I have been using this tool for quite a while and just remembered that I haven’t written a blog about it! I believe it to be an extremely useful tool for anyone who uses SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and it is a must have for any hard core DBA or Database Developer. Not only is “it” a great tool, it is completely FREE! Yes… I said completely FREE!!!
The tool is called SQL Search and is provided by Redgate! If you go to their website, you’ll see the below three bullet points that basically tells you what it does!
- Find fragments of SQL Text within stored procedures, functions, views and more
- Quickly navigate to objects wherever they happen to be on a server
- Find all references to an object
Sure you can write some scripts that will search through the system tables for object names or sql text, but why not just download this free tool and simply click the SQL Search button that is integrated into SSMS or hit CTRL + ALT + D to pull up a new search window. Which as you can see by the below screenshot, it is very intuitive and can be used to find exact matches or that contain your search criteria.
Figure 1: SQL Search Screenshot
As you can see, you get a listing of all objects containing your search condition and when selecting one, it even highlights what it was that you searched for. You have filters that you can use if you only want to include views, stored procedures or even limit your results to a certain database! So, to me it is a no brainer. Go out and download it! At least give it a try and if you don’t like it! Uninstall it and you won’t be out one cent! I would almost be willing to make a wager though… You won’t be uninstalling it! Again…SQL Search is completely free and has an extremely small installation and resource footprint.
I hope that you have enjoyed this post. If you did, please take just a moment to rate it below! Also, if you don’t already, please be sure to follow me on twitter at @briankmcdonald. Also note that you can subscribe to an RSS feed of my blogs or find me at any of the below methods.
Brian K. McDonald, MCDBA, MCSD
Business Intelligence Consultant
Email: bmcdonald@SQLBIGeek.com
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