There are times when I just need to find a phrase or object in mysql that could be buried anywhere. Often this happens with an imported schema where I’m not familiar with the layout and fields. To quickly search the entire db, I somtimes use the anywhereindb script, a project hosted over on google code.
It requires an operational mysql/php based webserver. Although perhaps not the most elegant solution, it does work and and is a quick way to find what you’re looking for in a mysql db. Another caveat that I can think of is that you’ll want to be sure to reset your mysql db password or use a non root mysql user for the anywhereindb scripts connection parameters, since this is sent over clear text using the anywhereindb script.
