asked on

select * from table where all fields like '%value%'

is there a way to write that query so I dont have to write it for every varchar column

or maybe make it one query so I dont need to do 5 query

Neil Russell

Easy just

SELECT *
FROM tablename
WHERE field1 like '%value%'
AND field2 like '%value%'
AND field3 like '%value%'
AND field4 like '%value%'
AND field5 like '%value%'

jawa29

Or if you want any column that contains your search then it will be.

SELECT *
FROM tablename
WHERE field1 like '%value%'
OR field2 like '%value%'
OR field3 like '%value%'
OR field4 like '%value%'
OR field5 like '%value%'

Jawa29

Mez4343

Beat me to it, but maybe you need a working example and I used OR instead of AND because I assumed you wanted to return the row where any of the fields 1-5 contained your 'value'.

CREATE TABLE MyTable (Field1 varchar(max),Field2 varchar(max),
     Field3 varchar(max),Field4 varchar(max),Field5 varchar(max))
     
INSERT INTO MyTable Values('John Doe','John Smith','Fred Sanford','Jimmy Walker','Grady');
INSERT INTO MyTable Values('Jane Doe','Alice Smith','Amy Sanford','Karen Walker','Grady');

select * from MyTable
 WHERE Field1 LIKE '%John%' OR
	Field2 LIKE '%John%' OR
	Field3 LIKE '%John%' OR
	Field4 LIKE '%John%' OR
	Field5 LIKE '%John%'
	
	DROP TABLE MyTable

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wdosanjos

You can try something like this. It dynamically generates the SELECT based on the data dictionary.

DECLARE @schema nvarchar(50)
DECLARE @tname nvarchar(50)
DECLARE @like nvarchar(50)
DECLARE @cmd nvarchar(4000)

set @schema = 'dbo'
set @tname = 'YouTable'
set @like = '%value%'

set @cmd = 'SELECT * FROM [' + @schema + '].[' + @tname + '] WHERE 1 <> 1 ' +
           (SELECT (' OR [' + [COLUMN_NAME] + '] LIKE ''' + @like + '''')
			  FROM [INFORMATION_SCHEMA].[COLUMNS] c
			 WHERE c.TABLE_SCHEMA = @schema
			   AND c.TABLE_NAME = @tname 
			   AND c.DATA_TYPE IN ('varchar', 'nvarchar', 'char', 'nchar') 
			   FOR XML PATH(''))

exec (@cmd)

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Neil Russell

I used AND in the example as you said "select * from table where all fields like '%value%'" i took that to mean litraly where ALL fields like.

Whether its AND or OR the concept is the same.

Ephraim Wangoya

You could try it this way

DECLARE @TableName varchar(128), @ColumnName varchar(128), @Search varchar(128)
DECLARE @Sql varchar(max)
SET @TableName = 'Customers'
SET @ColumnName = ''
SET @Sql = ''

SET @Search = '''Bon' + '%'''

WHILE @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
	SET @COLUMNNAME = (
						SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME))
						FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
						WHERE TABLE_NAME = @TABLENAME
						AND	DATA_TYPE IN ('CHAR', 'VARCHAR', 'NCHAR', 'NVARCHAR')
						AND	QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @COLUMNNAME
					  )

	IF @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
	BEGIN
	   IF @SQL = ''
	     SET @SQL = ' WHERE ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '
	   ELSE
	     SET @SQL =  @SQL + ' AND ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '  --or use "OR"

	END
END	
	
IF @Sql <> ''
BEGIN
	SET @Sql = 'SELECT * FROM ' + @TableName + ' ' + @Sql
	EXEC(@SQL)
END

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rgb192

ASKER

my existing table is named 'sitedata'

I do not want to create a new table

I want to search table 'sitedata'

Ephraim Wangoya

Replace customers with your table name

DECLARE @TableName varchar(128), @ColumnName varchar(128), @Search varchar(128)
DECLARE @Sql varchar(max)
SET @TableName = 'sitedata'
SET @ColumnName = ''
SET @Sql = ''

SET @Search = '''Bon' + '%'''

WHILE @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
	SET @COLUMNNAME = (
						SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME))
						FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
						WHERE TABLE_NAME = @TABLENAME
						AND	DATA_TYPE IN ('CHAR', 'VARCHAR', 'NCHAR', 'NVARCHAR')
						AND	QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @COLUMNNAME
					  )

	IF @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
	BEGIN
	   IF @SQL = ''
	     SET @SQL = ' WHERE ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '
	   ELSE
	     SET @SQL =  @SQL + ' AND ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '  --or use "OR"

	END
END	
	
IF @Sql <> ''
BEGIN
	SET @Sql = 'SELECT * FROM ' + @TableName + ' ' + @Sql
	EXEC(@SQL)
END

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rgb192

ASKER

DECLARE @schema nvarchar(50)
DECLARE @tname nvarchar(50)
DECLARE @like nvarchar(50)
DECLARE @cmd nvarchar(4000)

set @schema = 'dbo'
set @tname = 'YouTable'
set @like = '%value%'

set @cmd = 'SELECT * FROM [' + @schema + '].[' + @tname + '] WHERE 1 <> 1 ' +
(SELECT (' OR [' + [COLUMN_NAME] + '] LIKE ''' + @like + '''')
                   FROM [INFORMATION_SCHEMA].[COLUMNS] c
                   WHERE c.TABLE_SCHEMA = @schema
                   AND c.TABLE_NAME = @tname
                   AND c.DATA_TYPE IN ('varchar', 'nvarchar', 'char', 'nchar')
                   FOR XML PATH(''))

exec (@cmd)

changing tname to sitedata, value to search term this query returns nothing

DECLARE @TableName varchar(128), @ColumnName varchar(128), @Search varchar(128)
DECLARE @Sql varchar(max)
SET @TableName = 'sitedata'
SET @ColumnName = ''
SET @Sql = ''

SET @Search = '''Bon' + '%'''

WHILE @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
      SET @COLUMNNAME = (
                                    SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME))
                                    FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
                                    WHERE TABLE_NAME = @TABLENAME
                                    AND      DATA_TYPE IN ('CHAR', 'VARCHAR', 'NCHAR', 'NVARCHAR')
                                    AND      QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @COLUMNNAME
                               )

      IF @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
      BEGIN
       IF @SQL = ''
       SET @SQL = ' WHERE ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '
       ELSE
       SET @SQL = @SQL + ' AND ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' ' --or use "OR"

      END
END

IF @Sql <> ''
BEGIN
      SET @Sql = 'SELECT * FROM ' + @TableName + ' ' + @Sql
      EXEC(@SQL)
END

changing Bon to searchterm

this query always returns nothing

Sharath S

Do you really have the character columns in sitedate table? Try printing the sql and see.

DECLARE @TableName varchar(128), @ColumnName varchar(128), @Search varchar(128)
DECLARE @Sql varchar(max)
SET @TableName = 'sitedata'
SET @ColumnName = ''
SET @Sql = ''

SET @Search = '%Bon%'

WHILE @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
      SET @COLUMNNAME = (
                                    SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME))
                                    FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
                                    WHERE TABLE_NAME = @TABLENAME
                                    AND      DATA_TYPE IN ('CHAR', 'VARCHAR', 'NCHAR', 'NVARCHAR')
                                    AND      QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @COLUMNNAME
                                )
print @ColumnName

      IF @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
      BEGIN
         IF @SQL = ''
           SET @SQL = ' WHERE ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '
         ELSE
           SET @SQL =  @SQL + ' AND ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '  --or use "OR"

      END
END      
      
IF @Sql <> ''
BEGIN
      SET @Sql = 'SELECT * FROM ' + @TableName + ' ' + @Sql
      print(@SQL)
END

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rgb192

ASKER

[alternatecolors]
[pyxispackages]
[shippingtype]
[sunpackages]

SELECT * FROM sitedata WHERE [alternatecolors] LIKE %Bon% AND [pyxispackages] LIKE %Bon% AND [shippingtype] LIKE %Bon% AND [sunpackages] LIKE %Bon%

Sharath S

I think you need OR instead of AND. try this.

DECLARE @TableName varchar(128), @ColumnName varchar(128), @Search varchar(128)
DECLARE @Sql varchar(max)
SET @TableName = 'sitedata'
SET @ColumnName = ''
SET @Sql = ''

SET @Search = '%Bon%'

WHILE @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
      SET @COLUMNNAME = (
                                    SELECT MIN(QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME))
                                    FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
                                    WHERE TABLE_NAME = @TABLENAME
                                    AND      DATA_TYPE IN ('CHAR', 'VARCHAR', 'NCHAR', 'NVARCHAR')
                                    AND      QUOTENAME(COLUMN_NAME) > @COLUMNNAME
                                )
print @ColumnName

      IF @COLUMNNAME IS NOT NULL
      BEGIN
         IF @SQL = ''
           SET @SQL = ' WHERE ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '
         ELSE
           SET @SQL =  @SQL + ' OR ' + @COLUMNNAME + ' LIKE ' + @SEARCH + ' '  --or use "OR"

      END
END      
      
IF @Sql <> ''
BEGIN
      SET @Sql = 'SELECT * FROM ' + @TableName + ' ' + @Sql
      EXEC(@SQL)
END

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rgb192

ASKER

[alternatecolors]
[pyxispackages]
[shippingtype]
[sunpackages]

Msg 102, Level 15, State 1, Line 1
Incorrect syntax near 'Bon'.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Ephraim Wangoya

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rgb192

ASKER

no results

I changed
SET @Search = '''%n%'''

and there are 'n' in the table

Ephraim Wangoya

If you are using the "AND" operator, then all your character fields must satisfy the condition otherwise you will get no results back

If using "OR" yo definitely should be getting results if your search string exists in any of the character fields

rgb192

ASKER

tried with another table and it works

rgb192

ASKER

in table 'sitedata' the fields where 'text' so there were no results returned