Searching Fails for a Modified Occurrence to a Recurrent Meeting

Symptoms

1. You modify an occurrence to a recurring meeting in Exchange 2010 or Exchange 2007, but a search for the modified occurrence fails.

2. Searching for the modified occurrence fails in online mode with Content Indexing enabled for Exchange 2010 or Exchange 2007. (Note that Content Indexing is enabled by default in Exchange 2010 and Exchange 2007.) The meeting Series is returned in search results, but the modified occurrence of the meeting is not in the search results.

3. Searching for the modified occurrence fails in online mode with Content Indexing disabled for Exchange 2010 or Exchange 2007. In this case, if content indexing is disabled, the search reverts to a direct search of the mailbox, or a search of the Exchange store, but neither the meeting series nor the modified occurrence of the meeting are in the search results.

4. Searching for the modified occurrence fails in cached mode in Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2007. Neither the meeting series nor the modified occurrence of the meeting are in the search results.

Cause

1. If you modify a Recurrent Meeting, it creates an exception which is saved as a hidden, embedded attachment of the master.

2. In online mode in Exchange 2010 and Exchange 2007, recurrence exceptions are indexed (specifically, the subjects are indexed). However, the returned results will only show the meeting series and there is no indication of the change for the occurrence.

3. In Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2007 cached mode with Windows Desktop Search (WDS) you cannot search for exceptions. This is because the indexer does not  know what to do with the file type. The attachment is of file type iMsg.

a. The following are not indexed by WDS:

1. Hidden attachments (including recurrence exceptions) are never indexed.
2. Messages with many many attachments (we'll cut indexing off at around 100 attachments)
3. Embedded messages in embedded messages in embedded messages… (we'll cut indexing off at around a depth of 10)
4. Compressed or password protected attachments.

b. Day/Week/Month view is the only view that renders exceptions to recurring appointments.

c. Since, Day/Week/Month view is not a very good way to render search results, exposing exception matches would require larger infrastructure changes which could not be a part of a design change and are not currently planned for future versions of Outlook.

Resolution

1. Use the Day/Week/Month view to render exceptions to recurring appointments.

Tammy Anthony, Senior Support Escalation Engineer, Enterprise Communications Services, Microsoft

Bob Want, Senior Support Escalation Engineer, Enterprise Communications Services, Microsoft