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Query Designer

The Query Designer enables you to create queries for Smart Groups, Dynasties and directory objects searches. These queries provide a quick and consistent way to retrieve a common set of directory objects on which you want to perform specific tasks. For example, you can construct a query to retrieve all users having mailboxes on a particular Exchange Server or you can build a query to retrieve all directory objects whose information is present in an external data source, such as Microsoft SQL Server.

If the administrator has defined a Query Designer access policy for your role, you can create queries as per the defined policy. A banner is displayed on the Query Designer dialog box indicating that the administrator has implemented a policy for your role. See the Query Designer Policy topic.

The query language depends on the identity store type.

  • An Active Directory based identity store supports an LDAP query.
  • A Microsoft Entra ID based identity store supports a device structured query language.

Launch the Query Designer​

You can launch the Query Designer dialog box for a Smart Group or a Dynasty or a search query in any of the following ways:

  • While creating a Smart Group or Dynasty - On the Smart Group/Query Designer page of the New Smart Group wizard or New Dynasty wizard, click Query Designer.
  • From group properties - On the Smart Group/Query Designer tab in Smart Group/Dynasty properties, click Query Designer.
  • When you upgrade a static group to a Smart Group or Dynasty.
  • From the Queries page - On the Advanced Search page, click the Or use the new query based search link. Then click Query Designer.

The Query Designer Interface​

The Query Designer dialog box provides a visual interface for designing queries, so that you do not have to write the commands. Its preview feature returns the results for the query before you commit them to the directory server.

The Query Designer dialog box groups similar query options by tabs. Settings that are not grouped in tabs are global; they apply to all tabs.

Common Settings and Buttons​

Find

Select an option to specify the type of object to include in the membership of the group.

  • Messaging System Recipients - Mail-enabled objects

  • Computers - Returns computers only

  • Custom - Returns all objects regardless of objectClass. Be sure to add an objectClass predicate on the Database tab to avoid unpredictable results.

    Be sure to combine an external data source with the directory to search directory objects on the Database tab to avoid unpredictable results.

  • Users, Contacts, and Groups - Any user, contact, or group, whether mail-enabled or not.

NOTE: The Computers and Contact object types are not supported in a Microsoft Entra ID identity store.

Start in

Click this button to select the containers to search in. The query would search for objects only in this container and its sub-containers to determine a group’s membership.

Preview

Enables you to preview the results returned with the criteria specified on all tabs of the Query Designer dialog box. This is a check to ensure the accuracy of data before changes are committed to the directory.

OK

Saves settings and closes the dialog box.

Cancel

Discards settings and closes the dialog box.

LDAP Query

View the provider query in the LDAP Query box.

Tabs​

The Query Designer has the following tabs:

NOTE: The Storage and Script tabs are not available for groups in a Microsoft Entra ID identity store.

See Also