Microsoft Entra ID
Standards

Inbound Provisioning Api Concepts

In brief

The documentation now describes clearing mapped target attributes when inbound provisioning payloads contain null or empty values. It also recommends complete user records for full and delta sync when this preview capability is enabled.

What Entra admins need to know

Administrators can keep target data aligned when source attributes are removed; review the new configuration guidance before enabling it.

This editorial summary was generated by AI from the documentation changes. Verify important details in the full Microsoft Learn article.

Documentation change

The comparison below shows only the changed extract. Use the full-page view for complete context.

  • Available as a provisioning app that exposes an asynchronous Microsoft Graph provisioning /bulkUpload API endpoint accessed using valid OAuth token.
  • Tenant admins must grant API clients interacting with this provisioning app the Graph permissions SynchronizationData-User.Upload, SynchronizationData-User.Upload.OwnedBy (for ISVs), and ProvisioningLog.Read.All.
  • The Graph API endpoint accepts valid bulk request payloads using SCIM schema constructs.
  • With SCIM schema extensions, you can send any attribute in the bulk request payload.
  • You can configure provisioning to clear attribute values (Preview) when the request payload includes null or empty values.
  • Include a complete user record in every bulk request, for both full and delta sync. When clear attribute values (Preview) is enabled, null or empty values for mapped attributes will clear the corresponding values in the target system. The clearing can also happen if you omit an attribute for which null flow is enabled. An incomplete payload might therefore unintentionally clear existing attribute values. Use an explicit JSON null or empty string to perform deterministic clearing.
  • The /bulkUpload API endpoint enforces the following throttling limits:
    • There is a limit of 40 API calls within any 5-second window. If this threshold is exceeded, the service returns an HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) response. To avoid throttling, implement pacing logic in the client to space out requests - such as adding delays or rate-limit handling between submissions.
    • There is a tenant-level limit of 2,000 API calls per 24-hour period under the Entra ID P1/P2 license, and 6,000 API calls under the Entra ID Governance license. Exceeding these limits results in an HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) response. To stay within the quota, ensure that your SCIM bulk payloads are optimized to include up to 50 operations per API call. | 3. | As an Admin user, you want to quickly test the inbound provisioning API. | * Create API-driven inbound provisioning app
      * Test API using Graph Explorer | | 4. | With a service account or managed identity, you want to quickly test the inbound provisioning API. | * Create API-driven inbound provisioning app
      * Grant API permissions
      * Test API using cURL | | 5. | You want to extend the API-driven provisioning app to process more custom attributes. | Refer to the tutorial Extend API-driven provisioning to sync custom attributes | | 6. | You want to clear existing target attributes when the source no longer has a value. | Refer to Clear attribute values (Preview). | | 7. | You want to automate data upload from your system of record to the inbound provisioning API endpoint. | Refer to the tutorials
      * Quick start with PowerShell
      * Quick start with Azure Logic Apps | | 7.8. | You want to troubleshoot inbound provisioning API issuesissues. | Refer to the Troubleshooting guide. |

External learning resources

 - Microsoft partner [IdentityXP 4-part series on API-driven provisioning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZPDnhwKz_w)
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