Key insights
- Reindexing a SharePoint Document Library is essential for refreshing the search index, ensuring accurate and updated search results. This process is crucial if documents or metadata are missing from search results.
- Metadata or Column Changes: When columns or metadata in a library are altered, reindexing ensures these updates are captured by the search index, reflecting changes in search queries.
- Search Schema Updates: Modifying crawled or managed properties in the search schema may require reindexing to apply these changes correctly to content.
- Trigger Reindexing Process: Navigate to Library Settings, select Advanced Settings, and initiate reindexing by clicking on Reindex Document Library. The actual process completes during the next scheduled crawl.
- Best Practices for Reindexing: Only perform reindexing when necessary as it can increase system load. Investigate frequent issues and monitor SharePoint Search Service Application for errors.
- Crawled and Managed Properties: Understanding the mapping of managed properties to crawled properties is crucial. Changes in this mapping necessitate reindexing to update the search index with schema modifications.
Understanding the Importance of Reindexing a SharePoint Document Library
Reindexing a SharePoint document library is a crucial process for maintaining the accuracy and efficiency of search functionalities within SharePoint. This process ensures that all changes made to the library are reflected in search results, thereby improving user experience and content discoverability. In this article, we will explore the reasons why reindexing is necessary, the steps involved, and best practices to follow.
Reasons for Reindexing a SharePoint Document Library
Reindexing a SharePoint document library can be essential for several reasons. Here are some of the most common scenarios:
- Search Issues: If documents or metadata are not appearing in search results, or if the search index is outdated, reindexing ensures that all content in the library is re-crawled and made available for search queries.
- Metadata or Column Changes: When you add, remove, or update columns or metadata in the library, these changes might not immediately be recognized by the search index. Reindexing forces SharePoint to capture and index these updates.
- Content Updates: If you’ve added, deleted, or modified many items and these changes are not reflected in search results, reindexing ensures the search index is synchronized with the current state of the library.
- Search Schema Updates: Changes to the search schema, such as modifications to crawled or managed properties, may require reindexing to ensure these properties are properly applied to content.
- Resolving Search Anomalies: In cases of search errors, missing results, or inconsistent indexing behavior, reindexing can be a troubleshooting step to resolve such anomalies.
- Compliance or Governance Updates: Updates to retention policies, security settings, or compliance configurations might necessitate reindexing to ensure these policies are applied and searchable.
How to Reindex a Document Library in SharePoint
Reindexing a SharePoint document library involves a few straightforward steps. Here’s how you can do it:
- Go to the Library Settings: Navigate to the document library, click the gear icon, and select Library Settings.
- Advanced Settings: On the settings page, look for Advanced Settings or Search and Offline Availability.
- Trigger Reindexing: Find the option labeled Reindex Document Library or a similar name and click on it to initiate the reindexing process.
- Wait for Reindexing to Complete: The actual reindexing occurs during the next scheduled crawl by SharePoint’s search service. This may take some time, depending on your environment.
Best Practices for Reindexing
While reindexing is a powerful tool to maintain the reliability of SharePoint’s search functionality, it should be done with caution. Here are some best practices to consider:
- Only Reindex When Necessary: Reindexing can temporarily increase the load on the search system, so it should only be done when necessary.
- Investigate Frequent Issues: If frequent issues occur, investigate underlying causes such as search service settings or library configurations.
- Monitor the SharePoint Search Service Application: Keep an eye on the SharePoint Search Service Application for errors or delays in crawling.
Exploring the SharePoint Search Schema
Understanding the SharePoint Search Schema is essential for effective reindexing. The Search Schema involves mapping managed properties to crawled properties, which is a key task in ensuring that the search index accurately reflects the content in the library. Whenever you create or change mappings in the Search Schema, it is necessary to reindex the document library to ensure that the search index picks up these changes.
Two Methods for Reindexing SharePoint Document Libraries
There are two main methods for reindexing SharePoint document libraries: at the library level and at the site level. Here are the instructions for both:
Library Reindexing:
- Click the Gear Icon and select Library settings.
- Click More library settings.
- Click Advanced settings.
- Scroll down to the middle of the page, and click Reindex Document Library.
- You will get a warning message; just click Reindex Document Library.
- Click OK at the bottom of the page.
Site Reindexing:
- Click the Gear Icon and select Site information.
- Click View all site settings.
- Under the Search section, click Search and offline availability.
- Click the Reindex site button.
- When you get a warning message, click Reindex site.
In conclusion, reindexing a SharePoint document library is a vital process for ensuring that search functionalities remain accurate and efficient. By understanding the reasons for reindexing, following the correct steps, and adhering to best practices, you can maintain a reliable and user-friendly SharePoint environment.
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