Search & Oak Indexes
Reliable, fast AEM search — from query design to index tuning
Oak query performance is one of the most frequently overlooked aspects of AEM development — until it isn't. Slow queries degrade author experience, cause replication queue backlogs, and can escalate to full repository traversal under load. On AEMaaCS, unresolved index issues block pipeline deployments. Getting indexing right requires understanding both the Oak query engine and the index definitions that tell it where to look.
Coverage
What this covers
Oak Query Design
Writing efficient JCR-SQL2 and XPath queries — including property restrictions, path restrictions, and ordering constraints that can be index-backed.
Lucene Index Definitions
Designing custom Oak Lucene index definitions — which properties to index, included paths, aggregates, and full-text vs. property search trade-offs.
Index Converter for AEMaaCS
Converting AEM 6.5-era Lucene index definitions to the cloud-compatible format required for AEM as a Cloud Service deployments.
Query Debugging & Optimisation
Using the Oak Query Debugger, error.log analysis, and Explain Query to identify slow queries and add or tune indexes to resolve them.
Elasticsearch Integration (AEMaaCS)
AEM Cloud Service uses Elasticsearch for full-text search. Understanding how it differs from the local Lucene model and how to index for it.
Search Architecture
Designing AEM search experiences — OOTB search, custom search components, and when to introduce external search platforms (Solr, Elasticsearch, Algolia).
Differentiators
Why work with me
Diagnostic-first approach
Indexing problems are symptoms. I start with diagnosis — reading logs, running explain queries, and identifying root cause — before recommending changes.
AEMaaCS compatibility awareness
The index definition format changed between AEM 6.5 and AEMaaCS. I have worked with Index Converter and understand the constraints the cloud model imposes.
Author experience focus
Slow Oak queries primarily hurt authors first. I treat author experience as a first-class outcome — not just delivery performance.
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