Using Powershell Graph Search Query

The Microsoft Graph PowerShell -Search parameter allows Microsoft 365 administrators to filter and search through various resources like M365 users, groups, or devices. Microsoft Graph is an API that provides access to data in various Microsoft services like Azure, Office 365 or Microsoft 365, and more.

When using PowerShell to interact with Microsoft Graph, the -Search parameter can be applied in cmdlets to perform operations such as retrieving and updating resources based on specific conditions.


Basic Syntax

When using the -Search parameter, you are essentially constructing a query that filters resources based on specified criteria. The syntax and capabilities of the -Search parameter can vary depending on the specific cmdlet and the type of resource you are dealing with.

Here's the basic syntax for using -Search:   Get-<Resource> -Search "<Query>"

where <Resource> is the type of resource you want to query (like User, Group, etc.), and <Query> is your search criteria.


Searching for Users

If you want to find users whose names contain "Smith", you might use a cmdlet like this. This command uses the Get-MgUser cmdlet along with the search query that searches for users in Microsoft Graph whose display name contains "Smith".

Note: -Search parameter requires adding -ConsistencyLevel "eventual", it's due to how Microsoft Graph handles data consistency and indexing for search queries.



Searching for Users Using AND Operator

You can also combine multiple search terms in the search query using the AND operator. For example, if you want to find a user whose name is "Teddy Smith" who works in the "HR" department, you can construct your search query as follows:

This query returns user "Teddy Smith" who works in the "HR" department.


Searching for Users Using OR Operator

You can also combine multiple search terms in the search query using the OR operator. For example, if you want to find a user whose name is "Teddy Smith" or just all the users in the "HR" department, you can construct your search query as follows:

This query returns user "Teddy Smith" (because the user exists) and also all those users who work in the "HR" department.



Searching for User Email Messages

The Get-MgUserMessage cmdlet that is a part of Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK allows you to query email messages based on certain properties. But before you can access user email messages, you need the appropriate permissions. Typically, you will require one of the following permissions: Mail.Read, Mail.ReadBasic or Mail.ReadWrite. These permissions must be granted at either the delegated or application level, depending on your setup.

To search for email messages in a user's mailbox, you can use a query filter on properties like subject, sender, or body. Here's an example of how to search for emails that contain specific words in the subject for a particular user:



Tips for Using Search Query


  • Precision in Search: The OR operator expands the scope of your search, which can be very powerful but may also return more results than expected. Be precise with your search terms to manage the volume and relevance of the data returned.
  • Performance Considerations: Using complex queries or broad searches like those with the OR operator can impact performance, especially in environments with a large number of resources. Optimize your queries where possible and consider paging through results if dealing with large datasets.
  • Permissions: Ensure that you have appropriate permissions configured in Microsoft Graph to perform searches on user attributes. Lack of permissions might result in errors or incomplete data.

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