Troubleshooting Resource Explorer search issues

Use the information here to help you diagnose and fix common errors that can occur when you search for resources by using Resource Explorer.

Why are some resources missing from my Resource Explorer search results?

The following list provides reasons why some resources might not appear in your search results as expected:

Initial indexing isn't complete

After you initially turn on Resource Explorer in an AWS Region, it can take up to 36 hours for indexing and replication to the aggregator index to complete. Try your search again later.

The resource is new

It can take a few minutes for a new resource to be discovered by Resource Explorer and added to the local index. Try again in a few minutes.

Information about a new resource in one Region hasn’t yet been propagated to the aggregator index

It can take some time for details about a new resource discovered in one Region to be indexed in its own Region and then replicated to the aggregator index for the account. The new resource can appear in cross-Region search results only after replication is complete. Try your search again later.

The Region with the resource doesn't have Resource Explorer turned on

Your administrator determines which AWS Regions that Resource Explorer can operate in. The Settings page shows which Regions have Resource Explorer turned on and contain an index. If the Region with your resource is not turned on, ask your administrator to turn on Resource Explorer in that Region.

The resource exists in a different Region, and the searched Region doesn't contain the aggregator index

You can search for resources across all Regions in the account only by using a view in the Region that contains the aggregator index. Searches in any other Region return resources from only the Region in which you perform the search.

Filters on the view exclude that resource

Every view can include filters in the configuration that restrict which results can be included in search results made with that view. Ensure that the resource you're looking for matches the filters in the view that you're using to search. For more about filters, see Filters. For more information about views, see About Resource Explorer views.

The resource type is not supported by Resource Explorer

Some resource types aren't supported by Resource Explorer. For more information, see Resource types you can search for with Resource Explorer.

Indexes or views aren't configured in the console Region

If the indexes or views aren't configured in the Regions expected by the console consuming the widget, you will not see the results you expect. For more information, see Turning on cross-Region search by creating an aggregator index, and About Resource Explorer views.

Your views don't include tags

Tags are required by the Resource Explorer widget. If your views don't include tags, the resources won't be included in your results. For more information, see Adding tags to views.

Your search uses the wrong search query syntax

Search in Resource Explorer is unique to this service. Without the correct syntax, you won't find the resources you expect. For more information, see Search query syntax reference for Resource Explorer.

You have recently tagged your resources

After you tag a resource there’s a 30 second delay before the resource shows up in your search results.

The resource type doesn't support tag filters

If tag filters aren't supported by the resource type, they won't display in the Resource Explorer widget. Resource types that don't support tag filters are:

• cloudfront:cache-policy

• cloudfront:origin-access-identity

• cloudfront:function

• cloudfront:origin-request-policy

• cloudfront:realtime-log-config

• cloudfront:response-headers-policy

• cloudwatch:dashboard

• docdb:globalcluster

• elasticache:globalreplicationgroup

• iam:group

• lambda:code-signing-config

• lambda:event-source-mapping

• ssm:windowtarget

• ssm:windowtask

• rds:auto-backup

• rds:global-cluster

• s3:accesspoint

Why are my resources not appearing in unified search results in the console?

Unified search results are available in the search bar at the top of every AWS Management Console page. However, the search can return resources that match the query in search results only after the following configuration options are complete:

• There must be an aggregator index in one of the Regions in the account.

• There must be a default view in the Region that contains the aggregator index.

• All principals (IAM roles and users) must have permission to search using that default view.

Why do unified search in the console and Resource Explorer sometimes give different results?

Unified search results are available in the search bar at the top of every AWS Management Console page. When you use unified search, the unified search process automatically inserts a wildcard character (*) to the end of the first term that you type in the query string. That wildcard character isn't visible in the unified search box, but it does affect the results.

Important

Unified search automatically inserts a wildcard character (*) operator at the end of the first keyword in the string. This means that unified search results include resources that match any string that starts with the specified keyword.

The search performed by the Query text box on the Resource search page in the Resource Explorer console does not automatically append a wildcard character. You can insert a * manually after any term in the search string.

What permissions do I need to be able to search for resources?

To search, you must have permission to perform both of the following operations on a view that resides in the Region in which you call the operation:

• resource-explorer-2:GetView

• resource-explorer-2:Search

This can be done by adding a statement similar to the following example to a policy assigned to your IAM principal.

        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [ 
                "resource-explorer-2:GetView",
                "resource-explorer-2:Search"
            ],
            "Resource": "arn:aws:resource-explorer-2:us-east-1:123456789012:view/My-View-Name/1a2b3c4d-5d6e-7f8a-9b0c-abcd11111111"
        }

You can replace the Amazon Resource Number (ARN) of a specific view with an ARN that includes a wildcard (*) to grant permission to all matching views.

If you don't specify a view in your request, Resource Explorer automatically uses the default view for the Region in which you made the request. If you don't have permissions to use the default view, talk to your administrator.

Note

Even if you see a resource in the results of a Resource Explorer search query, you need permissions on the resource itself to be able to interact with that resource.