Add or remove a property database

Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010

In Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Search, property databases contain metadata associated with crawled content. You can distribute the database load of queries by adding property databases to different computers that are running SQL Server. Property databases are associated with index partitions, and return any metadata associated with content in query results. For more information about index partitions, see Add or remove an index partition.

To add a property database to a farm

1. In Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage service applications.

2. On the Service Applications page, click the name of the Search Service Application to which you want to add a property database.

3. On the Search Administration page, in the Search Application Topology section, click the Modify button.

   Note

   The SharePoint Search topology cannot be changed in Standalone installations.

4. On the Manage Search Topology page, click New, and then click Property Database.

5. In the Add Property Database dialog box, in the Add Property Database section, specify a database server to which you want to add the property database, the database name, and database authentication information. By default, the Database Server field contains the host name and instance that is used to store the farm’s configuration database, and the Database Name field is pre-populated with a suggested name.

6. In the Failover Database Server field, you can optionally specify a failover database server that is used in conjunction with SQL Server database mirroring.

   Important

   Do not enter a server name into this field unless SQL Server database mirroring is currently configured and operational.

7. Click OK to add the new property database to the job queue.

8. On the Manage Search Topology page, click the Apply Topology Changes button to start the SharePoint timer job that will add the new property database to the selected SQL Server computer and make it available for association with index partitions.

   Note

   You can make other changes to the Search topology and then apply them all at once by clicking the Apply Topology Changes button.

To remove a property database from a farm

1. In Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage service applications.

2. On the Service Applications page, click the name of the Search Service Application from which you want to remove a property database.

3. On the Search Administration page, in the Search Application Topology section, click the Modify button.

   Note

   The SharePoint Search topology cannot be changed in Standalone installations.

4. On the Manage Search Topology page, click the property database you want to remove, and then click Delete.

   Note

   If any query components are currently associated with the property database, the Delete option will not appear when you click the property database.

5. In the message box that appears, click OK to add the removal of the property database to the job queue.

6. On the Manage Search Topology page, click the Apply Topology Changes button to start the SharePoint timer job that will delete the property database from the specified computer that is running SQL Server and remove it from the farm.

   Note

   You can make other changes to the Search topology and then apply them all at once by clicking the Apply Topology Changes button.

See Also

Concepts

Search topology operations in SharePoint Server 2010 (white paper)