You’re not alone if you’ve ever struggled to find specific information in SharePoint. As organisations grow, so does the volume of data, making it harder for users to retrieve relevant content quickly. For IT managers and CTOs, a poorly structured search experience can lead to inefficiencies, user frustration, and wasted time as employees sift through irrelevant search results.One solution? Managed properties in SharePoint.
These properties allow you to control what data appears in search results, enhancing relevance and filtering options. Learning to create a managed property in SharePoint Online is essential for tailoring search to meet your organisation’s unique needs and ensuring users can locate critical information when needed.
In this article, I will explain why managed properties matter, how to set them up, and how they can transform the SharePoint search experience. Understanding managed properties is a game-changer if you’re looking to streamline data retrieval or improve user satisfaction. Let’s dive in.
What are Managed Properties in SharePoint?
At its core, managed properties in SharePoint are the foundation of a refined search experience. They work by mapping crawled properties or raw data fields from documents and lists to defined, searchable fields that users can filter and sort in SharePoint’s search results. In other words, managed properties enable you to control which information is searchable, making it easier for users to find what they want.
For example, let’s say you have a document library in SharePoint with custom fields like “Project Name” and “Project Manager.” By creating managed properties for these fields, you can make them searchable, allowing users to locate documents by specific project names or managers. This level of customisation provides a targeted and efficient search experience.
In SharePoint Online, managed properties are precious for managed search. Configuring these properties can deliver more relevant search results, helping users avoid wading through unnecessary data. Managed properties can even be configured to refine search results by filtering based on metadata or document types, ensuring a faster and more accurate search experience.
Benefits of Using Managed Properties
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Implementing managed properties in SharePoint offers several key advantages, especially for organisations that rely on fast, accurate data retrieval. Let’s explore some of the ways managed properties can enhance the search experience:
1. Enhanced Search Accuracy
One of the biggest frustrations for users is sifting through irrelevant search results. By setting up managed properties, you can control what information is indexed and searchable, making it easier for users to find precise content. For example, creating managed properties for specific fields, such as client names or project codes, enables users to search by these criteria directly, increasing the relevance of results.
2. Customisable Search Experience
With managed properties, you can tailor SharePoint’s search to fit your organisation’s specific needs. Managed properties allow you to create custom filters and sorting options, which means users can quickly refine search results based on fields that matter most to them. This flexibility is precious in larger organisations, where teams might require unique search configurations to suit different projects or departments.
3. Improved Filtering and Sorting Options
Managed properties allow you to add filters that enable users to refine their search results by specific criteria, such as document type, author, or date. These filters are especially helpful in narrowing down search results and ensuring that users don’t waste time scrolling through unrelated content. By enabling more granular sorting options, managed properties make it simpler for users to find what they need quickly and efficiently.
4. Time Savings and Increased Productivity
When users can find the correct information more quickly, productivity goes up. Managed properties reduce the time spent searching by ensuring that search results are relevant and easy to navigate. This increased efficiency directly impacts workflows, as employees spend less time hunting for documents and more time on value-added tasks.
Using managed properties in SharePoint enhances the search experience and enables a more organised, streamlined approach to data retrieval. In the next section, I will provide a step-by-step guide on how to create managed properties in SharePoint Online to improve search functionality and make content more accessible to your organisation.
Step-by-Step Guide to Create Managed Property in SharePoint Online
Setting up managed properties in SharePoint Online can significantly improve your organisation’s search capabilities. Follow these steps to create managed property in SharePoint Online and enhance the relevance of your search results:
Step 1: Access the SharePoint Admin Center
To begin, log in to your SharePoint Online Admin Center. Only users with the appropriate admin permissions can access and change the search schema, so ensure you have access rights.
Step 2: Navigate to the Search Schema
In the SharePoint Admin Center, locate the Search settings, then select Search Schema. This is where you’ll configure both crawled properties and managed properties.
Step 3: Identify or Create a Crawled Property
Before creating a managed property, you need to ensure that the data you want to make searchable is mapped to a crawled property. Crawled properties are automatically created when new metadata is added to documents or list items. Look for the relevant crawled property in the list or use the search bar to locate it. If you don’t see the specific field, ensure it’s part of the data indexed in SharePoint.
Step 4: Create a New Managed Property
Click New Managed Property in the Search Schema to create a managed property. Provide a descriptive name for the property that is easily recognisable and aligns with the data it represents (e.g., “ProjectManager” or “ClientName”).
Step 5: Map the Crawled Property to the Managed Property
Scroll down to the Mappings to Crawled Properties section. Click Add Mapping, and select the crawled property you identified in Step 3. Mapping the crawled property to the managed property enables SharePoint to make that data searchable and filterable.
Step 6: Configure Property Settings
Customise the managed property settings to suit your organisation’s needs. Key configurations include:
- Retrievability: Enable this setting if you want the managed property to be retrievable in search results.
- Queryable: Allow users to search for this property directly.
- Refinable: Set this option if you want the property to be used as a filter.
- Sortable: Enable this option if you’d like users to be able to sort results based on this property.
Step 7: Save and Test the Managed Property
After configuring the settings, click OK to save the new managed property. SharePoint may take time to re-index the content, so allow a few hours before testing. Once re-indexing is complete, test the managed property by searching using the mapped field.
Creating a managed property in SharePoint Online is a straightforward process that can significantly improve search accuracy and efficiency. Mapping your critical data fields enables users to access relevant information quickly and improve the overall user experience.
Best Practices for Managing Search Properties in SharePoint
To get the most out of your managed properties in SharePoint, following best practices that keep your search schema organised and efficient is essential. Here are some tips to help you manage search properties effectively:
1. Regularly Review and Audit the Search Schema
As your organisation grows, the volume of managed and crawled properties can increase, leading to clutter and potential confusion. Regularly reviewing and auditing your search schema ensures that only relevant managed properties are retained. Remove any properties that are no longer in use or were created for outdated projects to keep your search environment streamlined.
2. Use Clear and Consistent Naming Conventions
When creating managed properties, use clear, descriptive names that make it easy to identify their purpose. Consistent naming conventions help your team easily recognise and locate the correct properties, especially as the number of properties grows. For example, prefixing properties with their intended purpose (e.g., “HR_EmployeeID” or “Finance_InvoiceDate”) can improve search schema organisation.
3. Test Changes Before Going Live
Whenever you create or modify a managed property, you must test the changes to ensure they work as expected. Perform searches using the managed property, check that it’s mapped correctly to the crawled property, and ensure it returns relevant results. Testing changes reduces the risk of errors and ensures a smooth user experience when the managed property is used in searches.
4. Set Permissions for Managed Properties
Some managed properties may contain sensitive information, such as employee records or financial data. Configure permissions to restrict access to specific properties if needed. SharePoint allows you to control who can view or query specific managed properties, adding an extra layer of security to your compliance tracking.
5. Leverage SharePoint Development Services for Complex Requirements
Consider consulting a SharePoint development service for more advanced configurations, such as customising managed properties for specific workflows or integrating them with other SharePoint features. Experienced developers can assist in creating customised search solutions that fit your organisation’s unique requirements, optimising search capabilities while reducing administrative load.
Following these best practices will help you manage managed properties in SharePoint effectively, ensuring that your search experience remains accurate, organised, and secure. The final section will discuss when to consult a SharePoint development service for advanced configurations and how this support can further enhance your SharePoint environment.
When to Consult a SharePoint Development Service
While creating and managing managed properties in SharePoint can be straightforward, specific scenarios may require specialised expertise. If your organisation has complex search requirements or needs advanced configurations, consulting a SharePoint development service can help maximise the potential of your SharePoint environment. Here are situations where expert assistance may be beneficial:
1. Advanced Search Customization
If your organisation relies on custom search requirements beyond basic managed property setup, a SharePoint developer can help. For example, creating specialised search refiners, integrating custom filters, or configuring advanced query rules requires in-depth knowledge of SharePoint’s search framework. A SharePoint development service can tailor these features to suit your needs, ensuring search results are accurate and aligned with business processes.
2. Integrating Managed Properties with Other Systems
Many organisations must pull data from multiple sources, such as CRM, ERP, or HR systems. A SharePoint development team can help integrate managed properties with these systems, ensuring all relevant data is searchable and accessible in one place. This integration allows for a unified search experience across platforms, saving users time and improving data accessibility.
3. Optimising for Large Data Environments
If you’re dealing with vast amounts of data, ensuring the search is fast, reliable, and relevant can be challenging. SharePoint developers can assist in optimising search performance, particularly when handling large data sets. They can fine-tune indexing, manage crawled property mappings, and set up efficient query parameters, making locating information in a high-volume environment easier.
4. Security and Compliance Requirements
Data privacy and access control are essential for industries with strict regulatory requirements. SharePoint development services can configure managed properties to align with your organisation’s security and compliance needs. This might include restricting access to sensitive information, creating audit trails, or implementing data retention policies to ensure compliance with industry standards.
Working with a SharePoint development service allows your organisation to fully leverage managed properties and achieve a tailored search experience that fits complex requirements. Professional support ensures that your SharePoint environment remains optimised, secure, and aligned with your business goals.
Conclusion: Enhancing Search with Managed Properties in SharePoint
Effectively managing search functionality in SharePoint can transform how teams access and use information. By setting up and maintaining managed properties in SharePoint, organisations can significantly improve the relevance and efficiency of their search results. For pinpointing project documents, filtering client records, or enabling more specific search queries, managed properties empower users to locate the needed information quickly.
Consulting a SharePoint development service provider for organisations with complex data needs ensures a well-configured, optimised search experience that can handle advanced requirements, streamline workflows, and improve data integration across platforms.
Ready to enhance your SharePoint search capabilities? Contact Neologix to explore how customised managed properties can elevate your SharePoint environment and support seamless data retrieval across your organisation. Our expert SharePoint development service can help you create a tailored, optimised solution to your needs. Reach out to us by calling today to get started on improving your SharePoint’s search functionality.
