Microsoft Graph API - Users Extension values missing

Question

Below extension columns are not available for all the users in Microsoft:

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_ProfitCenterCode,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_CostCenterCode,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_PersonnelNumber,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_CityName,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_StateProvinceCode,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_CountryShortCode,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_ZipCode,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_CompanyCode,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_ReportsToFullName,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_ReportsToEmailName,

extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_ReportsToPersonnelNbr

Answer 1

Hello @Khaja Shaik

Only extension properties that are filled in for a user are returned by the Microsoft Graph API. Make sure the values are present in the source directory or provisioning system and have successfully synchronized to Entra ID if some users are missing these extension properties.

Microsoft Graph can only return the values that are present on the user object because these are special extension attributes. I advise identifying the application/provisioning team in charge of populating these properties and confirming whether the values are there for the impacted users in Entra ID as you are simply using the data and are not sure which team owns the extensions. Graph will not be able to return the characteristics if they are not filled in.

Only the extension attributes found in the tenant directory are displayed by Microsoft Graph. The application, provisioning procedure, identity management team, or custom solution that initially established and populated the extension properties usually owns them. Regretfully, it is typically impossible to identify which internal team owns or oversees a certain extension attribute from the Graph API answer alone. To determine the responsible owner, I would advise consulting your Entra ID/Identity management team or looking into the application registrations that specify the extension properties.

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Answer 2

The listed extension_18e3..._* properties are directory extension attributes (schema extensions) backed by an application. Their behavior is different from built‑in user properties or the predefined onPremisesExtensionAttributes1–15.

From the provided information, only the following are guaranteed to exist on every user object by default:

• Standard user properties (for example, officeLocation)
• The predefined onPremisesExtensionAttributes collection (Exchange custom attributes 1–15), if used

Custom extension attributes like:

• extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_ProfitCenterCode
• extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_CostCenterCode
• extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_PersonnelNumber
• etc.

are only present on user objects where they have actually been written. If some users do not show these properties in Microsoft Graph responses, it means either:

1. The extension definition exists in the directory, but those specific users have never been updated to include values for those attributes; or
2. The provisioning or sync process that populates these attributes is scoped to only a subset of users.

To troubleshoot and validate:

1. Confirm the extension definitions exist in the tenant
   • Use directoryObject: getAvailableExtensionProperties or, as recommended, List extensionProperties (directory extensions) on the backing application to see all registered extension properties.
   • This confirms that attributes like extension_18e31482d3fb4a8ea958aa96b662f508_ProfitCenterCode are defined at directory level.
2. Check how the attributes are being populated
   • If using Microsoft Entra Application Provisioning, verify that the extension attributes are mapped and that the provisioning scope includes all affected users. The documentation notes that once schema extensions are created, they are discovered and can be mapped on the provisioning page; if they do not appear automatically, they may need to be added manually to the schema.
3. Verify values on individual users
   • Query specific users via Microsoft Graph (or Microsoft Graph PowerShell) and inspect their extension data. Only users that have been updated with those extension values will return the corresponding extension_18e3..._* properties.
4. Consider using built‑in onPremisesExtensionAttributes when appropriate
   • For attributes like personnel numbers, cost centers, etc., the predefined onPremisesExtensionAttributes1–15 may be used instead of custom schema extensions. These are exposed as onPremisesExtensionAttributes on the user object and can be retrieved with Microsoft Graph or Microsoft Graph PowerShell.

In summary, the fact that these extension_18e3..._* properties are missing for some users is expected if those users have not been provisioned or updated with values for those attributes. The extension properties themselves are global definitions, but they only appear on user objects where data has been written.

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References:

• Locate extension attributes for users
• Working with users in Microsoft Graph
• users
• Syncing extension attributes for Microsoft Entra Application Provisioning
• directoryObject: getAvailableExtensionProperties
• Add custom data to resources by using extensions