How to find a text inside SQL Server procedures / triggers?

Question

I have a linkedserver that will change. Some procedures call the linked server like this: [10.10.100.50].dbo.SPROCEDURE_EXAMPLE. We have triggers also doing thi

Answer 1

I've used these in the past:

• Searching all user stored procedures for a table name
• Search and replace SQL Server data in all columns of all tables

In this particular case, where you need to replace a specific string across stored procedures, the first link is probably more relevant.

A little off-topic, the Quick Find add-in is also useful for searching object names with SQL Server Management Studio. There's a modified version available with some improvements, and another newer version also available on Codeplex with some other useful add-ins as well.

Answer 2

There are much better solutions than modifying the text of your stored procedures, functions, and views each time the linked server changes. Here are some options:

1. Update the linked server. Instead of using a linked server named with its IP address, create a new linked server with the name of the resource such as Finance or DataLinkProd or some such. Then when you need to change which server is reached, update the linked server to point to the new server (or drop it and recreate it).

2. While unfortunately you cannot create synonyms for linked servers or schemas, you CAN make synonyms for objects that are located on linked servers. For example, your procedure [10.10.100.50].dbo.SPROCEDURE_EXAMPLE could by aliased. Perhaps create a schema datalinkprod, then CREATE SYNONYM datalinkprod.dbo_SPROCEDURE_EXAMPLE FOR [10.10.100.50].dbo.SPROCEDURE_EXAMPLE;. Then, write a stored procedure that accepts a linked server name, which queries all the potential objects from the remote database and (re)creates synonyms for them. All your SPs and functions get rewritten just once to use the synonym names starting with datalinkprod, and ever after that, to change from one linked server to another you just do EXEC dbo.SwitchLinkedServer '[10.10.100.51]'; and in a fraction of a second you're using a different linked server.

There may be even more options. I highly recommend using the superior techniques of pre-processing, configuration, or indirection rather than changing human-written scripts. Automatically updating machine-created scripts is fine, this is preprocessing. Doing things manually is awful.

Answer 3

select text
from syscomments
where text like '%your text here%'

Answer 4

Just wrote this for generic full outer cross ref

create table #XRefDBs(xtype varchar(2),SourceDB varchar(100), Object varchar(100), RefDB varchar(100))

declare @sourcedbname varchar(100),
        @searchfordbname varchar(100),
        @sql nvarchar(4000)
declare curs cursor for
    select name 
    from sysdatabases
    where dbid>4
open curs
fetch next from curs into @sourcedbname
while @@fetch_status=0
    begin
    print @sourcedbname
    declare curs2 cursor for 
        select name 
        from sysdatabases
        where dbid>4
        and name <> @sourcedbname
    open curs2
    fetch next from curs2 into @searchfordbname
    while @@fetch_status=0
        begin
        print @searchfordbname
        set @sql = 
        'INSERT INTO #XRefDBs (xtype,SourceDB,Object, RefDB)
        select DISTINCT o.xtype,'''+@sourcedbname+''', o.name,'''+@searchfordbname+'''
        from '+@sourcedbname+'.dbo.syscomments c
        join '+@sourcedbname+'.dbo.sysobjects o on c.id=o.id
        where o.xtype in (''V'',''P'',''FN'',''TR'')
        and (text like ''%'+@searchfordbname+'.%''
          or text like ''%'+@searchfordbname+'].%'')'
        print @sql
        exec sp_executesql @sql
        fetch next from curs2 into @searchfordbname
        end
    close curs2
    deallocate curs2
    fetch next from curs into @sourcedbname
    end
close curs
deallocate curs

select * from #XRefDBs

Answer 5

-- Declare the text we want to search for
DECLARE @Text nvarchar(4000);
SET @Text = 'employee';

-- Get the schema name, table name, and table type for:

-- Table names
SELECT
       TABLE_SCHEMA  AS 'Object Schema'
      ,TABLE_NAME    AS 'Object Name'
      ,TABLE_TYPE    AS 'Object Type'
      ,'Table Name'  AS 'TEXT Location'
FROM  INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE TABLE_NAME LIKE '%'+@Text+'%'
UNION
 --Column names
SELECT
      TABLE_SCHEMA   AS 'Object Schema'
      ,COLUMN_NAME   AS 'Object Name'
      ,'COLUMN'      AS 'Object Type'
      ,'Column Name' AS 'TEXT Location'
FROM  INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS
WHERE COLUMN_NAME LIKE '%'+@Text+'%'
UNION
-- Function or procedure bodies
SELECT
      SPECIFIC_SCHEMA     AS 'Object Schema'
      ,ROUTINE_NAME       AS 'Object Name'
      ,ROUTINE_TYPE       AS 'Object Type'
      ,ROUTINE_DEFINITION AS 'TEXT Location'
FROM  INFORMATION_SCHEMA.ROUTINES 
WHERE ROUTINE_DEFINITION LIKE '%'+@Text+'%'
      AND (ROUTINE_TYPE = 'function' OR ROUTINE_TYPE = 'procedure');

Answer 6

You can search within the definitions of all database objects using the following SQL:

SELECT 
    o.name, 
    o.id, 
    c.text,
    o.type
FROM 
    sysobjects o 
RIGHT JOIN syscomments c 
    ON o.id = c.id 
WHERE 
    c.text like '%text_to_find%'