We’re enhancing Adaptive Scopes in Microsoft Purview to improve how queries using the “not equals” (-ne) operator behave when applied to multivalued attributes.

With this update, Adaptive Scopes will now fully evaluate “not equals” conditions across all values in multivalued attributes. For example, if a query is designed to exclude users with “x@contoso.com" in any of their email addresses, it will now correctly evaluate all addresses associated with a user account.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC-High, DoD): Rollout will begin in mid-July 2025 and is expected to complete by early August 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

If your organization uses Adaptive Scopes with “not equals” logic on multivalued attributes (such as email addresses), the behavior of those scopes may change.

Users or groups previously excluded from a scope may now be included if one of their attribute values matches the exclusion condition.

This change improves accuracy and consistency in scope evaluation but may result in changes to policy application or group membership.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review existing Adaptive Scopes: Identify any scopes using “not equals” logic on multivalued attributes.
• Monitor impact: After rollout, review policy application and scope membership reports to ensure they align with expectations.
• Communicate with stakeholders: Inform relevant teams of the potential for changes in scope behavior.

For more information on Adaptive Scopes, visit Adaptive scopes.

[Compliance considerations:]

• Alters how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed Yes – The update changes how multivalued attributes (e.g., email addresses) are processed in Adaptive Scope queries using the -ne operator. This may affect which users are included or excluded in policies.
• Modifies or disables Purview capabilities (e.g., DLP, labels, eDiscovery) Maybe –  While no core Purview features are directly modified, the change may impact how policies (e.g., DLP, retention) are applied if they rely on Adaptive Scopes with -ne logic on multivalued attributes.
• Alters admin monitoring or compliance reporting Yes –  Admins may see changes in scope membership and policy application reports, which could affect compliance visibility and auditing.