Installing SXA SOLR Indexes quick tips

Just a few quick tips and trick I have picked up when installing Sitecore SXA 1.7 (update 1) 

The process goes like this: 

1. Install Sitecore 9 
2. Install Powershell Extensions (Apparently version 5 of the full package works fine but I tend to stick with recommended versions so went with 

4.7.2 for Sitecore 8/9

Full 4.7.2 release for Sitecore 8/9

Find it here: 

https://marketplace.sitecore.net/Modules/Sitecore_PowerShell_console.aspx

3. Install SXA 

Download: https://dev.sitecore.net/~/media/1FF242BE683E4DE989925F74B78978FC.ashx
Installation Instructions: https://dev.sitecore.net/~/media/C9C535C21F8A4455BCF1F7F6C7AB1D1D.ashx

4. Rebuild indexes
5. Rebuild Link Databases

Should all be done right? I mean the indexes are defined in 

\App_Config\Include\Z.Foundation.Overrides\Sitecore.XA.Foundation.Search.Solr.config

And are shown in the indexing manager: 

But there's a bit in the installation manual you should read closely:

Create SOLR SXA cores 

After installing SOLR and connecting it to your Sitecore instance, you may notice that a number of default Sitecore platform cores have been added. In SOLR a core is an instance of a Lucene index and contains the configurations for that index. Each index should have its own core, therefore for each custom index you wish to create for SXA, you must create a core.

 To create your SOLR SXA core: 
1. Duplicate core directory created for sitecore_master_index (or company_name_master_index) twice and rename to: 

• sitecore_sxa_master_index 
• sitecore_sxa_web_index

You then need to add the cores to SOLR through the Solr Admin page usually: https://localhost:8983/

All good so far - but there is two tricks you also need to do or else when you try and re-index these two new indexes, it will take a micros-second and nothing will happen:

• Restart the Solr service so it picks up the new indexes 
• 
  
• Restart IIS or your website 

You can then reindex properly and eveything will be hunky dory 

Also note missing these indexes will definitely cause errors later on. 

Lastly SXA 1.7 Update 1 supports custom indexes as described here:

https://doc.sitecore.net/sitecore_experience_accelerator/setting_up_and_configuring/configuring/configure_sxa_indexing