Problem

When using a Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) Contact and Groups Integration in Everbridge, administrators can encounter a situation where the Test Connection succeeds, but a full synchronization fails with a generic message that Microsoft Entra ID appears unavailable during the sync. This failure can occur for both scheduled and manual synchronizations, even when other Microsoft services appear to be operating normally.

Root Cause

This generic message does not always indicate that Microsoft Entra ID itself is down. The message can appear when the synchronization process encounters configuration or data issues, even though the basic connection test is successful.

One common cause of this failure is related to the Attributes configured under the Microsoft Entra ID credentials for the integration. When a group filter is used, a full synchronization requires specific user attributes to be returned. If the attributes configured for the integration do not include the user’s id, the group-filtered synchronization can fail with an “Entra ID seems to be unavailable during the sync” error.

In this scenario, the preview can succeed because it can use a different connection state or cached credentials, while the full synchronization requires all required attributes and stable authentication. A missing required attribute such as id can cause the sync to fail even when preview operations appear normal.

Other causes to consider for this generic failure message include connection or credential problems that arise at synchronization time, authentication timing or token expiry, insufficient permission scope for the synchronization operation, or connection stability issues during the synchronization. These issues can affect the full synchronization process while leaving the connection test and preview operations unaffected.

Solution

To resolve synchronization failures that report Microsoft Entra ID as unavailable during the sync, use the following steps.

1. Verify the Microsoft Entra ID connection and credentials

• Test the connection to Microsoft Entra ID from the integration configuration.

• Check whether any credentials used for the integration have changed or expired.

• Manually re-authenticate or log in to the system if needed.

2. Confirm synchronization settings

• Review synchronization settings to confirm they remain correctly configured for scheduled and manual synchronizations.

3. Ensure the id attribute is included

• Check the Attributes configured under the Microsoft Entra ID credentials for the integration.

• Confirm that all necessary attributes are correctly configured in the Microsoft Entra ID connector.

• Verify that required attributes are correctly set up on both the Microsoft Entra ID side and the Everbridge system.

• If the attribute list does not include id, add id in the Attributes (for example, add "id," back to the Attributes) using the Connection > Advanced Settings > Attributes section if applicable.

• Including id among the attributes returned by the Microsoft Entra ID integration has been shown to resolve synchronization failures where the error message indicates that Microsoft Entra ID seems to be unavailable during the sync.

4. Re-run the synchronization

• After updating the Attributes to include id, run the synchronization again (Sync Now) and validate that the sync completes.

• If preview previously returned the expected contacts, re-check that preview and confirm the full synchronization now succeeds.

5. Review authentication timing and permission scope

• Consider whether authentication timing or token expiry might affect the synchronization. Connection tests and previews can succeed while the full synchronization experiences timing-related issues.

• Ensure the account used for synchronization has the required permission scope for the synchronization operation.

6. Check connection stability and recent configuration changes

• Confirm that Microsoft Entra ID is properly configured and available.

• Consider connection stability during the synchronization, since instability can interrupt the sync process.

• Compare synchronization settings with known working configurations if available.

• Check for any recent changes in the organization’s setup that could affect synchronization.

7. Collect information and contact technical support if needed

• If synchronization continues to fail after verifying connection tests, credentials, attributes (including id), and synchronization settings, contact technical support for further assistance.

• When contacting support, provide specific details about the synchronization failure, including the fact that the error message indicates that Microsoft Entra ID seems to be unavailable during the sync, and any information from connection tests, previews, or synchronization logs collected during troubleshooting.

Workaround

If the synchronization continues to fail after all configuration checks and updates, the following actions can support further analysis while a complete solution is developed.

• Enable debug logging for the synchronization process, reproduce the error, and collect logs for analysis using the available logging tools.

• Compare current synchronization settings, including attribute mappings and credentials, with a configuration that is known to be working in the same environment, if such a configuration exists.

• Review required attributes, including standard attributes such as name, email, and department, to ensure they are consistent between systems and correctly returned by Microsoft Entra ID.

• Ensure that Microsoft Entra ID remains properly configured and reachable while additional troubleshooting steps are performed.