Question

I’m not overly familiar with the SQL Server data dictionary, but I’ve assumed what I’m trying to do is possible.

We have a number of replicated databases, under different names say:
Client1
Client2
Client3

Rather than rely on a naming convention, I was hoping to identify these databases, based on whether they include a key table, call it MyTable. So started thinking a query such as the following was needed:

SELECT db.name
FROM sys.databases db
JOIN sys.tables tbl ON ??
WHERE tbl.Name = 'MyTable'

This doesn’t work, as I can’t see how to join sys.tables to sys.databases directly or indirectly, and also sys.tables is a view based on the active database, rather than a complete set of tables for all databases.

Can anyone identify a suitable query for this situation?

Answer 1

Try the undocumented sp_MSforeachdb

EXECUTE master.sys.sp_MSforeachdb 
'select table_catalog from 
information_schema.tables where table_name like ''MyTable%'''

The only way that comes to mind to do it as a query is to build the select statement dynamically (insert standard dynamic sql warning/disapproval here)

 Declare @SQL varchar(max)
    Set @SQL = ''
    Select @SQL = @SQL + Coalesce('Select Distinct 
    table_catalog from ' + name  + '.information_schema.tables 
    where table_name like ''mytable%''  UNION ','' )
    from sys.databases where state_desc = 'ONLINE'
    and collation_name =  'SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS'
    set @SQL =  Substring(@SQL, 1, Len(@SQL) - 6) + ' order by table_catalog  '
    exec (@SQL)

*NOTE I added some criteria for the state and collation of the available databases.