Use SQL to Find a String in Database Tables, Stored Procedures, and User Defined Functions

Searching for a string in database tables has been discussed over the years. There are several approaches to the problem (see References at the end of the article). See how to use SQL to find a string in different types of SQL Server objects and data.

Who am I?

The New SQL Server 2025 Data type

The Tightly Linked View

Revisiting SQL Server Window Functions- A Practical Walkthrough

A look at window functions in SQL and how they can be used to query data without the restrictions of a GROUP BY.

How to Increase SQL Server Column Width Without IO (Input/Output) Overhead

This article dives into a fun (and interesting!) strategy for widening fixed-width columns in SQL Server, to reduce downtime, risk, and runtime at the time when a column’s data type needs to be changed.

Tables with a SPARSE Column and Consumption

Using table variables in T-SQL

The Duplicate Cursor

Picking the ON or WHERE Clause for the SQL Predicate

Helping people solve T-SQL problems is one of my favorite hobbies. Someone messaged me the other day with a complex query that was almost complete except for one issue. He needed to perform a LEFT OUTER JOIN but had to filter based on a value from the right table. However, when he added the filter, SQL removed rows from the left table. The task was to decide where to place the SQL predicate: in the ON or WHERE clause.