When working with ADExplorer 1.42, many administrators encounter challenges with LDAP filtering syntax, particularly when attempting to search for partial distinguishedName values. The "contains" operator doesn't behave as intuitively expected with DN attributes.

The search fails because:

• distinguishedName is stored as a special DNWithString format internally
• The "contains" operator performs exact component matching, not substring search
• CN= prefix needs special handling in LDAP filters

Here are three effective approaches:

Method 1: Using LDAP Filter Syntax

(distinguishedName=*CHJTEST*)

Note: This might be slow on large directories as it can't use index optimization.

Method 2: Alternative Attribute Search

(objectClass=*)(name=CHJTEST)

This searches the name attribute which is typically more search-friendly.

Method 3: PowerShell Alternative

Get-ADObject -Filter "distinguishedName -like '*CHJTEST*'" -SearchBase "OU=NlscanStaff,DC=domain,DC=com"

For production environments, consider:

• Using sAMAccountName instead of DN when possible
• Limiting search scope to specific OUs
• Creating custom indexed attributes if this is frequent operation

If you still get no results:

1. Verify you have proper read permissions
2. Check for typos in the DN format
3. Try searching without the CN= prefix

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When working with Microsoft's ADExplorer (v1.42), the default search functionality lists all objects within a container. However, filtering by distinguishedName requires special handling due to LDAP's hierarchical nature.

The search condition:

Attribute: distinguishedName
Relation: contains
Value: CN=CHJTEST

fails because distinguishedName is stored with full path information (e.g., "CN=CHJTEST,CN=NlscanStaff,DC=domain,DC=com"). The "contains" operator performs exact substring matching.

For precise object location, try these alternatives:

Method 1: Using LDAP Filter Syntax

(&(objectClass=*)(distinguishedName=*CN=CHJTEST*))

This wildcard pattern matches anywhere in the DN string.

Method 2: Search by Common Name

Attribute: cn
Relation: =
Value: CHJTEST

Simpler when you only need to match the CN portion.

Method 3: PowerShell Alternative

Get-ADObject -Filter "distinguishedName -like '*CN=CHJTEST*'"

For complex queries, consider:

• Using name instead of distinguishedName for partial matches
• Combining multiple filters with AND/OR logic
• Exporting results to CSV for further analysis

If searches still fail:

1. Verify your base DN is correct
2. Check for special characters that need escaping
3. Try searching parent containers