SharePoint search managed properties

In this SharePoint search tutorial, we will discuss the SharePoint Online search managed properties. Also, we will cover the below topics:

• What are SharePoint search Managed Properties?
• Where we set the managed properties of the SharePoint site?
• How to create a new managed property in the SharePoint online
• Why we will go for the renaming the existing managed property in SharePoint online
• View managed Property list in the SharePoint online
• Edit Managed property in the SharePoint online
• Delete the Managed property in Office 365 SharePoint Online
• How we will map the Managed property and crawled property in the SharePoint site?

SharePoint Online Search managed properties

When a user searches some information in the SharePoint online site. We can only see that information that is stored in the Search index. SharePoint first crawl the content source or item from our site to collect the metadata information.

The crawler properties help the crawler to decide what content and metadata should extract from all the information. To add the content and metadata to the search index, map the crawlled properties to managed properties.

The manage properties are a list of useful content and metadata which the search schema contains. The search index includes only content and metadata from the managed properties.

Managed properties have a large number of settings which determines how the content is stored in the search index and show in the search result.

In the below screenshot we can able to see the Manage property attribute and default managed properties. Each managed property is mapped with the one or several crawled property, we can see in the “MAPPED CRAWLED PROPERTIES” column.

Set the Managed properties of the SharePoint Online site

Admin center level:

Open SharePoint Online admin center and Click on “Search” which is present below the “records management”. Again click on “Manage Search Schema”.

Below the Manage Search Schema, from where we can create and modify the search properties. So the user can query these properties.

This Manage Search Schema contains:

• Managed Properties
• Crawled Property
• Categories

Here we will see about the “Managed Properties”. The “Managed Properties” page contains 3 section.

Filter: In the Filter section we can filter the existing managed property. By giving the Managed property name and “Alias”(nothing but the alternative name for the managed property) in the text input box. Then Click on Enter. We can able to see all the details information for that particular “Managed Property” name.

New Managed Property: We can create a new managed property in this option.

View Managed Property: We will see all the Managed properties are there in the admin centre level in SharePoint Online. We will see the managed properties with their different attribute, alias name and mapped with which crawled property. For a single managed property can map with one or more than one crawled property.

SharePoint site collection level:

Go to the SharePoint site “Site Settings” -> Search -> Schema. For site collection also we will get the same Managed properties page.

Create a new managed property in SharePoint Online Office 365

Now we will see how to create a new managed property in the SharePoint admin center level. To create a new managed property “SharePoint Admin center -> Search -> Manage Search Schema -> Managed Properties. Click on “New Managed Properties” in the SharePoint “Managed Properties” page.

Now a page will come which contains multiple field. For creating a new managed property we should fill the field first.

• Name: Give the Managed Property name.
• Description: In the Description, field give the description for the managed property.
• Type of Information in this property: For Type, the managed property type choose the type for the managed property like Text, Integer, Decimal, Date and Time etc.

Under the Type we will see some of the attributes are there, we can set the attribute for Managed Property. The attributes are

Searchable: When we we enable the Searchable then this managed property should searchable form the crawled content. The best thing is for each attribute we can see the description of attribute.

Queryable: When we want to add the querying against the managed property. So the managed property must be included in the
query. If the managed property is the author then the query must be “author: Smith”.

Refinable: The refinable attribute disables here. So if you want this refinable attribute to create a new managed property then you can use unused existing Managed properties (which is not mapped with the crawling property)whose refinable dropdown value is yes.

Sortable: The searchable option also is disable. So like refinable you can use the unused existing managed property.

Safe for Anonymous: If you think these managed property returns queries executed by anonymous users, then enable the “Safe”.

Alias: This Alias is an alternative name for the Managed property. Instead of using the Managed property name we can use the Alias name also.

Token Normalization: When we enable the “Token Normalization” that returns result independent of letter casting.

Complete Matching: When we enable the “Complete Matching attribute then search returns the partial matches between quaries against the managed property.

Language Neutral Tokenization: When we enable the “Language neutral Tokenization” then by default search depends on the language when it breaks quaries and content into parts.

Mapping to crawled properties: This field contains two option.

Include content from all crawled properties: if we enable this property then it will display all the crawled properties.

Include content from the first crawled property that is not empty, based on the specified order: if we enable this option then it will display only first crawled property.

Here I have choose the first option “include content from all crawled properties”. Click on “Add a Mapping”.

One dialogue box will come which contains all the crawl properties. We can find the crawl in the text input box, click on find. We will see all the crawl properties whose property name is review. Click on OK.

Now we will see the crawl property in the “Mapping to crawled properties”, multi line box.

When we enable the “Company name extraction” then it enable the system to extract company name entities from the managed property when crawling the updated items. Afterwards, the extracted entities can be used to set up refiner in the web part.

Custom Entity extraction: Enable one or more custom entity extractor to be associated with managed property.

Custom entity extraction: This option enable one or more custom entity extractor to be associated with this managed property. This enable the system to extract entities from the managed property when crawling new item.

Click on OK to create the managed property successfully.

View SharePoint Search Managed Properties

We can can check the Managed Properties created successfully or not in SharePoint Online Office 365. To find the managed properties we can type the managed property name or alias in the text input box. Click on enter.

Edit SharePoint Search Managed Property

We can create a new managed property using the existing managed property. We can use the unused managed property(the managed property which is not mapped with the crawl property). We can double click on the Managed property, to see the details view of that managed property.

After we will get the Managed Property details page we can give the managed properties Alias, that means instead of Managed property name we can use the alias name.

To mapped the managed property with the crawl property click on add a mapping. Find the crawl property in the text input and click on enter. Click on OK.

Delete SharePoint Managed Properties

To delete a SharePoint Online managed properties, we can search the managed properties from the input text box. And right click on it. We will get the Edit/Map and delete option. To delete the managed property click on Delete.

What is SharePoint search schema?

The SharePoint search schema is controlling what a user can search, how the user can search and how the result can represent to the user. When the user finds the information in the search then the search only displaying that information which stores in the search index.

Now we will see in which basically the search indexing the information. When we search something in the search box in the SharePoint site, the first crawler will come into the picture.

The crawler crawling the item from the SharePoint site such as document or URL and collecting the content and metadata. In other words, the content and metadata are called item properties.

SharePoint search Crawl properties

The search schema contains some of the crawled properties that helps the crawler to decide what information should extract from the SharePoint item. Search can not store all the item properties in the search index.

SharePoint Search Managed Properties

Search schema contains a list of useful content and metadata called managed properties. The search only index from the managed property.

Examples of metadata are the author and the title of documents in a SharePoint document library.

To store the metadata and content to the search index, crawled properties should be mapped to the managed property. As we know the content which is managed property that only store in the search index.

For example, a crawled property related to the author mapped to the managed property related to the author. When we add a managed property then we should do mapping with the crawled property to get the content into the index.

We can not create the crawled property on our own. The SharePoint will create the crawled property. So we can create a managed property and map to the crawled property to get the information to the search index in the SharePoint site.

When we create a new site column in the SharePoint list the crawler will collect the site column name as the crawled property.

The SharePoint will map the crawled property to auto-generated managed property, by default, it is not refinable so to refine we should manually map the crawled property to the managed property.

What is search index in SharePoint?

Search index in the SharePoint is nothing but a set of files which store in the folder on the Server. Whatever information are present in the search index that the only user can see when he searches for any queries.

The crawl component collects the content from the SharePoint content source and crawl properties help the crawler what the information should extract.

Then the extracted information will send to the content process component which mapped the crawled property and managed property and format the information and stored in the search index.

You may like following SharePoint search tutorials:

• Content Search web part in SharePoint Online
• SharePoint Online search result web part display documents created or modified by current user
• Display SharePoint Online List Items using a Content Search web part
• SharePoint Online customize search box web part
• Difference between classic search experience and modern search experience in SharePoint Online Office 365

Conclusion

In the SharePoint Online search tutorial, we have discussed SharePoint search managed property. We learnt What is SharePoint search managed properties, how we create a new managed property in SharePoint search in tenant level. We also knew how to view, edit and delete the existing managed property in SharePoint office 365.