Troubles with SharePoint search
Our SharePoint portal server (SPS 2003) has a corrupted search index. As a result I have learned a lot about the SharePoint search database in a very short time.
First up, even though SharePoint itself is managed in a SQL server database, the search database is not SQL. It is what is known as an Extensible Storage Engine, or JET Blue database engine. To quote Wikipedia:
The Extensible Storage Engine (ESE), also known as JET Blue, is an Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM) data storage technology from Microsoft. ESE is notably a core of Microsoft Exchange Server and Active Directory. Its purpose is to allow applications to store and retrieve data via indexed and sequential access. Windows Mail and Desktop Search in Windows Vista operating system also make use of ESE to store indexes and property information respectively.
Wikipedia, Extensible Storage Engine
(fyi. There is also a Jet Red database engine. This is the database Microsoft Access uses.)
The database itself is stored on under the c:\program files\sharepoint portal server\data directory on the computer that runs SharePoint.
At work we have around ten SQL experts, and probably another 20 people who are really comfortable with it. But finding someone who knows about JET Blue is another thing altogether.
The corruption of the search database has somehow spread to SharePoint itself, so that we can’t even delete the it from SharePoint. Right now all I want to do is get rid of the whole search database and start again.
The most frustrating thing is that Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) search still works perfectly.
[nb. We are running an SPS 2003 site, I don’t know if they are using the same type of database for MOSS 2007.]
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