare #current_quot as bit
declare #fullname as sysname
declare #preamble as nvarchar(128)
create table #objects
(
dbname sysname,
schemaname sysname,
objname sysname,
objtype char(2),
ansinulls bit,
quotedidentifier bit
)
create unique clustered index i on #objects (dbname, schemaname, objname)
select [name] into #dbs
from master.sys.databases
where [name] not in ('master','tempdb','model','msdb','ReportServer','ReportServerTempDB', 'SSISDB')
declare db_cursor cursor for select [name] from #dbs order by [name]
open db_cursor
fetch next from db_cursor into #current_db
while ##FETCH_STATUS = 0
begin
set #SQL = 'insert into #objects select ''' + #current_db + ''', s.[name], o.[name], o.[type], m.uses_ansi_nulls, m.uses_quoted_identifier from ' + #current_db + '.sys.sql_modules as m '
+ 'join ' + #current_db + '.sys.objects AS o ON m.object_id = o.object_id '
+ 'join ' + #current_db + '.sys.schemas AS s ON o.schema_id = s.schema_id '
+ 'where m.definition like ''%' + #find + '%'' and type in (''P'', ''V'') and is_ms_shipped = 0 order by s.[name], o.[name]'
exec sp_executeSQL #SQL
fetch next from db_cursor into #current_db
end
close db_cursor
deallocate db_cursor
declare obj_cursor cursor for select dbname, schemaname, objname, objtype, ansinulls, quotedidentifier from #objects order by dbname, objname
open obj_cursor
fetch next from obj_cursor into #current_db, #current_schema, #current_object, #current_type, #current_ansi, #current_quot
while ##FETCH_STATUS = 0
begin
set #fullname = #current_db + '.' + #current_schema + '.' + #current_object
set #preamble = CASE WHEN #current_ansi = 1 THEN 'SET ANSI_NULLS ON' ELSE 'SET ANSI_NULLS OFF' END + '; '
+ CASE WHEN #current_quot = 1 THEN 'SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON' ELSE 'SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER OFF' END + '; '
print 'Altering ' + #fullname
if #current_type = 'P'
begin
set #SQL = 'use ' + #current_db + '; ' + #preamble + 'declare #newproc nvarchar(max);'
+ 'set #newproc = REPLACE(REPLACE(OBJECT_DEFINITION(OBJECT_ID(''' + #fullname + ''')), ''' + #find + ''', ''' + #replace + '''), ''CREATE PROCEDURE'', ''ALTER PROCEDURE''); '
+ 'exec sp_executeSQL #newproc'
exec sp_executeSQL #SQL
end
if #current_type = 'V'
begin
set #SQL = 'use ' + #current_db + '; ' + #preamble + 'declare #newproc nvarchar(max);'
+ 'set #newproc = REPLACE(REPLACE(OBJECT_DEFINITION(OBJECT_ID(''' + #fullname + ''')), ''' + #find + ''', ''' + #replace + '''), ''CREATE VIEW'', ''ALTER VIEW''); '
+ 'exec sp_executeSQL #newproc'
exec sp_executeSQL #SQL
end
fetch next from obj_cursor into #current_db, #current_schema, #current_object, #current_type, #current_ansi, #current_quot
end
close obj_cursor
deallocate obj_cursor
It also handles idiosyncratic ANSI_NULL and QUOTED_IDENTIFIER settings, and can be extended to handle the various types of function.
Be careful though! With great power comes great responsibility...

Answer 9

Update
I just realized the link in David's answer included the search function. again, it's a great answer.
David Atkinson's answer is great, just want to add the search part. (not sure when the search was added in SSMS, my version is SSMS V17.9.1)
Instead of selecting stored procedures one by one, I can do a search.
The search takes a wildcard, similar to 'like' in TSQL

Answer 10

There's no way to do this with built-in functionality. While it doesn't help you today, I'd suggest changing all of your references to synonyms while you're in there. That way, when this happens again in the future (and it will happen again), all of your external references are in one place and easily updated. Incidentally, I have a blog post on the latter.

Answer 11

I just run this code to find a specific text in all stored procedures:
SELECT DISTINCT
o.name AS Object_Name,
o.type_desc
FROM sys.sql_modules m
INNER JOIN
sys.objects o
ON m.object_id = o.object_id
WHERE m.definition Like '%textToFind%'
or m.definition Like '%\[ifTextIsAColNameWithBrackets\]%' ESCAPE '\';

Answer 12

If you have downtime available.
Go into "Generate scripts" and generate 'create' scripts for all of your sprocs you want to edit.
Replace the text in the script and just drop and re-create all of them.

Answer 13

Hmm, dropping and rebuilding all procedures worked, unfortunately it crashed the SQL server upon which the SCADA for a rather large factory relied.
It saved a bit of effort editing them individually and the factory was only stalled til I rebooted the server.
But exercise some caution methinks. I was fair crapping myself for a moment there.