Easy way to search column in a table

  • How to search a column in a table, especially if the table has 200 columns..??

    Any easy method.??

    I need to search "IncidentNo' in a table, where there is IncidentNumber & Incident Name.

  • here's soemthing i put together previously:

    this searches an entire database , that is all tables, so you might want to add AND TABLENAME ='YourTable' to limit it's use.

    CREATE PROCEDURE sp_UGLYSEARCH

    /*

    --Purpose: to search every string column in a databasefor a specific word

    --returns sql statement as a string which idnetifies the matching table

    -- or when the optional parameter is used, the sql statement for the specific matching column.

    --

    --ok, really you only need to search columns that are of type varchar,char,nvarchar and ntext....you obviously wouldn't need to search a numeric field for a string.

    --

    --here's a handy procedure...but BEWARE...it can bring your server to it's knees! NEVER run this on production...make a copy, and punish your development server instead.

    --

    --here's why it's bad: if you have a table with a million/billion rows, and that table has 20 varchar/char columns,

    that will be a table scan on a million/billion rows.

    --if you use the optional parameter, it will search the million/billion row table 20 times...once for each column.

    --and every one of them will be a TABLE SCAN because it won't be using indexes for a LIKE statement.

    --usage:

    -- EXEC sp_UGLYSEARCH 'Provisional'

    -- EXEC sp_UGLYSEARCH 'TEST'

    -- creates one SQL for each table that actually has a match for the searched value i.e.

    -- SELECT * FROM [ACACTSCR] WHERE [DESCRIP] LIKE '%TEST%' OR [TITLE] LIKE '%TEST%'

    --optional parameter SEARCHBYCOLUMN

    -- EXEC sp_UGLYSEARCH 'TEST',1

    -- creates one SQL for each Column that actually has a match for the searched value i.e.

    -- SELECT * FROM [dbo].[ACACTSCR] WHERE [DESCRIP] LIKE '%TEST%'

    -- SELECT * FROM [dbo].[ACACTSCR] WHERE [TITLE] LIKE '%TEST%'

    */

    @SEARCHSTRING VARCHAR(50),

    @SEARCHBYCOLUMN INT = 0

    AS

    BEGIN

    SET NOCOUNT ON

    DECLARE @sql VARCHAR(max),

    @SCHEMANAME VARCHAR(100),

    @TABLENAME VARCHAR(100),

    @COLUMNNAME VARCHAR(100),

    @COLZ VARCHAR(max)

    CREATE TABLE #RESULTS(SCHEMANAME VARCHAR(100), TBLNAME VARCHAR(100),COLNAME VARCHAR(100),SQL VARCHAR(max))

    SELECT

    SCHEMA_NAME(schema_id) AS SCHEMANAME,

    objz.name AS TBLNAME,

    colz.name AS COLNAME,

    TYPE_NAME(colz.user_type_id) AS DATATYPE

    INTO #TEMP

    FROM sys.objects objz

    INNER JOIN sys.columns colz ON objz.object_id = colz.object_id

    WHERE objz.type='U'

    AND TYPE_NAME(colz.user_type_id) IN ('VARCHAR','NVARCHAR','CHAR','NCHAR')

    AND colz.max_length >= LEN(@SEARCHSTRING) --smart: don't search varchar(1) columns for 'TEST' 4xmpl

    ORDER BY TBLNAME,COLNAME

    IF @SEARCHBYCOLUMN = 0

    BEGIN

    DECLARE C1 CURSOR FOR

    SELECT SCHEMANAME,TBLNAME,COLNAME FROM #TEMP ORDER BY SCHEMANAME,TBLNAME,COLNAME

    OPEN C1

    FETCH NEXT FROM C1 INTO @SCHEMANAME,@TABLENAME,@COLUMNNAME

    WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS <> -1

    BEGIN

    SET @COLZ=''

    SELECT @COLZ = @COLZ + QUOTENAME(COLNAME) + ' LIKE ''%' + @SEARCHSTRING + '%'' OR ' FROM #TEMP WHERE TBLNAME=@TABLENAME

    --@COLZ has a trailing 'OR ' which must be removed

    SET @COLZ = SUBSTRING(@COLZ,1,LEN(@COLZ) -3)

    --PRINT @COLZ

    SET @sql = 'IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@SCHEMANAME) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@TABLENAME) + ' WHERE ' + @COLZ + ') INSERT INTO #RESULTS(TBLNAME,COLNAME,SQL) VALUES(''' + @TABLENAME + ''',''-'','' SELECT * FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@TABLENAME) + ' WHERE ' + REPLACE(@COLZ,'''','''''') + ''') ;'

    --PRINT @sql

    EXEC (@SQL)

    FETCH NEXT FROM C1 INTO @SCHEMANAME,@TABLENAME,@COLUMNNAME

    END

    CLOSE C1

    DEALLOCATE C1

    END

    ELSE --@SEARCHBYCOLUMN <> 0

    BEGIN

    DECLARE C2 CURSOR FOR

    SELECT SCHEMANAME,TBLNAME,COLNAME FROM #TEMP ORDER BY SCHEMANAME,TBLNAME,COLNAME

    OPEN C2

    FETCH NEXT FROM C2 INTO @SCHEMANAME,@TABLENAME,@COLUMNNAME

    WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS <> -1

    BEGIN

    SET @sql = 'IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@SCHEMANAME) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@TABLENAME) + ' WHERE ' + QUOTENAME(@COLUMNNAME) + ' LIKE ''%' + @SEARCHSTRING + '%'')

    INSERT INTO #RESULTS(SCHEMANAME,TBLNAME,COLNAME,SQL) VALUES(''' + @SCHEMANAME + ''',''' + @TABLENAME + ''',''' + @COLUMNNAME + ''',''

    SELECT * FROM ' + QUOTENAME(@SCHEMANAME) + '.' + QUOTENAME(@TABLENAME) + ' WHERE ' + QUOTENAME(@COLUMNNAME) + ' LIKE ''''%' + @SEARCHSTRING + '%'''' '') ;'

    PRINT @sql

    EXEC (@SQL)

    FETCH NEXT FROM C2 INTO @SCHEMANAME,@TABLENAME,@COLUMNNAME

    END

    CLOSE C2

    DEALLOCATE C2

    END --@SEARCHBYCOLUMN <> 0

    SELECT * FROM #RESULTS ORDER BY TBLNAME,COLNAME

    END --PROC

    GO

    SELECT * FROM #RESULTS ORDER BY TBLNAME,COLNAME

    END --PROC

    GO

    Lowell


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