Short answer:
Use OData filters to precisely control which users are imported from Entra ID (Azure AD) based on supported Microsoft Graph properties such as department, country, or job title.
Using OData filters is a flexible and powerful way to query Entra ID (Azure AD) users, especially in larger organizations where precise targeting is essential.
Microsoft Graph API Supported Filters
The following user properties support OData filters when querying via the Microsoft Graph API:
| Property Name | Type |
|---|---|
| accountEnabled | Boolean |
| city | String |
| country | String |
| department | String |
| displayName | String |
| givenName | String |
| jobTitle | String |
| String | |
| mailNickname | String |
| onPremisesImmutableId | String |
| proxyAddresses | String collection |
| state | String |
| surname | String |
| usageLocation | String |
| userPrincipalName | String |
| userType | String |
For the complete list of filterable properties, visit Microsoft documentation and search for "Supports $filter": Microsoft Graph: User Properties
Supported Logical Operators
Use the following operators when building OData filters:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| eq | Equals | city eq 'Atlanta' |
| and | Logical AND | city eq 'Atlanta' and country eq 'USA' |
| or | Logical OR | city eq 'Atlanta' or city eq 'London' |
| startswith | Starts With | startswith(mail, 'administrator@') |
Note: The following operators are not supported in Microsoft Graph for Entra ID filtering: ne, gt, ge, lt, le, not, and contains. See Microsoft reference.
OData Filter Examples
Users from a specific country:
country eq 'United Kingdom'Users from multiple countries:
country eq 'New Zealand' or country eq 'Australia' or country eq 'NZ' or country eq 'AU'Enabled users from selected departments or cities:
accountEnabled eq true and (department eq 'Marketing' or department eq 'HR' or department eq 'IT Support' or city eq 'Atlanta' or city eq 'New York')Technology department with specific job titles:
accountEnabled eq true and department eq 'Technology' and (startswith(jobTitle,'IT') or startswith(jobTitle,'Technology'))Users located in London or New York:
city eq 'London' or city eq 'New York'All enabled users:
accountEnabled eq true
Tips for using OData filters
- Match values exactly as they appear in Entra ID (case and spacing matter).
- Use parentheses
()to group conditions clearly. - Start simple and expand your filter step by step.
- Test your filter before applying it to production.
