Are categories still recommended for creating local distribution lists?

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AlanBru

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Outlook 2010 32 bit
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Exchange Server
Hi there,

A general question please.

Many of our users need to use Outlook-based distribution lists. In the past, MS recommeded to use categories to create distribution lists, and that is what we have communicated to our users.

Does this advice still hold, or is there a better altenative in Outlook 2016?

Contact Groups still seem to have the same drawbacks as distribution lists, e.g., deleting an individual Contact does not remove the entry from Contact Groups.

Thanks,

- Alan.
 
It depends on how often the list changes - if it changes often, use categories but static lists that rarely change work well in groups. The big thing with changes is you have to update the list manually and also delete the list from the autocomplete list to be sure the DL is changed.

Internal Exchange lists in the GAL are fine and current versions of exchange support dynamic lists that use a value in the GAL entry to determine if someone belongs to a list.
 
Thanks Diane.

The lists change on a daily basis, so categories it is then.

Unfortunately, some users appear to have problems using categories. One big issue is where one contact is in several lists, i.e., has several categories assigned. Our users often clear all the existing categories when they just want to add the contact to a new category (list). And there's no "undo" with categories that I can see.
 
No, there is no undo when a category is changed. I would set the quick click to not set a category - choosing it will usually clear all categories and replace them with the quick category.
 
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