How to Enable Full-Text Index on Sql Server 2008 Table

Question

Not sure what's happening with this, but here's my question. I have a Sql Server 2008 database that I need to be able to do full-text indexing/searching but when I try to setup my indices on the table, I get the following:

alt text http://docs.google.com/a/delorenzodesign.com/File?id=dgr4q2dh_25sq4dnxd9_b

I've tried running this stored procedure on my database and it's successful:

EXEC sp_fulltext_database @action = 'enable'

But I still get the above window and my full-text searches don't return any results when they should.

What am I missing?

Answer 1

I had a database that was migrated from a previous version of SQL Server to SQL Server 2008. It didn't have fulltext indexing enabled before the migration. In order to enable SQL Management Studio fulltext options, I had to issue the following commands:

use [your_database_name]

CREATE FULLTEXT CATALOG ftCatalog AS DEFAULT;
GO

EXEC [your_database_name].[dbo].[sp_fulltext_database] @action = 'enable'
GO

The first command creates the full text catalog. The second initializes fulltext indexing and tells Management Studio that fulltext is enabled on the specified database.

Answer 2

Thanks for the "kick in the pants" John. I had looked there, but as my wife says I "looked like a man". Second look turned up this page:

Administering Full-Text Search

And after reading the first bullet point (I've bolded the important stuff, for me at least)...

System management tasks such as managing the FDHOST Launcher service (MSSQLFDLauncher), restarting filter daemon host process if you change the service account credentials, configuring server-wide full-text properties , and backing up full-text catalogs...

Restarting the daemon, got me going. Man, that was easy. :D

Answer 3

Not sure if you have looked through the documenation but Microsofts content is quite thorough and you should quickly be able to locate instruction for exactly what you are looking for withou too much poking around.

Here is an excellent place to start your research:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms142571.aspx