OData basics: the 7 operators that matter

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your Graph queries fast and precise, the answer is OData. It’s the query language baked into Microsoft Graph, and mastering it is the difference between pulling everything and pulling exactly what you need.

The big 7

Operator	What it does
$select	Choose only the properties you need (reduces payload size)
$filter	Narrow results, e.g. operatingSystem eq 'Windows' and complianceState eq 'compliant'
$orderby	Sort results, e.g. by lastSyncDateTime
$top	Limit results per page
$count	Get the total item count (with $count=true)
$expand	Include related entities in one call
$search	Keyword search across supported fields

Support for each operator varies by resource, so check the “Optional query parameters” section of the specific API you’re calling.

Why this matters

Efficient queries mean faster scripts, fewer throttling issues, and cleaner automation pipelines.

Example: an OData query for Intune

The ten most recently synced Windows devices that aren’t compliant, with just the fields you need:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/deviceManagement/managedDevices
  ?$select=id,deviceName,operatingSystem,complianceState
  &$filter=operatingSystem eq 'Windows' and complianceState ne 'compliant'
  &$orderby=lastSyncDateTime desc
  &$top=10

(Line breaks added for readability. Send it as one line.)

Further reading

• Customize Microsoft Graph responses with query parameters, Microsoft Learn