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Server configuration: default full-text language

  • Article

Applies to: SQL Server

This article describes how to configure the default full-text language server configuration option in SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL. The default full-text language option specifies a default language value for full-text indexes. Linguistic analysis is performed on all data that is full-text indexed and is dependent on the language of the data. The default value of this option is the language of the server. For a localized version of SQL Server, SQL Server Setup sets the default full-text language option to the language of the server if an appropriate match exists. For a non-localized version of SQL Server, the default full-text language option is English.

Limitations

The value of the default full-text language option is used in a full-text index when no language is specified for a column through the LANGUAGE <language_term> option in the CREATE FULLTEXT INDEX or ALTER FULLTEXT INDEX statements. If the default full-text language isn't supported or the linguistic analysis package isn't available, the CREATE or ALTER operation fails and SQL Server returns an error message stating that the language specified isn't valid.

Recommendations

This option is an advanced option and should be changed only by an experienced database administrator or certified SQL Server professional.

The default full-text language option requires a locale identifier (LCID) value. For a list of supported LCIDs and their related languages, see sys.fulltext_languages. Other languages might also be available from independent software vendors, for example. If no specific language is found, the Full-Text Engine automatically switches to the primary language.

Permissions

Execute permissions on sp_configure with no parameters or with only the first parameter are granted to all users by default. To execute sp_configure with both parameters to change a configuration option or to run the RECONFIGURE statement, a user must be granted the ALTER SETTINGS server-level permission. The ALTER SETTINGS permission is implicitly held by the sysadmin and serveradmin fixed server roles.

Use SQL Server Management Studio

  1. In Object Explorer, right-click a server and select Properties.

  2. Select the Advanced node.

  3. Under Miscellaneous, use Default Full Text Language to specify a default language value for full-text indexed columns.

Use Transact-SQL

  1. Connect to the Database Engine.

  2. From the Standard bar, select New Query.

  3. Copy and paste the following example into the query window and select Execute. This example shows how to use sp_configure to set the value of the default full-text option to Dutch (1043).

    USE master;
GO

EXECUTE sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
GO

RECONFIGURE;
GO

EXECUTE sp_configure 'default full-text language', 1043;
GO

RECONFIGURE;
GO

EXECUTE sp_configure 'show advanced options', 0;
GO

RECONFIGURE;
GO

For more information, see Server configuration options.

Follow up: After you configure the default full-text language option

The setting takes effect immediately without restarting the server.

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