M365 Search Week Day 4 – How to Optimize SharePoint Search with Managed Properties

The power of Microsoft 365 (M365) lies not only in its collaborative tools and cloud-based architecture but also in its robust search capabilities. At the core of intelligent enterprise content discovery is SharePoint Search, an evolving service that can surface the most relevant information to users — but only if properly configured. One of the most overlooked yet powerful aspects of optimizing SharePoint Search is Managed Properties.

Welcome to Day 4 of M365 Search Week, where we delve into the mechanics of Managed Properties in SharePoint Search. This is your essential guide to understanding what managed properties are, how they influence search results, and how you can use them to refine and enhance search experiences across your SharePoint Online environment.

Understanding SharePoint Search Architecture

Before diving into managed properties, it's important to understand the basic architecture of SharePoint Search in M365. Search in SharePoint Online is powered by the Microsoft Search platform, which indexes content across SharePoint sites, OneDrive, Teams, and other connected M365 services. This indexing is not just a simple "file scan" — it's a complex process that includes crawling, parsing, and classifying data.

At a high level, the process involves:

• Crawling content sources (e.g., document libraries, lists)
• Extracting metadata and content from each item
• Mapping metadata to crawled properties
• Mapping crawled properties to managed properties
• Storing searchable data in the index

While users typically interact with the end result (e.g., search queries in SharePoint or Office.com), it's these behind-the-scenes mappings — especially managed properties — that decide what appears and how.

Crawled vs. Managed Properties: Know the Difference

To appreciate the significance of managed properties, we need to draw a clear distinction between crawled properties and managed properties.

Crawled Properties

These are automatically created when SharePoint crawls content. Every piece of metadata — whether standard (like “Author” or “Modified Date”) or custom (like “ProjectStatus” or “ClientRegion”) — gets recorded as a crawled property. They are raw, unrefined data points. Think of them as unfiltered inputs collected during indexing.

The problem with crawled properties is that they are not directly usable in search queries or refiners. You can't reference a crawled property in a search web part or use it to filter results in a search-driven solution unless it’s mapped to a managed property.

Managed Properties

These are the refined, user-facing version of crawled properties. Managed properties are indexed, queryable, retrievable, and refinable — depending on how they are configured. They enable administrators and developers to control how metadata surfaces in search, and more importantly, they make that metadata usable in building custom search solutions.

Each managed property can be mapped to one or more crawled properties, and it can be configured with various attributes (e.g., searchable, sortable, refinable).

Why Managed Properties Matter for SharePoint Search Optimization

Managed properties are pivotal because they act as the bridge between the SharePoint content and the search experience. If you're looking to build any advanced search feature — whether it’s a custom search center, a PnP Modern Search web part, or a vertical result in Microsoft Search — you’ll need managed properties.

Here’s why they matter:

• Enable Property Queries: Want to find all documents where “ProjectStatus=Active”? That query only works if “ProjectStatus” is a managed property.
• Power Custom Refiners: Filters like date ranges, tags, or departments can only be applied to search results if they’re based on refinable managed properties.
• Control Result Display: Custom search layouts often display metadata. Managed properties ensure that the metadata is retrievable and structured.
• Boost Performance: Search queries are more efficient when relying on well-defined managed properties rather than full-text scanning.

Without properly configured managed properties, your users may find themselves stuck with incomplete or irrelevant search results, and your content discovery experience will remain subpar.

How to Create and Configure Managed Properties in SharePoint Online

Now let’s walk through the practical side: how to create, map, and configure managed properties in SharePoint Online.

Step 1: Upload or Tag Content

Before anything shows up in the search schema, SharePoint needs to crawl the content. This could be documents in a library, list items, or pages — ideally containing custom metadata columns.

Use Site Columns or Library Columns to ensure consistent metadata tagging across libraries. For example, add a “CustomerName” column of type Text to your document library.

Step 2: Wait for Crawling

SharePoint Online doesn’t offer manual crawling triggers like classic SharePoint on-prem. Crawling is automated and periodic. However, you can speed things up by modifying a few documents (e.g., editing properties) which signals the search crawler to re-index.

Step 3: Identify the Crawled Property

Once content is crawled, go to the Search Schema in the SharePoint Admin Center:

• Navigate to Microsoft 365 Admin Center > SharePoint Admin Center
• Click on More Features
• Choose Search > Manage Search Schema

Under Crawled Properties, search for a property like ows_CustomerName. That “ows_” prefix is typical for SharePoint custom fields.

Step 4: Create a Managed Property

If a suitable managed property doesn’t already exist, create a new one:

1. Go to the Managed Properties tab
2. Click New Managed Property
3. Assign it a name (e.g., CustomerName)
4. Configure key settings:
5. Map the new managed property to the relevant crawled property (ows_CustomerName)

After saving, it may take time before the new property is indexed and usable — typically up to 24 hours.

Best Practices for Optimizing Search with Managed Properties

Creating managed properties is just the start. Optimization requires thoughtful design and consistency. Here are several best practices to follow:

1. Use Naming Conventions

When creating managed properties, follow a clear naming standard. This makes it easier to reuse them across solutions and ensures clarity for future admins. For instance, prefix custom properties with mp_ (e.g., mp_CustomerRegion).

2. Reuse Before Creating New

SharePoint Online limits the number of custom managed properties (especially refinable ones). Check if a predefined managed property like RefinableString00 or RefinableDate00 can be reused and renamed with an alias.

This reuse helps you stay within quotas and maintain a clean schema.

3. Enable Only What You Need

Avoid turning on every possible option (Searchable, Sortable, Refinable, etc.) unless required. Each setting adds processing overhead. For example, only enable “Refinable” if you’re using the property in a filter.

4. Document Property Mappings

Maintain a simple documentation sheet listing each managed property, its mappings, and usage (e.g., used in vertical filters, page layouts, or query rules). This will make ongoing maintenance easier and reduce errors.

5. Test in Dev or a Controlled Environment

Before rolling out new managed properties into production, test them in a development or isolated site collection. This ensures your search queries and refiners behave as expected.

Use Cases: Bringing Managed Properties to Life

Let’s look at real-world examples of how managed properties can transform your SharePoint search experiences.

Case 1: Building a Project Hub

A PMO team wants to create a Project Hub that displays all projects marked as “Active” in a dashboard. By mapping the “ProjectStatus” column to a managed property, a web part can surface only relevant results using the query: ProjectStatus=Active

They can also use “RefinableString01” to allow users to filter by project type, enabling a highly tailored experience.

Case 2: Employee Directory Search

An HR department stores employee profiles in a SharePoint list with fields like Department, OfficeLocation, and Skills. Mapping these to refinable managed properties enables a search-driven directory where users can search and filter by multiple criteria — all powered by the underlying managed properties.

Case 3: Compliance and Document Discovery

Legal teams often need to find specific types of documents across SharePoint based on classification, author, or date ranges. Managed properties allow these metadata values to be queried and refined, enabling rapid, precise document discovery — crucial during audits or legal holds.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with Managed Properties

Even with the best setup, issues can arise. Here are common problems and tips to resolve them:

Issue: Managed Property Not Returning Results

• Check Property Mapping: Ensure the managed property is correctly mapped to the right crawled property.
• Wait for Reindexing: It can take time for the new property to become searchable.
• Verify Queryable and Searchable Flags: Make sure the property is both queryable and searchable if needed in keyword queries.

Issue: Refiners Not Appearing

• Confirm that the managed property is refinable and mapped to a refinable string/date/integer property like RefinableString00.
• Ensure it’s included in the search result source and that your web part is configured to show refiners.

Issue: Custom Column Not Crawled

• Check if the column is site-wide or library-specific. Site columns are more reliably picked up.
• Ensure that the column has content. Crawlers don’t index empty fields.
• Modify the column name slightly to trigger a new crawl.

The Future of Search and Schema Management

Microsoft continues to evolve the search experience in M365. With Microsoft Search and Copilot integration, the importance of metadata-driven discovery will only grow. Tools like Graph connectors, Microsoft Search verticals, and custom result types rely heavily on structured and accessible data — all of which depend on properly configured managed properties.

Moreover, while SharePoint’s legacy search schema management interface still works, expect future capabilities to shift toward graph-based, AI-enhanced metadata extraction, reducing some of the manual setup currently required.

Still, having control over your search schema gives you a competitive edge in delivering personalized, performant, and precise search solutions for your organization.

Summary

Managed properties are the hidden heroes of SharePoint Search optimization. They act as the foundation upon which intelligent search experiences are built. By understanding how to configure and manage them effectively, you unlock a new level of relevance and control in Microsoft 365 search.

As we continue through M365 Search Week, remember this: your search solution is only as good as the structure beneath it. And at the heart of that structure are your managed properties.