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There are different Schema in main site than subsite

Charlie Martharper 465 Reputation points
2026-04-14T09:59:00.2+00:00

Hi

I am working with different Nbs search in sharepoint that shows results with columns in refinable strings.

The thing is in main site, they get the right refinable string but in the subsite it doesn't show all even they are already prepared.

Why is this happening ? Should I do something apart to be able to get those in that subsite?

Subsite (not working). Not all refinable strings at appearing and it doesn't show even the ones that are in the schema.

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Main site (working)

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Schema:

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Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint Server | Development
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Answer accepted by question author

Gabriel-N 17,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-04-14T12:58:02.9333333+00:00

Hi Charlie Martharper

Before we begin troubleshooting, could you please confirm whether your main site and the subsite are located under the same Site Collection, or if the subsite belongs to a different Site Collection?

If the subsite belongs to a different Site Collection, or if the RefinableString mappings were only created at the Site Collection level on the main site, then the subsite may see a different (or incomplete) list of refinable managed properties.

Even in cases where both the main site and subsite are within the same Site Collection, please note that changes made to the Search Schema may still require:

  • Some propagation time, and
  • Re-crawling / re-indexing of the affected lists or libraries

To ensure consistency across sites, you may also want to verify the mappings at the Tenant (or Search Service Application) level:

  • Go to Manage Search Schema
  • Locate the RefinableStringXX properties that are working on the main site
  • Confirm that they are mapped to the correct crawled properties

This helps make those managed properties available across all subsites and site collections.

After that, please re-index the affected libraries in the subsite so that the next crawl can pick up the updated schema mappings.

I'm currently attempting to test this behavior on my side as well, but I'm encountering an issue with my server environment. In the meantime, could you please try the steps above and let me know the outcome?

If the issue still persists after that, feel free to share an update here so we can continue investigating further.

Update April 22nd:

The different Search Schema behavior between the main site and the subsite has been resolved. However, an issue remains with the NBS Search web part, where the RefinableStrings are not appearing correctly.

Below are the steps that helped resolve the issue:

After adding a RefinableString mapped to a column in the NBS search, the column data may not appear initially. The key point is in the “Selected properties” section (page 2 of the search results web part settings). It is necessary to deselect any unused properties. Because there is a limit to how many properties can be selected and returned, keeping unnecessary properties selected may prevent newly added properties from appearing.

Once space is freed, select the RefinableString property again.

If the checkmark icon does not appear after selecting the new property, this is not a concern. As long as the data is displayed correctly, the checkmark itself is not critical. Deselecting and reselecting the RefinableString property can be repeated until the data becomes visible.

Also note: If some RefinableString mappings were deleted previously, the changes may not immediately reflect in the search results. In some cases, creating a new RefinableString mapping and configuring it again can resolve the issue, as the new mapping is picked up correctly by the search index.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-14T09:59:32.3533333+00:00

    Refinable managed properties such as RefinableString### are defined in the search schema, and that schema can differ between the tenant, a site collection, and subsites.

    What is happening

    1. The search schema is applied per scope (tenant or site collection).
    2. A subsite uses the search schema of its site collection, not the root site where the query web part is configured.
    3. If the refinable strings were configured only at a different scope (for example, at tenant level or in another site collection), they will not appear as available managed properties when configuring the search web part in a subsite whose site collection schema does not include those mappings.
    4. Changes to managed properties only take effect after the affected content has been re‑crawled.

    How to fix it

    1. Ensure the refinable managed properties are configured at the correct level:
      • Prefer configuring mappings for built‑in refinable properties (for example, RefinableString00–RefinableString219) at the tenant search schema so they are consistent across all site collections and subsites.
      • If they were created only in one site collection’s schema, replicate the same mappings in the site collection that contains the subsite.
    2. Verify the mappings:
      • In the Search Schema page, confirm that the refinable properties used in the main site (for example, RefinableString102, RefinableString103, RefinableString104) are mapped to the same crawled properties in the site collection where the subsite resides.
    3. Re‑index the affected lists or libraries:
      • After changing or adding managed property mappings, request re‑indexing of the lists/libraries that use those columns so the new mappings are written to the index for that subsite’s content.
      • Re‑indexing is done from List/Library Settings → Advanced settings → Reindex List or Reindex Document Library. The content is re‑indexed on the next scheduled crawl.
    4. Allow time for schema propagation and crawling:
      • Search schema updates are propagated through the search system periodically, and the refiners will only show correctly after both schema propagation and re‑crawl have completed.

    By defining the refinable properties at tenant level (or consistently in the relevant site collection) and re‑indexing the subsite’s content, the same refinable strings that work on the main site will become available and functional on the subsite.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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