Express with Advanced Services, can't create Full Text Index - full-text-search

Question

I have installed SQL Server 2012 Express Edition Advanced Services which states that it includes Full-text indexing. Here is a link that states this:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc645993.aspx
I have confirmed that Full-text service is running, however when I try to create a full-text catalog, it fails. I get the message "Full-text is not supported on this edition of SQL Server. (Microsoft.SqlServer.Smo)"
Anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

You can't do this through the wizard, because there are a couple of bugs. Even if I chose not to track changes and not to populate the index when it was finished, I still got an error about SQL Agent:
Cannot load 'Select or Create Population Schedules' Full-Text Wizard
form. SQL Server Agent is not supported on this edition of SQL Server.
(Microsoft.SqlServer.Smo)
In spite of the error, I was able to proceed, but at a further step I finally did receive the error you did. However I had no problem doing the following in DDL:
CREATE TABLE dbo.x
(
x NVARCHAR(255) NOT NULL CONSTRAINT uq_x UNIQUE(x)
);
GO
CREATE FULLTEXT CATALOG x_catalog;
GO
CREATE FULLTEXT INDEX
ON dbo.x(x LANGUAGE 1033)
KEY INDEX uq_x ON x_catalog;
GO
This shows that Express certainly does support Full-Text, it's just the UI that is a little confused. I suspect it doesn't know how to tell which version of Express you actually have running.
So in the short term I would recommend using DDL instead of the UI. In fact, since the UI only seems to trip on creating the catalog, you can use the UI to create the indexes if you first create the catalog via DDL...
CREATE FULLTEXT CATALOG x_catalog;
...and then pick that catalog when stepping through the wizard, instead of creating a new one. Of course you'll also have to ignore the exception regarding SQL Server Agent, but it does not stop the wizard, you can just click OK and ignore it.
I've filed a Connect item against Management Studio, please vote for it and hopefully this will be corrected:
Management Studio does not fully manage Full-Text in SQL Server Express
I don't know if that item has been addressed or if it made it over to the new feedback system. I started to search for it but good luck.