Author: Jonathan Stuckey
When learning about using search, filtering and even library views most people don't know how to take that step in to Search. Part of getting a handle on configuring for better results - even in SharePoint modern ui - is to understand how to go from adding Columns for metadata to finding crawled properties, then to mapping them so they can be used anywhere.
In this article we'll do a quick run down on finding the properties and mapping them so they can be used effectively.
Finding the internal column-name
navigate to your site, library
identify column which we want to reference from another site-collection
open Settings > Library Settings
scroll down to 'Columns' section
click on the column you need the internal name for
check the URL for section at the end called "Field="
copy the Field= property e.g. _PublishStartDate
This Field reference is the SharePoint internal name for the column.
Tracing the internal column-name
Once you have the field internal name we can then use this to identify SharePoint's indexed property reference (a.k.a. crawled property)
NOTE: you will need to be either SharePoint admin, site-collection admin, or Site Owner (if site is an Microsoft 365 Group enabled site)
open Settings > Site Settings
under "Site Collection Administration section
click on 'Search Schema'
switch to 'Crawled properties'
paste in column internal name to 'Crawled properties search box'
press 'Enter' (or click green button with arrow)
wait....
If you have the name right, and the item has been indexed you will now see Search property names for your column. e.g. ows__PublishStartDate
Make a note of the name.
Making crawled property more usable
In order to use the crawled property in another site collection, e.g. in Highlighted Content webpart custom query (KQL), it must be mapped to a Managed property.
from Site Collection Administration > Crawled Properties page
click on Managed properties
paste in Crawled property name into the Managed property search box
press 'Enter' (or click green button with arrow)
wait...
If there are no properties returned we have a decision process - but since this is a blog we'll short-circuit process.
We will make use of the Microsoft provided "empty", pre-created properties. These are pre-fixed as "Refinable", and span most common data-types e.g. String, Date, Integer
In our example we are using a column which has a 'Date' information type, so we will
type in 'RefinableDate' into the Managed property search box
press 'Enter' (or click green button with arrow)
wait...
select first unmapped property e.g. RefinableDate00
edit Managed property
scr0ll down to bottom of the form
click 'Add a Mapping' button
paste in the Crawled property name
click ok
The 'gotcha' at the bottom of the barrel
Key thing to remember when you venture down configuring Search Schema on sites (or hubs) is that the SharePoint Online search crawl is incremental during the week. If you have added a new managed property, or updated a Refinable attribute, you have to wait until the weekend for the full crawl of your tenancy to be sure that the new property is picked-up and populated in the index.
You may find that you wont see results in the web-parts or on pages until it has completed.
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About the author: Jonathan Stuckey
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