Directory Synchronization from your AD to the cloud is a huge part of either coexisting or homing all of your users in the cloud. This article is not going to go into the details of installing the Directory Sync tool. This article will only demonstrate how to determine when your AD was last synced and how to force it to sync. This may be needed if a change in AD is needed to be immediately reflected in the cloud.
By logging in the 365 online portal and navigating to the “Users” section, you can see how long it has been since the last successful sync with AD.
To force synchronization, log into your server that has the Directory Synchronization tool installed. Open up PowerShell and navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Online Directory Sync. Then start the Directory Sync Configuration Shell by typing .\DirSyncConfigShell.psc1
This will launch the Directory Synchronization Configuration Shell. Once this is open you can type the following command to force synchronization:
Start-OnlineCoexistenceSync
After this is done, the online portal will show that synchronization has completed recently.
Note that all synchronization events can be found in the Application Event Log on the server that the Directory Synchronization Tool is installed.
