Ldap filter for attribute that may not exist

• To return entries that contain a populated status attribute, use a present filter, for example, (status=*).
• To return entries that do not contain a status attribute, negate the present filter: (!(status=*)).
• If the server is unwilling to execute, check that the status attribute is indexed for equality and presence. If do not have access to this information, check with the LDAP administrators in the appropriate organization.

see also

• Microsoft: Search Filter Syntax (Active Directory)
• Atlassian: How to write LDAP search filters
• IBM Domino 8.5 / 8.5.1: Using search filters with ldapsearch
• Oracle: Sun Java System Directory Server Enterprise Edition 6.0 Reference – Searching the Directory
• Red Hat: Directory Server 10 LDAP Search Filters