SQL - Search All Tables and Fields for a Value

I needed to be able to search a database to find a value in any table and field. The first listing was too slow on my large database.

From http://vyaskn.tripod.com:

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

CREATE TABLE #Results (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

This one runs faster but lacks the detail of the first listing

From experts-exchange:

Declare @TN as varchar(200), @CN as varchar(200), @myValue varchar(30), @SQL as nvarchar(1000)
, @SN as varchar(200), @Exact_Match bit

Create Table #myTable (Table_Name varchar(200), Column_Name varchar(200), Number_Of_Rows int)

-- Replace @myValue with the value you're searching for in the database
Set @myValue = 'Value to Search'
-- 0 for LIKE match, 1 for exact match
Set @Exact_Match = 1

Declare myCursor Cursor For
Select T.Table_Name, C.Column_Name, T.Table_Schema
From INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES T Inner Join INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS C
On T.Table_Schema = C.Table_Schema And T.Table_Name = C.Table_Name
Where T.Table_Name <> 'dtproperties' And Table_Type = 'Base Table'
And C.Data_Type In ('varchar','char','nvarchar','nchar','sql_variant')
--And C.Data_Type In ('text','ntext')
--And C.Data_Type In ('tinyint','int','bigint','numeric','decimal','money','float','smallint','real','smallmoney')
--And C.Data_Type In ('datetime','dmalldatetime')
-- Fields not searched: image, uniqueidentifier, bit, varbinary, binary, timestamp
Open myCursor
Fetch Next From myCursor Into @TN, @CN, @SN
While @@Fetch_Status <> -1
Begin
If @Exact_Match = 0
Set @SQL = N'Insert Into #myTable Select ''' + @SN + '.' + @TN + ''', ''' + @CN + ''', Count(*) From [' + @SN + '].[' + @TN + '] Where [' + @CN + '] Like ''%' + @myValue + '%'''
Else
Set @SQL = N'Insert Into #myTable Select ''' + @SN + '.' + @TN + ''', ''' + @CN + ''', Count(*) From [' + @SN + '].[' + @TN + '] Where [' + @CN + '] = ''' + @myValue + ''''
--Print @SQL
Exec sp_executesql @SQL
Fetch Next From myCursor Into @TN, @CN, @SN
End
Close myCursor
Deallocate myCursor
Select * From #myTable Where Number_Of_Rows > 0 Order By Table_Name
Drop Table #myTable