We’ve added custom metadata fields to our document itemtype for tracking regulatory compliance information (approval_date, regulatory_body, compliance_status). The fields display correctly in the UI and store data properly, but our users can’t find documents using these fields in search queries.
The custom metadata fields were added through ItemType configuration and include both text and date properties. Standard document properties like name and description work fine in searches, but queries filtering on our custom fields return zero results even when we know matching documents exist.
We need the search index to recognize these custom metadata fields so compliance teams can quickly locate documents by regulatory_body or compliance_status. Has anyone successfully configured custom document metadata for full-text search indexing in Aras 14.0?
Thanks Lynn. I looked at the ItemType definition and the custom properties don’t have any SearchMode settings visible in the standard property configuration form. Are these settings stored elsewhere, or do I need to add them manually through AML or database updates?
Found the SearchMode settings under the Property definitions as suggested. All three custom fields were set to ‘none’ by default. I’m planning to update them to ‘LIKE’ for the text fields and leave the date field as-is since we mainly filter on text values. Should I rebuild the index immediately or wait until after business hours?
Here’s the complete solution for making custom document metadata searchable:
1. Configure Search Index Settings on Custom Properties
Navigate to Administration > Properties and locate each custom metadata field (regulatory_body, compliance_status, approval_date). Edit each property and set the searchmode attribute:
- For text fields like regulatory_body and compliance_status: Set searchmode=‘LIKE’ for partial matching or searchmode=‘FULLTEXT’ for full-text indexing
- For date fields like approval_date: searchmode=‘EXACT’ if you need date filtering in searches
2. Verify ItemType Search Configuration
Open your custom Document ItemType definition and check the is_indexed property is set to ‘1’. This ensures the ItemType participates in search indexing. If you have polymorphic document types, verify this setting cascades properly through the inheritance chain.
3. Update Search Service Configuration
Check the SearchMode ItemType (Administration > ItemTypes > SearchMode) includes your custom Document ItemType in its indexed_itemtypes list. If your document type is missing, add it to ensure the search service processes it during indexing operations.
4. Rebuild the Search Index
After updating SearchMode settings, existing documents won’t be searchable by custom fields until you rebuild the index:
- Navigate to Administration > SearchMode Rebuild
- Select your Document ItemType
- Choose ‘Full Rebuild’ to reindex all existing documents
- Schedule during off-peak hours (rebuilding 50k+ documents can take 2-4 hours)
- Monitor the rebuild progress through the search service logs
5. Validate Document Retrieval
After rebuild completes, test searches using your custom metadata fields:
- Simple queries: regulatory_body=‘FDA’ or compliance_status=‘Approved’
- Combined filters: compliance_status=‘Approved’ AND approval_date>=‘2024-01-01’
- Verify search results include documents with matching custom metadata values
Important Considerations:
- SearchMode changes only affect new/updated documents until you rebuild the index
- Full-text indexing (searchmode=‘FULLTEXT’) provides better search performance but increases index size
- Plan for periodic index maintenance, especially after bulk document imports
- Document the SearchMode settings in your configuration management system for future upgrades
Once configured correctly, your compliance teams will be able to search documents by regulatory_body, compliance_status, and other custom metadata fields just like standard document properties. The initial setup and rebuild investment pays off significantly in improved document retrieval efficiency.
Check your SearchMode property settings on those custom fields. By default, new properties aren’t included in the search index configuration. You need to explicitly enable indexing for each custom metadata field you want searchable.
You’ll find SearchMode in the Property definition itself, not the ItemType form. Navigate to Administration > Properties, locate your custom properties (regulatory_body, compliance_status, etc.), and edit each one. There’s a searchmode attribute that controls indexing behavior. Set it to ‘LIKE’ or ‘FULLTEXT’ depending on your search requirements. After updating SearchMode, you’ll need to rebuild the search index for existing documents. The rebuild can be triggered through the SearchMode Rebuild utility in Administration, but be aware this can take considerable time on large document repositories. We had about 50,000 documents and the rebuild took roughly 3 hours during off-peak hours.
We faced this exact issue last year. One gotcha: if your custom properties are defined on a polymorphic itemtype structure, make sure SearchMode is set on the base property definition, not just overridden at lower levels. Also verify your search service configuration includes the document itemtype in its indexed types list.