Applies to: Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2007-06-15

Use the Conditions tab to view or modify conditions for the dynamic distribution group. Only recipients that meet the conditions specified on this tab will be included in the dynamic distribution group.

Setting conditions for a dynamic distribution group involves two steps:

  1. Use the check boxes in the Select condition(s) list to specify the conditions that you want to configure. Each check box that you select adds a line item to the Edit the conditions(s) list. Each line item will have a pencil icon, identifying that a value needs to be specified.

  2. Use the Edit the condition(s) box to edit each line item and specify the values for each condition. After you specify a valid value for the condition, the pencil icon will disappear.

Important:
The State or Province, Department, and Company conditions are based on attributes that are applicable only to mailboxes, mail users, and mail contacts. These conditions do not apply to mail-enabled distribution groups. If you configure any of these conditions for a dynamic distribution group, you will in effect be excluding all mail-enabled distribution groups.

You can set the following conditions for the dynamic distribution group.

Note:
The conditions on this tab are the predefined conditions in the Exchange Management Console. If you want to specify conditions other than the ones available on this tab, you must use the Exchange Management Shell to create a custom query for the dynamic distribution group. Keep in mind that the filter and condition settings for dynamic distribution groups that have custom recipient filters can be managed only by using the Exchange Management Shell. To learn more about how to use the Exchange Management Shell to create a custom filter, see New-DynamicDistributionGroup (RTM) and Set-DynamicDistributionGroup (RTM).
Step 1: Select condition(s)
  • Use this section to select one or more conditions for your dynamic distribution group. If you do not want to set any conditions for the group, do not select any of the check boxes.

  • The Filter tab in this dynamic distribution group's properties allows you to specify the scope of recipients for this dynamic distribution group. Selecting conditions will further restrict the membership list of the dynamic distribution group to only those recipients within the scope that match the specific conditions.

  • You can select from the following conditions:

    • Recipient is in a State or Province   Select this check box if you want the dynamic distribution group to only include recipients from specific states or provinces. This information is contained on the Address and Phone tab in the recipient's properties.

    • Recipient is in a Department   Select this check box if you want the dynamic distribution group to include only recipients in specific departments. This information is contained on the Organization tab in the recipient's properties.

    • Recipient is in a Company   Select this check box if you want the dynamic distribution group to include only recipients in specific companies. This information is contained on the Organization tab in the recipient's properties.

    • Custom Attribute equals Value   There are 15 custom attributes for each recipient. There is a separate condition for each custom attribute. If you want the dynamic distribution group to include only recipients that have a specific value set for a specific custom attribute, select the check box that corresponds to that custom attribute.

Step 2: Edit the condition(s) (click an underlined value)
  • If you select any conditions in Step 1, each condition you select will append to the definition of the dynamic distribution group. For example, if you selected the Recipient is in a State or Province check box in Step 1, you will see in the specified State or Province(s) condition in Step 2.

  • For each condition, click the underlined term to create your condition. By default, the underlined term for new conditions will read specified. After you edit the condition, the underlined term will change to the value that you specified.

  • If you click an underlined value for the State or Province, Department, or Company conditions, a dialog box appears in which you can specify the values for the condition. To create values for the condition, use the following buttons in the dialog box.

    • Add   Enter a value in the text box and click Add. You can add more than one value, but you cannot enter duplicate values.

    • Edit   To modify an existing value, select it from the list, and then click Edit.

    • Remove icon   To remove an existing value, select it from the list and then click Remove icon.

  • If you click an underlined value for a custom attribute condition, a dialog box appears in which you can specify the value for the condition. You can specify a single value for each custom attribute. Type the value in the text box and click OK.

    Important:
    The values that you enter in these dialog boxes must exactly match those that appear in the recipient's properties. For example, if you enter Washington in the Specify State or Province dialog box, but the Address and Phone tab in the recipient's properties lists the state as WA, the condition will not be met.
Preview
  • Click this button to view the recipients that will be contained in the dynamic distribution group, based on the conditions that you specified.

Note:
If there is a condition that does not have any values specified, the Preview button will not be available. This will be the case if a condition is selected in Step 1, but no values were specified in Step 2.

For More Information

For more information about managing dynamic distribution groups, see Managing Distribution Groups.