Searching Functions, Procedures and Tables

  • I use the following code to find references to variables.

    SET @StringToSearch = 'drop table'

    SET @ProcSearch = '%' +@StringToSearch + '%'

    SELECT Distinct SO.Name, SO.Type

    ,patindex(@ProcSearch, SC.text) as location

    ,fndText = case

    when patindex(@ProcSearch, SC.text) < 10

    then left(SC.text, 100)

    else substring(SC.text, patindex(@ProcSearch, SC.text) - 10, 100) end

    FROM sysobjects as SO (NOLOCK)

    INNER JOIN syscomments as SC (NOLOCK) on SO.Id = SC.ID

    AND SC.Text LIKE @ProcSearch

    ORDER BY SO.Type, SO.Name

    SELECT o.name as [Table]

    ,c.name as [Column]

    FROM sys.tables o

    inner JOIN sys.columns c

    ON o.object_id = c.object_id

    WHERE o.type = 'U'

    AND c.name = @StringToSearch

    order by c.name

    This gives me references to a given variable and works to a point. However, it doesn't give me all the references.

    Thanks

  • how do you know it doesn't? It want way doesn't it work? (I know it won't for encrypted procs, but other than that it looks ok).

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    When you realize you've dug yourself into a hole....Step 1...stop digging.

  • When I search for '#' in the following code it only finds the first reference.

    CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[AREA_CustomerIssues3]

    @ParType char(2) = ''

    ,@ParKey int = null

    AS

    BEGIN

    SET NOCOUNT ON;

    --select @ParType, @ParKey

    ;with cte as(SELECT A.Cust_key, A.Mast_key --as ParKey

    ,A.AreaName, A.area_key as ParAreaKey

    FROM (SELECT AreaName, max(Area_key) as maxKey

    from dbo.commArea2Manage as A

    where (@ParType = 'CU' and (Cust_key = @ParKey or

    @ParKey is null and Cust_key is not null))

    or (@ParType = 'MC' and (Mast_key = @ParKey or

    @ParKey is null and Mast_key is not null))

    group by mast_key, cust_key, AreaName) as PAreas

    inner join dbo.commArea2Manage as A

    on PAreas.maxKey = A.Area_Key)

    --select * from cte

    SELECT

    -- Master Customers

    M.mastcust_code as ParentName

    ,C.cust_name as ChildName

    ,D.AreaName -- as PossibleArea

    ,P.ParAreaKey

    ,CAreas.maxKey as ChildAreaKey

    ,C.mast_key as ParKey

    ,C.Cust_Key as ChildKey

    into #TT1

    -- Establish the list of Customers and possible areas

    from psc_comp.dbo.commCustomers as C

    inner join defValidAreaName as D

    on D.UseInAreaManager = 1-- Just all possible areas

    and @ParType = 'MC'

    and (C.Mast_key = @ParKey or @ParKey is null)

    inner join dbo.commMaster_Cust as M

    on C.mast_key = M.mast_key

    and C.cust_end is null

    left outer join cte as P

    on P.Mast_key = C.mast_key

    and P.AreaName = D.AreaName

    left outer join (SELECT AreaName, A.Cust_key,max(Area_key) as maxKey

    from dbo.commArea2Manage as A

    inner join psc_comp.dbo.commCustomers as CC

    on CC.cust_key = A.Cust_key

    group by A.Mast_key, A.Cust_key, AreaName) as CAreas

    on C.cust_key = CAreas.Cust_key

    and D.AreaName = CAreas.AreaName

    union

    -- Customers

    SELECT C.Cust_Name as ParentName

    ,S.s_code as ChildName

    ,D.AreaName -- as PossibleArea

    ,P.ParAreaKey

    ,CAreas.maxKey as ChildAreaKey

    ,S.cust_key as ParKey

    ,S.Site_Key as ChildKey

    from psc_comp.dbo.commSites as S

    inner join defValidAreaName as D

    on D.UseInAreaManager = 1-- Give me all possible areas

    and (S.Cust_key = @ParKey or @ParKey is null)

    and @ParType = 'CU'

    inner join psc_comp.dbo.commCustomers as C

    on S.cust_key = C.cust_key

    and S.site_end is null

    left outer join cte as P

    on P.Cust_key = S.Cust_key

    and P.AreaName = D.AreaName

    left outer join (SELECT AreaName, A.Site_key, max(Area_key) as maxKey

    from dbo.commArea2Manage as A

    inner join psc_comp.dbo.commSites as SS

    on SS.site_key = A.Site_key

    group by A.Site_key, AreaName) as CAreas

    on S.site_key = CAreas.Site_key

    and D.AreaName = CAreas.AreaName

    --select * from #T1

    select * from #TT1

    where (ParAreaKey is not null

    or ChildAreaKey is not null)

    order by ParentName, ChildName, AreaName

    select distinct A.*

    from dbo.commArea2Manage as A

    inner join #TT1 as T

    on A.Area_key = T.ParAreaKey

    or A.Area_key = T.ChildAreaKey

    drop table #TT1

    END

  • Not to be rude, but are you just searching for #? It would only return one if you ended up searching for 'drop table #'

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    When you realize you've dug yourself into a hole....Step 1...stop digging.

  • No, I am searching for the one character long string '#'

  • because you are traversing each SP just once, once the serchstring found, code is skipping all other refernces in the same SP.

  • Agreed. I don't know how to get the repeating values out of the search string.

  • cursors can surley solve this, I am not sure about any other solution

  • Instead of writing your own search utility, go to Redgates site and download their free SQL Search utility. This will search all objects in the database - or system, for the string you want.

    Jeffrey Williams
    “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”

    ― Charles R. Swindoll

    How to post questions to get better answers faster
    Managing Transaction Logs

  • FredS-1001785 (3/18/2011)


    No, I am searching for the one character long string '#'

    What do you want to do when you find the character more than once? Are you simply looking for a count or are you looking for some number of characters after the #?

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • Okay, waaaait a second here, I'm confusioned.

    I'm assuming your concern is that if you have 10 DROP TABLE statements in a procedure, you'd like to see ten of the 100 character instances of it's usage, and then repeat this by procedure?

    The PATINDEX is locating only the first piece, and you have no loops in place. Thus, correct, you'll only see the first component. You need to have some kind of looping in place to locate all instances. My recommendation here would be to take one proc of this type and test speed of a tally table vs. a while loop. If you need more information on the Tally table, check my signature for the link to Jeff Moden's article.

    You're going to have to have some way of looping the proc, and skipping the first instance to find the second, skipping to after the second to find the third... etc.

    As a second question... are you ever expecting a proc to have the name 'DROP TABLE', or is that supposed to be a wildcarded like?


    - Craig Farrell

    Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.

    For better assistance in answering your questions[/url] | Forum Netiquette
    For index/tuning help, follow these directions.[/url] |Tally Tables[/url]

    Twitter: @AnyWayDBA

  • I use this as a maintenance/development tool so speed is not important. @StringToSearch is changed each time I use it.

    For instance, I want to find every place I used the variable 'LegalName'. I would run the following:

    declare @StringToSearch varchar(100), @ProcSearch varchar(100)

    SET @StringToSearch = 'LegalName'

    SET @ProcSearch = '%' +@StringToSearch + '%'

    SELECT Distinct SO.Name, SO.Type

    ,patindex(@ProcSearch, SC.text) as location

    ,fndText = case

    when patindex(@ProcSearch, SC.text) < 10

    then left(SC.text, 100)

    else substring(SC.text, patindex(@ProcSearch, SC.text) - 10, 100) end

    FROM sysobjects as SO (NOLOCK)

    INNER JOIN syscomments as SC (NOLOCK) on SO.Id = SC.ID

    AND SC.Text LIKE @ProcSearch

    ORDER BY SO.Type, SO.Name

    SELECT o.name as [Table]

    ,c.name as [Column]

    FROM sys.tables o

    inner JOIN sys.columns c

    ON o.object_id = c.object_id

    WHERE o.type = 'U'

    AND c.name = @StringToSearch

    order by c.name

    I get two cursors. The first has references in code with a short string to show the usage. The second has the columns in the tables.

    The original problem I was trying to solve was that I wanted to make sure that I was dropping temporary tables after using them. Hence, searching for '#' should give me all the procedures that have a temporary table, and if I don't see a drop table in the procedure I need to go look at it.

  • FredS-1001785 (3/21/2011)


    The original problem I was trying to solve was that I wanted to make sure that I was dropping temporary tables after using them. Hence, searching for '#' should give me all the procedures that have a temporary table, and if I don't see a drop table in the procedure I need to go look at it.

    Why are you dropping temporary tables? They drop automatically after a session comes to an end. Are you pooling connections or something similar?

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • Jeff Moden (3/22/2011)


    FredS-1001785 (3/21/2011)


    The original problem I was trying to solve was that I wanted to make sure that I was dropping temporary tables after using them. Hence, searching for '#' should give me all the procedures that have a temporary table, and if I don't see a drop table in the procedure I need to go look at it.

    Why are you dropping temporary tables? They drop automatically after a session comes to an end. Are you pooling connections or something similar?

    It doesn't hurt anything to explicitly do it in your procs and I do the same thing to make my life easier during testing when I'm running and re-running the proc in the same window without the proc wrapper. It's mostly for convenience later when something breaks and I need to test the guts of the proc.


    - Craig Farrell

    Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.

    For better assistance in answering your questions[/url] | Forum Netiquette
    For index/tuning help, follow these directions.[/url] |Tally Tables[/url]

    Twitter: @AnyWayDBA

  • FredS-1001785 (3/21/2011)


    I get two cursors.

    Well, no cursor declares in this code, I assume this is an excerpt then.

    The first has references in code with a short string to show the usage. The second has the columns in the tables.

    The first only finds the first reference, there is no looping past the first find, so you will only ever see one code snippet with this method per proc.

    Are you trying to get the columns of the # table, or is this a generic proc you want to use to also find out when procs and tables are all using a column when you're interrogating a database?

    The original problem I was trying to solve was that I wanted to make sure that I was dropping temporary tables after using them. Hence, searching for '#' should give me all the procedures that have a temporary table, and if I don't see a drop table in the procedure I need to go look at it.

    That would require a few queries, one for the #, one for the DROP, and a third to contrast the two.


    - Craig Farrell

    Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.

    For better assistance in answering your questions[/url] | Forum Netiquette
    For index/tuning help, follow these directions.[/url] |Tally Tables[/url]

    Twitter: @AnyWayDBA

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