Create a Naming Policy for Distribution Groups

• Enforce a consistent naming strategy for groups created by users.
  
• Identify distribution groups in the shared address book.
  
• Suggest the function or membership of the group.
  
• Identify the type of users who are likely members of the group.
  
• Identify the geographic region the group is used in.
  
• Block inappropriate words in group names.
  

Important   The group naming policy is applied only to groups created by users. When you or other administrators use the Exchange Control Panel to create distribution groups, the group naming policy is ignored and not applied to the group name. For more information, see Override the Group Naming Policy.

This topic explains the following:

• How a group naming policy works
  
• Add prefixes and suffixes
  
• Examples of group naming policies
  
• Create or change a group naming policy
  

When a user creates a group, they specify a name in the Display Name field. After the group is created, Microsoft Exchanges applies the group naming policy by adding any prefix or suffix that you've defined in the group naming policy. The full name is displayed in the distribution groups list in the Exchange Control Panel, the shared address book, and the To:, Cc:, and From: fields in e-mail messages.

If a user tries to use a word that you've blocked, they get an error message when they try to save the new group and are asked to remove the blocked word and save the group again.

Important   The maximum length for a group name is 64 characters. This includes the combined number of characters in the prefix, the group name provided by the user, and the suffix.

You can include prefixes and suffixes to your group naming policy. Prefixes and suffixes can be text that you specify or an attribute from the user who's creating the group. The following attributes are available.

You can add multiple prefixes and suffixes to the group naming policy.

Tip   Group names are created without spacing. We recommend that using an underscore character (_) or some other placeholder between text strings, attributes, and the group name.

In each of these examples, <Group Name> is a descriptive name provided by the person who creates the group. Microsoft Exchange adds the prefixes and suffixes defined by the policy to the display name when the group is created.

• Text strings, with underscore characters, used for a single prefix (DG) and suffix (Users):
  DG_<Group Name>_Users
  
• Multiple prefixes (DG and Contoso) and one suffix (Users), using text strings:
  DG_Contoso_<Group Name>_Users
  
• An attribute (Department) used for the prefix:
  Department_<Group Name>
  For example, say that your school populates the Department attribute for faculty members. Here's an example of a group name created by a faculty member in the Psychology department:
  Psychology_Cognitive201
  In this example, the underscore character (_) is provided as the only text string in a second prefix to separate the department name from the group name.
  

1. In the Exchange Control Panel, select Manage My Organization > Users & Groups > Distribution Groups.
   
2. Under Group Naming Policy, click Edit.
   
3. For the prefix, in the pull-down menu, select either Attribute or Text.
   
   • Text   Type the text string and click OK.
     
   • Attribute   Select the attribute and then click OK.
     
   Notice that the text string that you typed or the attribute you selected is displayed as a hyperlink. Click the hyperlink to change the text string or attribute.
   
4. Click Add to add additional prefixes.
   
5. For the suffix, in the pull-down menu, select either Attribute or Text, and configure the suffix.
   
6. Click Add to add additional suffixes.
   After you add a prefix or suffix, notice that a preview of the group naming policy is displayed.
   
7. To delete a prefix or suffix from the policy, click Delete .
   
8. Expand Blocked Words to add or remove blocked words.
   
   • To add a word to the list, type the word to block and click Add .
     
   • To remove a word form the list, select it and click Remove.
     
   • To edit an existing blocked word, select it and click Edit.
     
9. When you are finished, click Save.
   The group naming policy that you defined is displayed under Group Naming Policy on the Distribution Groups page. It also indicates if you have words added to the blocked words list.
   

Want to make changes to your group naming policy? Just click Edit.