Before you start
Capture the current state, preserve recoverable data and record recent changes before remediation. Use production-impacting commands only within an approved maintenance or change window.
Check scheduler and service
Confirm Microsoft Entra Connect Sync Service is running and inspect scheduler state. Record the last successful synchronization.
Inspect connector errors
Review Synchronization Service Manager Operations and connector errors. Determine whether the issue affects one object or many.
Check filtering
Verify OU filtering, domain configuration and attribute-based filtering. A missing object may be intentionally outside synchronization scope.
Validate source AD
Check object attributes, permissions and Active Directory replication. Fix source-side errors before repeated sync attempts.
Run controlled synchronization
After remediation, run a delta synchronization and verify the object exports successfully. Use an initial sync only when a full synchronization is explicitly required.
Scheduler
Get-ADSyncSchedulerDelta sync
Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType DeltaService
Get-Service ADSync | Format-Table Status,StartType,DisplayNameTroubleshooting validation
- Confirm the original symptom is resolved.
- Verify dependent services and application health.
- Review logs or command output for secondary errors.
- Document the root cause and corrective action.
- Retain rollback evidence until the change is accepted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check first?
Capture the current state, exact error, affected scope and recent changes before making changes. Then test the failing layer from the lowest dependency upward.
How do I validate the fix?
Repeat the original failing operation, check dependent services and confirm the issue remains resolved after any required restart or service recovery.
Can this troubleshooting be automated?
Automate read-only diagnostics first. Add remediation only after commands, permissions, logging and rollback behavior have been validated.