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APIs & integration · Lesson

Filtering

Quick answer

SailPoint APIs support filter expressions (e.g. eq, sw, co, and/or) so you retrieve only the records you need instead of everything.

Key takeaways

  • Filters use operators like eq, sw, co
  • Combine with and / or
  • Reduces payload and rate-limit pressure
  • Syntax resembles SCIM filtering

Filtering lets you ask the SailPoint API for exactly the records you need instead of retrieving everything and sifting client-side. It uses a compact expression syntax, similar to SCIM filters, with operators such as eq, sw and co combined by and/or. Good filtering is the foundation of fast, rate-limit-friendly integrations.

The operators

  • eq, equals, e.g. alias eq "jdoe"
  • sw, starts with, e.g. name sw "Fin"
  • co, contains
  • and / or, combine conditions
GET /v3/public-identities?filters=department eq "Finance" and region eq "EU"

Why filter server-side

Filtering on the server returns a small, relevant result set. That means smaller payloads, fewer pages, less rate-limit pressure and simpler client code. The alternative, pulling everything and filtering in your own code, is slower, more expensive and more likely to hit throttling on large tenants.

Filter, then paginate

Always apply the filter first and paginate the filtered result. Filtering a 100,000-identity tenant down to the 40 people in a team turns a huge, many-page crawl into a single small response.

Common pitfalls

  • Client-side filtering of large collections instead of using the API.
  • Over-complex nested filters that are hard to maintain; keep them readable.
  • Assuming every field is filterable, check which attributes are queryable.

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Check your understanding

  1. Why filter server-side?

    • A. eq (equals), sw (starts with), co (contains), combined with and/or.
    • B. It returns only needed records, reducing payload size and rate-limit pressure.
    • C. SCIM-style filter expressions.
    Show answer

    B. It returns only needed records, reducing payload size and rate-limit pressure.

    It returns only needed records, reducing payload size and rate-limit pressure.

  2. Name some filter operators.

    • A. SCIM-style filter expressions.
    • B. It returns only needed records, reducing payload size and rate-limit pressure.
    • C. eq (equals), sw (starts with), co (contains), combined with and/or.
    Show answer

    C. eq (equals), sw (starts with), co (contains), combined with and/or.

    eq (equals), sw (starts with), co (contains), combined with and/or.

  3. What syntax does it resemble?

    • A. SCIM-style filter expressions.
    • B. eq (equals), sw (starts with), co (contains), combined with and/or.
    • C. It returns only needed records, reducing payload size and rate-limit pressure.
    Show answer

    A. SCIM-style filter expressions.

    SCIM-style filter expressions.

Frequently asked questions

What does the term Filtering refer to in SailPoint?

Filtering lets you ask the SailPoint API for exactly the records you need instead of retrieving everything and sifting client-side. It uses a compact expression syntax, similar to SCIM filters, with operators such as eq, sw and co combined by and / or.

What is worth remembering about Filtering in practice?

Filtering on the server returns a small, relevant result set.

What is another point to note about Filtering?

The alternative, pulling everything and filtering in your own code, is slower, more expensive and more likely to hit throttling on large tenants.

What tends to go wrong with Filtering?

Client-side filtering of large collections instead of using the API. Assuming every field is filterable, check which attributes are queryable.
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