Create Scopes in SharePoint 2010 using PowerShell

In this article we will be seeing how to create Scopes in a SharePoint 2010 Enterprise Search Service Application using PowerShell.
 

Automating the Scopes creation in SharePoint 2010
 

We can create Scopes in a SharePoint 2010 Enterprise Search Service Application from Central Administration.
 

Go to Central Administration => Application Management => Manage Service Applications => Enterprise Search Service Application.
 

On the Quick Launch Menu, go to Queries and Results then click on Scopes.
 

You should be able to see the Scopes. By clicking on New Scope link we can create a new Scope.
 

Another way is we can create the Search Scopes in SharePoint 2010 using SharePoint Object Model.
 

Here we will be seeing about automating the Scopes creation using a powershell script.
 

Steps Involved:

CreateScopes.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
 <Scopes>
   <SSAName>EnterPrise Search Service Application</SSAName>
   <Scope Name="Sample1" Description="Sample1 Scope" />
   <Scope Name="Sample2" Description="Sample2 Scope" />
   <Scope Name="Sample3" Description="Sample3 Scope" />
 </Scopes>
 

CreateScopes.ps1

#----------------Get the xml file---------------------------------------------------------------

 [xml]$xmlData=Get-Content "C:\Users\Desktop\ContentSources\CreateScopes.xml"

#----------------Create New Scope function---------------------------------------------

Function CreateNewScope()
 {    
  $ssa=Get-SPEnterPriseSearchServiceApplication -Identity $xmlData.SSAName
  $scopeCollection=Get-SPEnterpriseSearchQueryScope  -SearchApplication $ssa
  $xmlData.Scopes.Scope | ForEach-Object {
  $newScopeName=$_.Name 
  $newScopeDescription=$_.Description $scope=Get-SPEnterpriseSearchQueryScope -Identity $newScopeName -SearchApplication $ssa
  if($scope -eq $null)
              {
  write-host -f Magenta Creating scope $_.scope
 New-SPEnterpriseSearchQueryScope -Name

$newScopeName -Description $newScopeDescription -SearchApplication $ssa -DisplayInAdminUI $true
  write-host -f Green $newscope. Name is created successfully
              }
  else
              {
  write-host -f yellow $newScopeName scope already exists
  write-host -f yellow Deleting $newScopeName scope
 Remove-SPEnterpriseSearchQueryScope -Identity

$newScopeName -SearchApplication $ssa -confirm:0
  write-host -f green

$newScopeName scope is deleted successfully
  write-host -f Magenta Creating $newScopeName scope
 New-SPEnterpriseSearchQueryScope -Name

$newScopeName -Description  $newScopeDescription -SearchApplication $ssa -DisplayInAdminUI $true
  write-host -f green $newScopeName scope is successfully created
              } 
        }
 }
  #----------------Calling the function---------------------------------------------
 

CreateNewScope
 

Run the Script:

Output:

And in the Central Administration you could see the newly added Scopes as shown in the following