Search all databases for value

Question

Consider have a table like named : People

| Id    | Name    | Code   |
| 1     | John    | 857    |
| 2     | Mike    | 893    |
| 3     | Sara    | 935    |

This table is in PeopleDb Database

Now I want to find 'Mike' keyword. Situation :

• I don't know to search in which database, tables.

• I need a query that searches in all databases and tables and shows me this :

| Id  | DatabaseName  | TableName  | ColumnName  | Pk  | SearchValue
| 1   | 'PeopleDb'    | 'People'   | 'Name'      | 2   | 'Mike'

I don't know how to write the query to search in all databases and tables.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

---

Edit :

Speed is not an issue here and I need to do this.

I tried this query, I want the same but that searches all databases.

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

DECLARE @Results TABLE(ColumnName nvarchar(370), ColumnValue nvarchar(3630))

SET NOCOUNT ON

DECLARE @TableName nvarchar(256), @ColumnName nvarchar(128), @SearchStr2 nvarchar(110)
SET @TableName = ''
SET @SearchStr2 = QUOTENAME('%' + @SearchStr + '%', '''')

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

    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
        )

        IF @ColumnName IS NOT NULL
        BEGIN
            INSERT INTO @Results
            EXEC
            (
                'SELECT ''' + @TableName + '.' + @ColumnName + ''', LEFT(' + @ColumnName + ', 3630) 
                FROM ' + @TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +
                ' WHERE ' + @ColumnName + ' LIKE ' + @SearchStr2
            )
        END
    END
END

SELECT ColumnName, ColumnValue FROM @Results
END

---

Update :

I need a working T-Sql that searches all databases, tables, columns, all type of variables. Current answers will not work in some situations like Connection String in nvarchar field.

Answer 1

I have updated your Logic as per below and it works fine, please have a look:

DECLARE @SearchStr VARCHAR(50)='Surat'

DECLARE @Results TABLE(DatabaseName NVARCHAR(500),  TableName nvarchar(370),ColumnName nvarchar(370), ColumnValue nvarchar(3630),PrimaryKey nvarchar(200), PrimaryKeyValue nvarchar(4000))

SET NOCOUNT ON

DECLARE @TableList AS Table
(
    TableName VARCHAR(500),
    RowNo INT
)

DECLARE @ColumnList AS Table
(
    ColumnName VARCHAR(500),
    RowNo INT
)

DECLARE @PrimaryKeyList AS Table
(
    PrimaryKeyName VARCHAR(500)
)

DECLARE @TableName nvarchar(256), @ColumnName nvarchar(128), @SearchStr2 nvarchar(110), @PrimaryKey nvarchar(200), @CurrentTableName nvarchar(256)
SET @TableName = ''
SET @SearchStr2 = QUOTENAME('%' + @SearchStr + '%', '''')

DECLARE @DatabaseCount INT=0, @Index INT=0, @DatabaseName NVARCHAR(500), @TotalColumnCount INT, @ColumnIndex INT=0, @TotalTableCount INT, @TableIndex INT=0

SELECT 
    *,
    ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY name) AS RowNo 
INTO #tblDatabases 
FROM Sys.Databases
WHERE name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb')

SELECT @DatabaseCount=COUNT (*) FROM #tblDatabases
WHILE @Index<@DatabaseCount
BEGIN
    SET @Index=@Index+1
    SELECT @DatabaseName='',@TableIndex=0,@ColumnIndex=0,@TableName='',@ColumnName=''
    SELECT @DatabaseName=name FROM #tblDatabases WHERE RowNo=@Index     

    DELETE FROM @TableList
    INSERT INTO @TableList
    EXEC('
            SELECT QUOTENAME(TABLE_SCHEMA) + ''.'' + QUOTENAME(TABLE_NAME),
                ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY TABLE_NAME)
            FROM ['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
            WHERE TABLE_TYPE = ''BASE TABLE''
        ')

    SELECT @TotalTableCount=COUNT(*) FROM @TableList

    WHILE @TableIndex<@TotalTableCount 
    BEGIN   

        SET @TableIndex=@TableIndex+1
        SELECT @ColumnName = '',@ColumnIndex=0

        SELECT @TableName=TableName FROM @TableList  WHERE RowNo=@TableIndex            
        SET @CurrentTableName=REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(@TableName,'[dbo].',''),'[',''),']','')

        DELETE FROM @ColumnList
        INSERT INTO @ColumnList
        EXEC('SELECT
                COLUMN_NAME,ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY COLUMN_NAME)
                    FROM ['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
                WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = PARSENAME('''+@TableName+''', 2)
                    AND TABLE_NAME = PARSENAME('''+@TableName+''', 1)
                    AND DATA_TYPE IN (''char'', ''varchar'', ''nchar'', ''nvarchar'')


        ')

        SELECT @TotalColumnCount=COUNT(*) FROM @ColumnList

        WHILE @ColumnIndex<@TotalColumnCount
        BEGIN
            SET @ColumnIndex=@ColumnIndex+1
            SET @ColumnName=''
            SELECT @ColumnName=ColumnName FROM @ColumnList WHERE RowNo=@ColumnIndex         

            DELETE FROM @PrimaryKeyList
            INSERT INTO @PrimaryKeyList
            EXEC('
                    SELECT Col.Column_Name from 
                        ['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS Tab, 
                        ['+@DatabaseName+'].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.CONSTRAINT_COLUMN_USAGE Col 
                    WHERE 
                        Col.Constraint_Name = Tab.Constraint_Name
                        AND Col.Table_Name = Tab.Table_Name
                        AND Constraint_Type = ''PRIMARY KEY''
                        AND Col.Table_Name= '''+@CurrentTableName+'''           
                ')

            SELECT @PrimaryKey=''
            SELECT @PrimaryKey=PrimaryKeyName FROM @PrimaryKeyList
            SET @PrimaryKey=ISNULL(@PrimaryKey,'')

            IF @ColumnName IS NOT NULL AND @PrimaryKey<>''
            BEGIN   
                INSERT INTO @Results
                EXEC
                (
                    'SELECT '''+@DatabaseName+''','''+@CurrentTableName+''',''' + @ColumnName + ''', LEFT(' + @ColumnName + ', 3630) , '''+@PrimaryKey+''', [' + @PrimaryKey + '] 
                    FROM ['+@DatabaseName+'].' + @TableName + ' (NOLOCK) ' +
                    ' WHERE ' + @ColumnName + ' LIKE ' + @SearchStr2
                )
            END
        END
    END
END


SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY DatabaseName) AS Id,DatabaseName,TableName,ColumnName, ColumnValue AS SearchValue,PrimaryKeyValue AS Pk, PrimaryKey  FROM @Results

DROP TABLE #tblDatabases