Database filter not working in Powershell command

Question

I'm trying to run a powershell query to find what users have a retention policy applied to them. However, I'm also trying to filter out a database that contains service accounts, which should be excluded. The issue I'm running into is that the database filter
doesn't seem to be working. if I use "database -ne mydb" I get all accounts, including from that db. If I use "database -eq mydb" I get zero results. I can see on the MS doc about filterable properties that this is one of them that should
work with get-mailbox.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb738155(v=exchg.150).aspx
Can anybody point me towards what I have wrong in this command:
Get-Mailbox -ResultSize unlimited -Filter {(ManagedFolderMailboxPolicy -eq $null) -and (database -ne "Service Accounts - DAG")} | fl name,database
I'm running exchange 2010 but I can't seem to find the right forum for that, is it in the archives somewhere?
Thanks in advance,
Joel

Answer 1

Belinda,
Thanks for the reply. I probably didn't write my end goal as clearly as I should have. I am aware of the meaning of eq and ne and I have them applied properly. I'm trying to find everyone who does not have any ManagedFolderMailboxPolicy and who is not in
the service account DB. That syntax isn't my issue. What is my issue is that the database filter simply isn't getting applied properly. Let me give you another example.
If I write Get-Mailbox -Database 'Service Accounts - DAG' I return only the users from that DB.
If I write Get-Mailbox -Filter {database -eq 'Service Accounts - DAG'} I get zero results.
If I write Get-Mailbox -Filter {database -ne 'Service Accounts - DAG'} I get every user in my organization, including the ones in the service accounts DB, which I just tried to filter out.
I thought perhaps I had misspelled the actual name of the property or of the database so I did a Get-Mailbox for a single user and then "cut/paste" the proper fields into my commands. So it appears that somehow the name of the DB is causing it fail when
it's in the Filter section, even though that same syntax works when I use it as it's own switch.
I would be happy to find a different way to write this. Since I know it works when I use the -Database command, I could just do that and then pipe it to the rest of the command. The issue I have though is that I have a couple dozen DBs and I only want
to filter out 1 so I would much rather use a "not equal" command.