Working full-text database suddenly started returning zero rows

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Donnie Hale - 27 Sep 2005 16:18 GMT

I've had a FT-indexed database working for a month or so - have had no
problems with it. This is SQL Server 2000, SP3a. There are 50,000 rows in
the table in question, and new rows are not being added, nor are the
existing rows changing - they've been static since they were originally
inserted and indexed. I can enter any number of known-good queries which
should return rows.

For unknown reasons, these queries started returning zero rows today. There
are no errors in the event log, and the queries themselves do not return an
error - just no rows. I rebooted the server, which didn't help. I ultimately
had to reconfigure the database for FTS, and re-catalog and re-index the
table in question. It seems to be working OK now.

However, this concerns me. The 50,000 rows is a sample set and is fairly
quick to reindex. The full data size will be 4+ million rows and will take
many hours to index. If this happens again at a critical time, it will bring
our operation completely down.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Donnie

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John Kane - 28 Sep 2005 04:41 GMT

Donnie,
Has anyone changed the MSSQLServer startup account &/or password via Win2K's
component service? If so, then that may explain part of this issue. See KB
article 277549 PRB: Unable to Build Full-Text Catalog After You Modify
MSSQLServer Logon Account Through [NT4.0) Control Panel [or Win2K Component
Services] at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;277549
or 317746 "PRB: SQL Server Full-Text Search Does Not Populate Catalogs" at
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;317746

You may also want to review your server's Application and System event logs,
the latter for low disk space on the drives where the FT Catalogs exist.
Review your servers Application event log for "Microsoft Search" or MssCi
source events (especially MssCi) for indications why the queries started
return zero rows.

Do you normally run scheduled Incremental Populations or do you have "Change
tracking" with "update index in background" enabled?

For the future, you may want to setup a secondary server and run your Full
Populations on that server as a backup and when the failure occurs again,
you can copy over the FT Catalog files, and you should be good to go! See KB
article 240867 "INF: How to Move, Copy, and Backup Full-Text Catalog Folders
and Files" at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;240867
for more info.

further info at: SQL Server 2000 Full-Text Search Resources and Links
http://spaces.msn.com/members/jtkane/Blog/cns!1pWDBCiDX1uvH5ATJmNCVLPQ!305.entry

Regards,
John

Signature

SQL Full Text Search Blog
http://spaces.msn.com/members/jtkane/

> I've had a FT-indexed database working for a month or so - have had no
> problems with it. This is SQL Server 2000, SP3a. There are 50,000 rows in
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> Donnie

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Donnie Hale - 29 Sep 2005 04:30 GMT

Nothing has changed to my knowledge. I have full control of the server and
am the only one who logs onto it. The event logs had nothing in them - the
disk has 60+GB free. I don't have change tracking or scheduled incremental
catalog updates turned on, as the data is completely static.

I do appreciate the reply, but I'm still befuddled (and frankly a little
concerned) about that behavior.

Donnie

> Donnie,
> Has anyone changed the MSSQLServer startup account &/or password via
[quoted text clipped - 51 lines]
>>
>> Donnie

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