Search multiple tables

Here is a query I use to search a database for content upon occasion.  Maybe this will work for you.

IF OBJECT_ID('SearchTables','P') IS NOT NULL 
    DROP PROCEDURE SearchTables 
GO 
CREATE PROCEDURE SearchTables
(
	@Tablenames VARCHAR(500),
	@SearchStr NVARCHAR(60),
	@GenerateSQLOnly Bit = 0
) 
AS 
 
/* 
    Parameters and usage 
 
    @Tablenames        -- Provide a single table name or multiple table name with comma seperated.  
                        If left blank , it will check for all the tables in the database 
    @SearchStr        -- Provide the search string. Use the '%' to coin the search.  
                        EX : X%--- will give data staring with X 
                             %X--- will give data ending with X 
                             %X%--- will give data containig  X 
    @GenerateSQLOnly -- Provide 1 if you only want to generate the SQL statements without seraching the database.  
                        By default it is 0 and it will search. 
 
    Samples : 
 
    1. To search data in a table 
 
        EXEC SearchTables @Tablenames = 'T1' 
                         ,@SearchStr  = '%TEST%' 
 
        The above sample searches in table T1 with string containing TEST. 
 
    2. To search in a multiple table 
 
        EXEC SearchTables @Tablenames = 'T2' 
                         ,@SearchStr  = '%TEST%' 
 
        The above sample searches in tables T1 & T2 with string containing TEST. 
     
    3. To search in a all table 
 
        EXEC SearchTables @Tablenames = 'sf_control_properties'
                         ,@SearchStr  = '%content.provocraft.com%' 
 
        The above sample searches in all table with string containing TEST.
 
    4. Generate the SQL for the Select statements 
 
        EXEC SearchTables @Tablenames        = ''
                         ,@SearchStr        = '%sampl text%' 
                         ,@GenerateSQLOnly    = 1
 
*/ 
 
    SET NOCOUNT ON 
 
    DECLARE @CheckTableNames Table 
    ( 
    Tablename sysname 
    ) 
 
    DECLARE @SQLTbl TABLE 
    ( 
     Tablename        SYSNAME 
    ,WHEREClause    VARCHAR(MAX) 
    ,SQLStatement   VARCHAR(MAX) 
    ,Execstatus        BIT  
    ) 
 
    DECLARE @sql VARCHAR(MAX) 
    DECLARE @tmpTblname sysname 
 
    IF LTRIM(RTRIM(@Tablenames)) IN ('' ,'%') 
    BEGIN 
 
        INSERT INTO @CheckTableNames 
        SELECT Name 
          FROM sys.tables 
    END 
    ELSE 
    BEGIN 
 
        SELECT @sql = 'SELECT ''' + REPLACE(@Tablenames,',',''' UNION SELECT ''') + '''' 
 
        INSERT INTO @CheckTableNames 
        EXEC(@sql) 
 
    END 
     
    INSERT INTO @SQLTbl 
    ( Tablename,WHEREClause) 
    SELECT SCh.name + '.' + ST.NAME, 
            ( 
                SELECT '[' + SC.name + ']' + ' LIKE ''' + @SearchStr + ''' OR ' + CHAR(10) 
                  FROM SYS.columns SC 
                  JOIN SYS.types STy 
                    ON STy.system_type_id = SC.system_type_id 
                   AND STy.user_type_id =SC.user_type_id 
                 WHERE STY.name in ('varchar','char','nvarchar','nchar') 
                   AND SC.object_id = ST.object_id 
                 ORDER BY SC.name 
                FOR XML PATH('') 
            ) 
      FROM  SYS.tables ST 
      JOIN @CheckTableNames chktbls 
                ON chktbls.Tablename = ST.name  
      JOIN SYS.schemas SCh 
        ON ST.schema_id = SCh.schema_id 
     WHERE ST.name <> 'SearchTMP' 
      GROUP BY ST.object_id, SCh.name + '.' + ST.NAME ; 
 
      UPDATE @SQLTbl 
         SET SQLStatement = 'SELECT * INTO SearchTMP FROM ' + Tablename + ' WHERE ' + substring(WHEREClause,1,len(WHEREClause)-5) 
 
      DELETE FROM @SQLTbl 
       WHERE WHEREClause IS NULL 
     
    WHILE EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM @SQLTbl WHERE ISNULL(Execstatus ,0) = 0) 
    BEGIN 
 
        SELECT TOP 1 @tmpTblname = Tablename , @sql = SQLStatement 
          FROM @SQLTbl  
         WHERE ISNULL(Execstatus ,0) = 0 
 
          
 
         IF @GenerateSQLOnly = 0 
         BEGIN 
 
            IF OBJECT_ID('SearchTMP','U') IS NOT NULL 
                DROP TABLE SearchTMP 
            EXEC (@SQL) 
 
            IF EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM SearchTMP) 
            BEGIN 
                SELECT Tablename=@tmpTblname,* FROM SearchTMP 
            END 
 
         END 
         ELSE 
         BEGIN 
             PRINT REPLICATE('-',100) 
             PRINT @tmpTblname 
             PRINT REPLICATE('-',100) 
             PRINT replace(@sql,'INTO SearchTMP','') 
         END 
 
         UPDATE @SQLTbl 
            SET Execstatus = 1 
          WHERE Tablename = @tmpTblname 
 
    END 
     
    SET NOCOUNT OFF 
 
go

Select allOpen in new window

Brian,
Can that be run in ACCESS?

Union queries seem limited to just two tables.

What makes you say this?  Do you get an error message when you use more than 2 tables.  I have used union queries in Access up to 10 tables without a problem.

Ron

Thanks for the information about the UNION queries.  That is what I tried first, but the results contained only data from the first query.  I think it was due to the fact each table had a different field name that need to be returned. Glad to hear you can use more than two UNIONs.

I cobbled something together with VBA that runs one query at a time on each table, then stuffs it in a temp table.