SUMMARY
When you install Exchange Server 2003, the Setup
program adds many new attributes to the Microsoft Active Directory directory services schema, including
custom attribute fields that you can use to add personal information about your
users that does not easily fit into the existing fields. Examples of custom
attribute fields include employee numbers, health insurance data, or social
security information. This step-by-step article describes how to add
information to custom attribute fields and how to search for data in these
fields.
back to the topRequirements
The following list outlines the recommended hardware, software,
network infrastructure, and service packs for you to perform the procedures in this article:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 3 (SP3)
or later
- Active Directory
- Exchange Server 2003
This article assumes that you are familiar with the following
topics:
- Exchange System Manager
- The Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in
back to the topPlan Custom Attributes
When you plan custom attributes, consider the following factors:
- Use custom attributes for information that is not already
included in the user's standard (non-Exchange 2003) Active Directory
attributes. Fields to enter an address, a telephone number, an e-mail address,
and a Web-site URL already exist.
- Add custom attributes only for information that is
necessary for the efficient operation of your organization. This procedure
provides a cost benefit that you can weigh against the expense of entering and
maintaining the information in the first place. For example, if you are
unlikely to search for employee preferences for vacation schedules, do not
add this attribute as a custom attribute.
- Custom attributes are not multiple-valued, and you can only
enter a single string of text. Therefore, custom attributes are unsuitable for
recording information such as lists of jobs held and their corresponding
dates.
- Custom attributes have a maximum length of 1024 characters.
If you enter more than 1024 characters, the additional characters are not
saved.
- Add fields for information that either rarely changes or that does not change at all -- for example, social security numbers. Information such
as monthly expense data or weekly travel mileage is not suitable
information to record in this format.
- Be careful not to record information in custom attributes
that may be considered discriminatory. Inform employees about the information
that is being stored about them. You can specify this information in their
terms and conditions of employment. Be aware of the data-protection
legislation for the country or countries where you operate, particularly if the
Exchange Server organization has a global scope.
back to the topAdd Values to the Custom Attribute Fields
To add values to the Custom Attribute fields, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and
then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
- Expand
Your_Exchange_Organization\Users.
- Double-click the user account that you want to add a custom
attribute to.
- Click the Exchange Advanced tab, and then
click Custom Attributes. A list of attributes is displayed.
These attributes are named extensionAttributex, where x is a value from 1 through
15.
Note If you upgraded from Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 to Exchange 2003, the
extensionAttribute10 attribute may be displayed with a value of
NTDSNoMatch. This value indicates that this mailbox should not be matched to a
corresponding Active Directory user account during the upgrade process.
- Double-click an attribute, type the value for the
information that you want to store, and then click OK.
- Click OK, click OK, and
then close Active Directory Users and Computers.
back to the topSearch for Information in Custom Attributes
To search for information in the custom attributes, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to
Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and
then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
- Right-click the domain or the organizational unit that you
want to search, and then click Find.
- Click the Advanced tab, and then click
Field.
- Click User, and then click Custom
Attribute x, where x matches the number of
the attribute that you used when you added data in step 4 of the "Add Values to the Custom Attribute Fields" section.
- In the Condition list, click one of the
following options, depending on the information that you are trying to find:
- Starts with
- Ends with
- Is(exactly)
- Is not
- Present
- Not present
If you click either Starts with,
Ends with, Is(exactly), or Is not
as your condition, type a value in the Value field.
For example, type rob to find words such as "Robinson," "Roberts," and "Robard."
- Click Add if you want to add more
conditions, but note that the applicable logic is "AND." This means that all conditions
must be true for a match to be displayed.
- Click Find Now. Matches are listed in the new list that is displayed at the bottom of the Find Users,
Contacts, and Groups dialog box.
- Double-click any entry in the list to edit that
entry.
- Close the Find Users, Contacts, and
Groups dialog box.
back to the topConfirm That You Configured Custom Attributes Correctly
To confirm that the search procedure works:
- Type a known value in the
extensionAttribute1 attribute for a number of users.
- Open the Find Users, Contacts, and Groups
dialog box, and then search for the exact value that you entered in the search
condition for Custom Attribute 1.
back to the topTroubleshooting
You cannot change the display names for the
extensionAttributex attribute in the user account properties,
nor can you change the
Custom Attribute X entry in the field list in the
Find Users, Contacts, and Groups dialog box. This problem
occurs because
extensionAttributex is the
LDAPDisplayName attribute for this object in Active Directory,
and
extensionAttributex is uniquely defined in the schema. If you use the ADSIEdit tool to change
the
LDAPDisplayName attribute, you will receive an error
message if you try to modify or view the list of custom attributes on a user
account.
Searches may not return hits for the following reasons:
- You entered data incorrectly in the custom attributes
fields.
- You spelled the search condition information incorrectly.
- You applied the wrong logic.
To confirm that a value exists in a custom attributes field, run
a search that has the search condition of "Present."
back to the top