Creating Query-Based Distribution Groups

 

To create a query-based distribution group, you must use the Exchange 2003 version of Exchange System Manager and Active Directory Users and Computers. You cannot create query-based distribution groups without upgrading your administration console.

Note

It is recommended that you upgrade all your administrative consoles to Exchange 2003 before you deploy query-based distribution groups in your environment.

When creating a query-based distribution group, Active Directory Users and Computers provides a way to format the LDAP query using standard attributes, without requiring specific knowledge of LDAP. For example, you can select all mailboxes under the organizational unit, or even customize the query to select all mailboxes under an organizational unit that exist on a particular server. For detailed instructions on creating a query-based distribution group, see How to Create a Query-Based Distribution Group.

After you create a query-based distribution group, you can make sure that your query works the way that you intended it to work by using the preview feature. This feature is useful not only for query validation, but also to determine how long it takes a query to run. Based on this time, you can decide whether to divide the query into smaller queries for better performance and faster delivery times. For detailed instructions, see How to Verify That a Query-Based Distribution Group Is Working Correctly.