How do you create a full text index on a table so you can use full text search functions?

Beginner

Answer

You first create a full text catalog to organize your full text indexes, then create a full text index on the specific table and columns you want to search, which requires the table to already have a unique, single column index defined, typically its primary key.

CREATE FULLTEXT CATALOG ArticleCatalog;

CREATE FULLTEXT INDEX ON Articles(Content)
KEY INDEX PK_Articles
ON ArticleCatalog;

Real-world example A documentation website sets up a full text index on its articles table, enabling fast keyword searches across the entire body of every article stored in the system.

Common follow-ups: What requirement must a table meet before a full text index can be created on it?;How long does it typically take to build a full text index on a large table?

Indexes;Data Types & Schema Design

All 7 Full Text Search questions