Delta query for users - too many unchanged results returned

Question

Delta query for users - too many unchanged results returned

Duarte Presa 0

I am using Microsoft Graph Delta Query to synchronize users from Entra ID into an external system.

My request URL is: https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users/delta?$select=displayName,employeeId,accountEnabled,givenName,surname,companyName,mail,businessPhones,mobilePhone,userPrincipalName,jobTitle,employeeType,officeLocation,city,country,preferredLanguage,streetAddress,postalCode,state,id,department,employeeOrgData,onPremisesDistinguishedName,manager

The issue I’m encountering is that:

The delta query often returns very large result sets, even when only a few changes have occurred.
Many pages include the exact same users repeatedly, even though no change has happened on these users since the last sync.

This results in continuous "updates" on my external system with minimal changes and a lot of processing time.

Can you please help me figure out what's wrong? Thanks.

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Answer 1

Akpesiri Ogbebor 2,530

Hello Duarte Presa

Thanks for contacting MS Q&A. I will be able to help you with resolving your issues.

Even if you're using $select=..., delta tokens can still be invalidated by changes to non-selected properties, especially:

Extension attributes (e.g., Azure AD Connect or custom schema extensions)
Internal directory updates that aren't visible through Graph

Why this occurs: Delta tokens are sometimes invalidated by backend metadata changes, resulting in full result sets instead of actual deltas.

Try reducing your $select to only critical attributes (exclude manager, employeeOrgData, etc.) for initial testing:

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users/delta?$select=displayName,mail,userPrincipalName,id

Then, gradually add more properties and monitor which ones cause noisy deltas.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Siri

Duarte Presa 0 Reputation points

2025-06-26T14:26:50.0566667+00:00

Thanks for the feedback Akpesiri,
I understand the logic of reducing the $select fields to isolate the source of the noisy delta, but unfortunately in my case, I do need to track changes for all the attributes listed in my current query.

I’ll run a test with a minimal $select to see if I can pinpoint which fields are triggering the fallback behavior — but for our actual implementation, I would still need a reliable way to include and track all required attributes without excessive noise.

would it make sense to use delta just to retrieve the IDs of users with actual changes, and then query /users (non-delta) for full details on only those users? Thanks!
Akpesiri Ogbebor 2,530 Reputation points

2025-06-26T22:02:46.8766667+00:00

Yes, your approach is logical. Use the delta query to obtain only user IDs with changes, then call /users/{id} with $select=... to retrieve full details for those users. This hybrid method:

• Minimizes unnecessary updates caused by Graph delta "noise"

• Enhances synchronization efficiency

• Enables safe inclusion of complex fields like manager and employeeOrgData

You can also batch the detail requests to stay within API limits.

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Delta query for users - too many unchanged results returned

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