If new attributes, such as an email address, are imported into the Office SharePoint Server profile database, they are not available for use at SharePoint sites until after the profile database is crawled by search!
I was trying to set an alert on a test bed using the “Daniel” account and received an error message saying that the account did not have an email address configured.
I went to Active Directory and added the email account and tried setting the alert again. Same error message. So I go to People and groups and look at my profile by clicking the account name. Guess what, no email address.
I go over to the Shared Service Provider (SSP) and force a profile import which was successful. Checked the profile for Daniel at the SSP level. There was the email address successfully imported.
Attempt to create the alert again. Same error message, no email address configured.
In People and Groups, clicked the account name to bring up the profile. No email address. At this point I am a bit frustrated.
Back at the SSP, I forced an incremental crawl of the profile database.
Returning to the site, I clicked the account name in People and Groups to see the profile. Voila! There was the email address.
Tried creating the alert again. Success!
Net result? Now I not only have to plan my profile imports and my audience building schedules based on how often attributes change but maybe I need to move the profile crawl to a different content source so that I can create a special schedule for that crawl as well.
Installing SharePoint is easy. Planning is a bear!