Azure AD Delta synchronization: Missing objects and known limitations (4382456)

In Azure AD (Entra ID) synchronization, some objects (for example users or groups) do not appear during delta synchronization.

Customers may observe the following behavior:

• New users or groups are not synchronized during delta sync
• Some changes (for example manager attribute) are missing or inconsistent
• The missing objects only appear after a full synchronization

This can happen even if delta synchronization runs successfully without errors.

Azure AD delta synchronization is based on Microsoft Graph and uses a delta token to track changes.

This has some known limitations:

• Delta sync only processes changes for objects that are already known in the database
• If an object is missed during a delta cycle, it may not appear in later delta runs
• Changes that happen during synchronization may not be included in the current or next delta cycle
• Microsoft Graph delta queries do not guarantee that all changes are returned

This behavior is expected and is not specific to One Identity Manager

For consistent/best results, the following best practices are recommended:

1. Use a combination of delta synchronization and regular full synchronization
   • Run delta sync frequently
   • Schedule periodic full sync (for example daily or weekly)
2. Avoid overlapping synchronization runs
   • One sync should be completed before the next starts
3. Reduce synchronization scope if possible
   • For example: separate users and groups into different sync projects
4. Monitor synchronization results regularly

A full synchronization is required to recover objects that were missed during delta synchronization