Latest Posts

“Search query failed” – Error during a query execution.

Posted on by RiShan IT Solutions

Troubleshooting “Search Query Failed” Error in SharePoint

When users attempt to search in SharePoint and receive the error “Search query failed”, it typically indicates a problem with the Search Service Application, Query Processing Component, Index Corruption, Crawl Failures, or Query Execution Permissions. This guide provides a detailed step-by-step approach to diagnose and resolve the issue.

Step 1: Identify the Exact Error Message

Before troubleshooting, determine the specific error details.

  1. Try performing a search on the SharePoint site.
  2. If you see an error like:
    • “Search has encountered a problem and cannot display results.”
    • “The query could not be completed because the search service is not available.”
    • “Your query is invalid or malformed.”
    • “The search request was unable to connect to the Search Service.”
  3. Copy the exact error message, as this will help in pinpointing the cause.

Step 2: Check ULS Logs for Detailed Errors

The Unified Logging System (ULS) logs provide additional details on search failures.

2.1: Retrieve Search Errors from ULS Logs

  1. Open SharePoint Management Shell as Administrator.
  2. Run the following command to filter search-related logs:
Get-SPLogEvent | Where-Object { $_.Category -eq "Search Query" } | Select-Object -First 20
  1. Check for critical errors related to search queries, such as:
    • “Query Component Not Available”
    • “Query Execution Timeout”
    • “Insufficient Permissions for Search Query Execution”

Step 3: Verify Search Service Application

If the Search Service Application is not running properly, queries may fail.

3.1: Check Search Service Application Status

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Click Manage Service Applications.
  3. Locate Search Service Application and ensure it is started.

If it is not started, restart the service using PowerShell:

Restart-Service -Name OSearch15 -Force

Step 4: Restart the Search Query Processing Component

The Query Processing Component is responsible for processing user queries.

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Go to Manage Service Applications > Search Service Application.
  3. Click Search Administration.
  4. Under Search Components, check the Query Processing Component.
    • If it is not running, restart it:
Restart-Service -Name SPSearchHostController -Force

Step 5: Verify the Search Index Health

A corrupted search index can cause queries to fail.

5.1: Reset the Search Index

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Go to Manage Service Applications > Search Service Application.
  3. Click Index Reset.
  4. Click Reset Now (⚠ This will delete the entire search index and require a full crawl).
  5. After resetting, perform a full crawl.

Step 6: Perform a Full Crawl to Rebuild the Index

If queries fail due to missing or outdated content in the index, a full crawl is needed.

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Navigate to Search Service Application > Content Sources.
  3. Click SharePoint Sites.
  4. Click Start Full Crawl.
  5. Monitor the Crawl Log for errors.

Step 7: Verify Search Query Permissions

The Crawl Account and Search Service Account must have proper permissions.

7.1: Check Crawl Account Permissions

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Go to Security > Configure Service Accounts.
  3. Locate the Crawl Account (e.g., DOMAIN\SP_Crawl).
  4. Ensure it has Read Access to:
    • Site Collections
    • Content Database
    • Search Administration Database

Grant read permissions using PowerShell:

$web = Get-SPWebApplication "http://YourSiteURL"
$web.GrantAccessToProcessIdentity("DOMAIN\SP_Crawl")

7.2: Verify Query Permissions in SQL Server

  1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
  2. Connect to the SharePoint Search Database.
  3. Grant SELECT and EXECUTE permissions to the Search Service Account:
GRANT SELECT, EXECUTE ON Search_Service_Application_DB TO [DOMAIN\SP_Query]

Step 8: Ensure Search Schema and Managed Properties Are Configured Correctly

Incorrect Managed Properties can cause search queries to fail.

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Go to Search Service Application > Search Schema.
  3. Check if the following Managed Properties exist:
    • Title
    • Content
    • Author
    • Modified Date
  4. If missing, create new property mappings.

Step 9: Check Server Resources (CPU, Memory, Disk Space)

A high server load or low disk space can cause query execution to fail.

  1. Open Task Manager and check:
    • CPU Usage (If over 90%, restart SharePoint Server).
    • Memory Usage (Ensure at least 4GB of free RAM for Search).
    • Disk Space (Ensure at least 20% free disk space on the drive hosting SharePoint).
  2. If resources are low, increase server capacity or restart services.

Step 10: Restart SharePoint Timer Job and IIS

Restarting key services can resolve query failures.

10.1: Restart SharePoint Timer Job

Restart-Service -Name SPTimerV4

10.2: Restart IIS

iisreset /noforce

Step 11: Verify Query Throttling Settings

Large queries may be throttled in SharePoint.

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Go to Manage Web Applications.
  3. Click General Settings > Resource Throttling.
  4. Increase the Query Execution Limit.

Step 12: Test Search Query Using PowerShell

Run a test query to see if search is functional.

$ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication
$query = New-Object Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Query.KeywordQuery($ssa)
$query.QueryText = "test"
$searchExecutor = New-Object Microsoft.Office.Server.Search.Query.SearchExecutor
$results = $searchExecutor.ExecuteQuery($query)
$results.Table
  • If this returns no results, the issue is with indexing.
  • If an error appears, check search logs.

Step 13: Recreate the Search Service Application (If Needed)

If search is completely broken, recreate the Search Service Application.

13.1: Delete the Existing Search Service Application

  1. Open Central Administration.
  2. Navigate to Manage Service Applications.
  3. Select Search Service Application and Delete it.

13.2: Create a New Search Service Application

  1. Open Central Administration > Manage Service Applications.
  2. Click New > Search Service Application.
  3. Provide:
    • Service Name (e.g., Search_Service_New).
    • Service Account (Select an existing or create a new one).
  4. Click OK, then perform a Full Crawl.

Step 14: Restart SharePoint Server

If the issue persists, restart the entire SharePoint server.

Restart-Computer -Force

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *