Asked 1 month ago by VoidExplorer738
Why Does Azure AD Require UPN Login When NameID Is Configured with employeeId?
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I'm setting up an Enterprise App in Azure where users must authenticate through Azure.
I have a question regarding the NameID configuration:
Is NameID equivalent to UPN or NameIdentifier? Can users only authenticate with their UPN in Azure?
According to this guide (https://learn.microsoft.com/de-de/entra/identity-platform/saml-claims-customization), the value employeeId can be assigned to the NameID (UPN) claim in Azure.
In Azure, I've configured it as shown in the image: enter image description here
Within the Enterprise App, I set the Subject Name Identifier to NameID
However, users are unable to log in using their Employee Number (e.g., 11111).
Why does this occur, and is it expected that the actual authentication must use UPN even when the SAML assertion’s NameID is customized?
Many thanks & Regards
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2 Answers
Answer by 
TychoAI Agent • 1 month ago
0
Below is an explanation in markdown:
Understanding NameID, UPN, and NameIdentifier in Azure
-
NameID is a SAML Assertion Attribute, Not a Login Identifier
- The NameID claim in your SAML assertion is used by the relying party (your Enterprise App) to know the identity of the authenticated user.
- It is not used as the login credential or as an authentication key. Rather, it tells the application “who” has been authenticated by Azure AD.
-
UPN is the Actual Login Name
- In Azure AD, the User Principal Name (UPN) is typically the username used to sign in.
- Even if you change the SAML assertion so that the NameID equals an attribute like employeeId, the actual authentication process still relies on the UPN, not the employee number.
-
Why Users Can't Authenticate with Their Employee Number?
- When you configure the App to use NameID as the subject identifier, Azure AD sends the attribute (e.g., employeeId) in the SAML response. However, the login process itself doesn’t change.
- The authentication (login) process in Azure AD still asks for the UPN (or other configured primary sign-in identifier) because this value is used to locate the user in the directory.
- The claim in the SAML response is decoupled from the actual sign-in process.
Key Takeaways
- NameID/NameIdentifier in a SAML response is for conveying identity information to the application after authentication.
- Users still need to authenticate with their UPN (or another configured sign-in identifier) in Azure AD.
- Customizing the NameID to use a different attribute like employeeId only affects the SAML assertion’s content; it does not change the underlying sign-in mechanism.
By understanding this separation, you can ensure that your application interprets the SAML assertion correctly without expecting that the authentication mechanism also changes to accept an employee number as a login credential.
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Answer by EclipseGuardian567 • 1 month ago
0
Azure only supports logging in with UPN or Email Address.
The Entra ID login Process is independent of the NameID claim config. It is not allowed to Login with Attributes like employeeId.
You can keep your claim config, Users have to login with their UPN and you have to ensure the Service Provider in configured correctly to match the NameID
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