How to Create SharePoint 2007 Managed Properties for Search

This blog will help you to create SharePoint 2007 Managed Properties for Search.

I. Create and Crawl Content Source (Administrator)

1. Determine if a content source exists for your site collection, and if that content source is being crawled:

a. From the Shared Service Providers home page follow this click path: Search -> Search Administration -> Crawling -> Content Sources

b. Click on the existing content source(s) and choose edit

c. From the Edit Content Source page review the Start Addresses section

d. If the Start Address includes your site collection or site then your site collection or site is included in the current content sources

e. From the Crawled Schedules panel review the Full Crawl and Incremental Crawl schedules, if the schedules are not set to “None” then your content source is being crawled

2. If a content source does not exist for your document library then create the content source:

a. From the Shared Service Provider home page follow this click path: Search -> Search Administration -> Crawling -> Content Sources

b. From the “Manage Content Sources” page choose “New Content Source”

c. From the “Add Content Sources” page provide the following information:

• Name: Provide the deployment site’s name
• Content Source Type: SharePoint Sites
• Start Address: Provide the deployment site collection site’s web address
• Crawl Settings: Crawl only the SharePoint site of each start address 
• Crawl Schedules: None, None
• Start Full Crawl: Start Full Crawl of this content source – Yes

d. Error messages: If you receive this error message: The start address "http://myexamplesite.com" already exists in this or another content source:

• You will not need to create a new content source
• You will need to do a full crawl of the content source that contains the deployment site collection

e. Check the Manage Content Sources page and Crawl Logs page for errors

II. Create New Managed Properties (Administrator)

1. From the Shared Service Provider home page create the mapped metadata property – DocumentDate:

a. Search Administration -> Metadata Properties

b. From the Metadata Property Mappings page choose “New Managed Property”

c. From the “New Managed Property” page provide the Name and Type information:

• Property Name – MyManagedProperty;
• Description – A custom managed property for the MyManagedProperty field
• Type – Date and Time 

d. From the “New Managed Property” page provide the Mappings to Crawled Properties:

• Include values from all crawled properties mapped
• Click on “Add Mappings”

e. From the “Crawled property selection” dialog provide the following information:

• Select a category: All categories
• Crawled property name: Document
• Click on “Find”

d. Select the crawled property (example): ows_My_x0020_Managed_x0020_Property(Text)

e. Use in scopes: Allow this property to be used in scopes – Yes

8. From the Shared Service Provider home page run the Content Source crawl again:

a. Search Administration -> Content Sources

b. From the “Manage Content Sources” page choose the same content source you used in step “III, Create and Crawl Content Source”

c. From the content source drop down men choose “Start Full Crawl”

d. Check the Manage Content Sources page and Crawl Logs page for errors

And that's all there is to it!