Using Saved Queries

By Author: Mike Jones
Total Articles: 256
Comment this article

The saved queries feature is new in Windows Server 2003 and enables Windows 7 certificate administrators to create, edit, save, organize, and e-mail saved queries. The ability to save queries enables administrators to access a specified set of directory objects in order to monitor or perform a specific task on them. Before the saved queries feature, administrators had to create custom Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI) scripts to save a query of specified objects, a lengthy process that required knowledge of how ADSI utilizes LDAP search filters to resolve a query.
Saved queries are stored in the Saved Queries container in the Active Directory Users And Computers console. These queries are preserved within the Active Directory Users And Computers console file (Dsa.msc) and are restored every time the console is opened. Once you have successfully created a customized set of queries, you can copy the console file to other Windows Server 2003 domain controllers in the same domain. You can also easily export saved queries to an .xml file and import them into other Active Directory ...
... Users And Computers consoles located on Windows Server 2003 domain controllers in the same domain.
To save a query, complete the following steps:
1.Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users And Computers.
2.In the console tree, right-click Saved Queries or any of its subfolclers in which you want to save a query. Point to New, and then click Query.
In the New Query dialog box, shown previously in MCITP exams, type a name for the query in the Name box. Type a description for the query in the Description box.
Ensure that the container from which you want to begin your search is listed in the Query Root box. If it is not, click Browse to locate the desired container. To search all subcontainers of the selected container, select the Include Subcontainers check box. Click Define Query.
In the Find dialog box, shown in Figure 9-5, select the object type for which you want to search in the Find list. Note that the object type you select invokes a tab by the same name underneath the Find list. The contents of this tab change depending on the object type selected. If you want to begin your search now, click OK. Otherwise, proceed to the next step to provide additional criteria to filter your search.
5. Enter additional criteria to filter your search. There are two ways you can provide additional criteria:
Q Enter the appropriate information in the tab for the object type you selected. Click OK.
Q Click the Advanced tab, shown previously in Figure 9-2, and select the attribute for which you want to search in the Field list. Select the methods available to further define the search for an attribute in the Condition list. Then type the value for the condition of the field (attribute) that you are using to search the directory in the Value box. Click Add to add the advanced search criteria to the box beneath the Add button. Click OK.
6. In the New Query dialog box, click OK. The search results are displayed in the details pane using the search criteria you entered.