Manage journal rules

Managing journal rules in Microsoft 365 Messaging allows you to create and manage rules for processing messages in Exchange Online. Whether you want to organize emails, apply message encryption, or redirect messages to specific folders, journal rules provide a flexible way to automate message handling. This article will guide you through the process of managing journal rules in Microsoft 365 Messaging.

Prerequisites

To get started, you’ll need to have the necessary permissions to manage journal rules in Exchange Online. By default, only members of the Organization Management or Records Management role groups have these permissions. Once you have the required permissions, follow the steps below to manage journal rules.

Step 1: Open the Exchange admin center

Open a web browser and navigate to the Exchange admin center (https://admin.microsoft.com), then sign in using your administrator account.

Step 2: Access the mail flow settings

In the Exchange admin center, go to the left navigation pane and click on “mail flow.” This will take you to the mail flow settings.

Step 3: Manage journal rules

In the mail flow settings, click on “journal rules” to manage the journaling settings.

Step 4: Create a new journal rule

To create a new journal rule, click on the plus icon (+) to add a new rule. You will be prompted to enter a name and description for the rule.

Step 5: Configure the journal rule

In the rule configuration page, you can define conditions and actions for the journal rule. Conditions determine which messages the rule applies to, while actions specify what happens to the messages matching the conditions.

• Conditions: To set up conditions for the journal rule, click on “Add condition” and choose the desired condition from the drop-down list. For example, you can select conditions based on sender, recipient, subject, or message size.
• Actions: To define actions for the journal rule, click on “Add action” and select the desired action from the list. Actions can include forwarding messages, redirecting them to a specific recipient, applying message classification, or applying message encryption.

Step 6: Set up exceptions (optional)

If there are specific messages that you want to exclude from the journal rule, you can set up exceptions. To do this, click on “Add exception” and choose the desired exception from the available options.

Step 7: Save the journal rule

Once you have configured the journal rule, click on “Save” to apply the changes. The new rule will be added to the list of journal rules.

Step 8: Edit or delete journal rules

If you need to modify or remove a journal rule, select the rule from the list and click on the respective options available. You can edit conditions, actions, or exceptions, and save the changes accordingly. To delete a journal rule, click on the trash bin icon.

Step 9: Prioritize journal rules

If you have multiple journal rules, you can prioritize their order of execution. To change the priority, select a rule and use the up or down arrow icons to move it within the list.

Step 10: Test and monitor journal rules

After configuring journal rules, it’s essential to test and monitor their behavior. You can send test messages and verify if the rules are correctly applied. Additionally, monitor the message tracking logs to ensure that the desired actions are being performed.

It’s important to note that managing journal rules requires careful consideration and planning. Misconfigurations or incorrect rules can impact message delivery and compliance requirements. Therefore, it’s recommended to thoroughly test and review the rules before deploying them in a production environment.

In conclusion, managing journal rules in Microsoft 365 Messaging provides a powerful mechanism to automate message handling. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily create, configure, and manage journal rules to streamline email processing in Exchange Online. Remember to exercise caution and thoroughly test the rules to ensure they meet your organization’s requirements.