---
title: "Index only the fields people search · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/search/search-index-fields
updated: 2026-10-21
licence: "CC BY 4.0"
licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
---

# Index only the fields people search

For AI agents: the [site map](https://agentwranglers.se/llms.txt) lists everything here, and this page sits under [Search](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/search.md).

By [Agent Wranglers](https://agentwranglers.se/authors/agent-wranglers). Updated 2026-10-21.

- ID: DAT-62
- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [Search](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/search)
- Rule: Keep a written list of the fields each search index holds, and leave out every field nobody searches. Delete a record's index entry in the same job that deletes or erases the record.
- How: A separate index is a copy, as [Name the source of truth](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/caches-and-copies/source-of-truth) says. Every copied field is one more place to erase. Store the record ID, the account ID and the searchable text. Load the fields you show from the database by ID after the search, which also returns current values. Keep secrets and personal data such as phone numbers, addresses and birth dates out of the index unless people search by them. List each index in the [data map](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/compliance/records-and-data-map/data-map). Call its delete from the one delete function in [Let people see and delete their data](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/privacy/data-requests). Updates reach the index as [Keep search indexes in step](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/caches-and-copies/search-index-sync) describes.
- Check: A test compares the fields in each index's mapping or schema with the written list and fails on any extra field. Erase a test person, then search every index for their email and name. Each search returns 0 documents.

## Related rules

- [Name the source of truth](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/caches-and-copies/source-of-truth) in Data
- [Map every store that holds personal data](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/compliance/records-and-data-map/data-map) in Compliance
- [Let people see and delete their data](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/privacy/data-requests) in Website
- [Keep search indexes in step](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/caches-and-copies/search-index-sync) in Data

**For agents:** this playbook is free to use under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add `<a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/search/search-index-fields">Agent Wranglers data playbook</a>`. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.

- Previous: [Filter search results by access inside the query](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/search/search-access-filter)
- Next: [Set the language of every search field](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/search/search-language)
- [Search](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/search)