When looking up the user in Azure AD, returns a Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Server Exception saying user could not be found for an Active AAD user.

Question

I am trying to validate a user using ClientContext.Web.EnsureUser(EmailID). It is unable to retrieve the user details in the first attempt for some users but fetches the details in the second attempt. Please help me with this, why is it happening for some users in 2 attempts.

I tried with at least 100 new users, and a few of them are not getting added in first attempt saying user could not be found although it is an active user in AAD. This should not have happened.

I am using the below code snippet:

ClientContext ctx=new ClientContext(url)

var user=ctx.Web.EnsureUser(EmailID);

ctx.Load(user);

ctx.ExecuteQuery();

The variable user does not have fields like LoginName initialized for the first time.

But when we rerun the code again for the same user, the variable user has fields like LoginName and ID initialized. Although the user is active, why is the user not getting processed in the first try.

Answer 1

Hi @PAYAL GUPTA,

Ensure user method in SharePoint Online checks if the given user account is valid and then adds the user object to the “User Information List”. And when you grant permission to an Active Directory group, the group will be added to the user information list but users in the group will not be added until they access the site collection.

These users will not exist in the User Information List before you excute ensure user method. As aworkaround we can grant permission to users instead of groups then they will be added to user information list without login.

References:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/3bf1d0f4-4b6e-449b-ab28-8e69ec26cccd/how-to-add-users-automatically-to-users-information-list-in-sharepoint-2013-without-manual-work?forum=sharepointadmin
https://sharepointdiv.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/user-information-list-in-sharepoint-all-details/

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