find text string in database

Hello,
I'd like to find a specific text string searching in all tables within same database.
Is there a way to make only one query to all tables at the same time?
Thank you very much for your attention.
QslxNo. You would have to write a procedure that looped through all the tables and checked every column.

This question makes me suspect that there are some design issues with your database schema.

blindman|||Ya mean like:

USE Northwind
GO

CREATE TABLE myTable99 (TABLE_NAME sysname, COLUMN_NAME sysname, Occurs int)
GO

SET NOCOUNT ON

DECLARE @.SQL varchar(8000), @.TABLE_NAME sysname, @.COLUMN_NAME sysname, @.Sargable varchar(80), @.Count int

SELECT @.Sargable = 'Beer'

DECLARE insaneCursor CURSOR FOR
SELECT c.TABLE_NAME, c.COLUMN_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Columns c INNER JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Tables t
ON t.TABLE_SCHEMA = c.TABLE_SCHEMA AND t.TABLE_NAME = c.TABLE_NAME
WHERE c.DATA_TYPE IN ('char','nchar','varchar','nvarchar','text','ntext ')
AND t.TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'

OPEN insaneCursor

FETCH NEXT FROM insaneCursor INTO @.TABLE_NAME, @.COLUMN_NAME

WHILE @.@.FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
SELECT @.SQL = 'INSERT INTO myTable99 (TABLE_NAME, COLUMN_NAME, Occurs) SELECT '
+ '''' + @.TABLE_NAME + '''' + ','
+ '''' + @.COLUMN_NAME + '''' + ','
+ 'COUNT(*) FROM [' + @.TABLE_NAME
+ '] WHERE [' + @.COLUMN_NAME + '] Like '
+ ''''+ '%' + @.Sargable + '%' + ''''
--SELECT @.SQL
EXEC(@.SQL)
IF @.@.ERROR <> 0
BEGIN
SELECT @.SQL
SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.Columns WHERE TABLE_NAME = @.TABLE_NAME
GOTO Error
END
FETCH NEXT FROM insaneCursor INTO @.TABLE_NAME, @.COLUMN_NAME
END

SELECT * FROM myTable99 WHERE Occurs <> 0

Error:
CLOSE insaneCursor
DEALLOCATE insaneCursor

GO

DROP TABLE myTable99
GO

SET NOCOUNT OFF|||Hi Brett,
Thanks a lot for you help.
It works great!

Cheers,|||brett, don't you have any hobbies? :p|||Yeah...SQL

That was a cut and paste from my toolbox...

You kidding...I'm writting a sql server version of the window explorer find function...using xp_cmdshell, because it's tooooooooooooo painful to deal with server ops...|||I can't tell when you're kidding and when you're not!|||I'd say I'm an Enigma...but that's taken already...8-)

And I finally got server ops to give me clearence, so I won't have to build the explorer

Are Margarittas a hobby?