Model filter criteria#

Overview#

Model filter criteria defines how users (for example, Microsoft Active Directory or MS Entra MSOL user) are matched to corresponding data in Automate to move users and related data to the correct system levels (Customer or Site) on import (in a sync or overbuild), based on one or attributes defined for the model type.

Note

Model filter criteria for LDAP sources is only compatible with Microsoft Active Directory (that is, Microsoft LDAP, not OpenLDAP).

Administrator users with access to the data/ModelFilterCriteria model can manage instances of this model so that these are available for selection in the Site Defaults Doc (SDD) of a site.

The SDD provides options to choose a predefined model filter criteria (depending on the user type). Options are:

  • MS 365 User Model Filter Criteria

  • Microsoft Active Directory (Microsoft LDAP) User Model Filter Criteria

  • CUCM User Model Filter Criteria

In addition, model filter criteria can also be executed directly, in other words outside of the import (sync or overbuild) process. By default, the administrator’s default access profile (for the Automate - Admin role) has the Permitted Operation called Execute enabled for model filter criteria. This allows for model filter criteria execution to match and move data from the source hierarchy to the specified target hierarchy.

Related topics

Create model filter criteria#

Pre-requisites:

  • To allow move to work using model filter criteria defined at the Site level, an admin user must enable the following on the Flow Through Provisioning tab in the Global Settings:

    • Enable Move & Flow Through Provisioning

    • Enable Move & Provisioning after Add Sync

Perform these steps:

  1. Identify the source and target model and field that will be used in the filter.

  2. Go to Model Filter Criteria.

  3. Click Add to add a new record, or clone an existing model filter criteria and update it to create a new model filter.

  4. Provide a Name, Description, and Usage for the filter.

    For Usage:

    • The model filter criteria with usage set to Move User is used to move the user.

    • Model filter criteria with usage set to Flow Through Provisioning is used to provision the user. The flow through provisioning usage does not move a user, and will run only if the user is at a site.

    • If set to Overbuild:

      • the Target Hierarchy drop down is shown, listing the available nodes below the current hierarchy. (For bulk load sheets, enter the full hierarchy path, starting from sys.)

      • the Automated Overbuild check box is available to enable so that only MFCs set to Automated Overbuild will then be executed.

  5. From the Type (model type) drop-down, select the source model, for example device/msgraph/MsolUser (MS Entra MSOL users) or device/ldap/user (Microsoft Active Directory users). For Microsoft Defender overbuild, select the relevant device model, for example device/msexchangeonline/QuarantineMessage - see: Microsoft Defender for Office security management and policies.

    Note

    The model type defines the available attributes you can use in the model filter criteria.

  6. Click the Plus sign (+) in the Criteria group to add one or more criteria.

    Each criteria is defined by the following:

Field

Description

Unary Operator

None, or NOT: to operate on the match Condition with the target value

Attribute

The field from the source model, for example City from device/msgraph/MsolUser.

Condition

Options are exact and non-exact types of contains and equals, as well as a regex search option.

Value

The target value that identifies the site in VOSS Automate. The value can also be a named macro, for example, {{ macro.OVERBUILD_SITE_CITY_NAME }}.

Conditional Operator

AND or OR: only needed and used to indicate the type of Boolean combination with the following criteria instance, if an additional instance is added.

  1. Save the model filter criteria.

    You will be able to choose this new model filter criteria in the site’s SDD, and it will be, for example, applied in the Microsoft overbuild if Include Site for Overbuild and Microsoft Users is enabled.

    When running the overbuild, the system loops through the site defaults to identify sites with Include Site for Overbuild enabled, and moves related user data to the site based on the chosen model filter criteria rule.

    In this example, all device/msgraph/MsolUser instances synced in will be moved to the site matching {{ macro.OVERBUILD_SITE_CITY_NAME }} if their City value matches.

  2. If required, use the Execute button to run the model filter criteria in order to move matched data.

Microsoft Entra ID groups in model filter criteria#

For model filter criteria of Type device/msgraph/MsolUser, the Attribute called Groups.displayName can be used to create a filter for syncing in and automatically onboarding - move and provision users - based on their Microsoft Entra ID group membership.

Important

Consider the following when creating filters using Groups.displayName:

  • The Value of the Groups.displayName attribute should be an exact case-sensitive match of the Microsoft Entra ID group name.

    For example, a Value of Northwood will match Northwood, but will not match northwood, Northwoodly, WestNorthwood or Westnorthwood.

  • The Condition should be Equals Exactly.

  • Multiple conditions using the Groups.displayName attribute are supported, but require the use of AND as the Conditional Operator. All conditions in the filter should therefore be true for the filter to apply; in other words, the user needs to belong to all the groups matching the Value field.

    Note

    • If a single matching filter condition is added whereas a user belongs to more than one Microsoft Entra ID group, the user is matched if the filter matches.

    • If an OR conditional operator is used, this will be interpreted as an AND operator.

  • The Groups.displayName attribute cannot be combined with other attributes in a filter: other attributes will be ignored.

  • Verify that these caveats are taken into consideration, since model filter criteria can be saved in the system without their consideration.

Additional available model filter criteria for device/msgraph/MsolUser#

From release 25.1 onwards, the model filter criteria of Type device/msgraph/MsolUser offers additional Attribute values:

City
CompanyName
Country
Department
EmployeeType
extensionAttribute1
extensionAttribute10
extensionAttribute11
extensionAttribute12
extensionAttribute13
extensionAttribute14
extensionAttribute15
extensionAttribute2
extensionAttribute3
extensionAttribute4
extensionAttribute5
extensionAttribute6
extensionAttribute7
extensionAttribute8
extensionAttribute9
IsLicensed
Licenses.SkuId
Office
UserPrincipalName
UserType

The use of these attributes in model instance filters allow for the optimization of sync performance and timing, as well as additional filtering functionality in the list view of device/msgraph/MsolUser.

Note

By default, model filter criteria with attribute UserType and value Member is automatically applied to filter the device/msgraph/MsolUser model sync into Automate from the Microsoft tenant. The default filter then allows only import of real users; that is, members only, and not external/guest accounts (where UserType is Guest). While the default filter syncs is only Member user types, you can adjust the model filter criteria to sync in Guest user types from the tenant, if required.

Automatic filtering on member users ships with Automate 25.1. Post-upgrade syncs on existing tenants where external/guest users have previously been synced in won’t trigger workflow changes and updates to the existing users.

Microsoft Defender criteria for overbuild#

If Microsoft Defender for Office is enabled as a service in global settings, additional model filter criteria are added to allow for the move of MS Defender policies, incidents and alerts.

See:

Related Topics