getting close after reading this thread http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12184670/using-openquery-to-connection-to-active-directory

Query parses this time (no error message), but without results (just column headings), which I know are there.

declare @name nvarchar(100)

declare @sql nvarchar(max)

set @name = 'Sanjay*'

set @sql=

'SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY (

ADSI,

''SELECT givenname ,

sn,

displayname,

samaccountname,

telephonenumber,

mail,

department,

title

FROM ''''LDAP://domainobfuscated''''

WHERE

objectClass = ''''USER''''

and objectCategory = ''''person''''

and displayName = ''''+@name+'''''')'

exec dbo.sp_executeSQL @sql

--run like this it PRESENTS A BUNCH OF RESULTS:

SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY (

ADSI,

'SELECT givenname ,

sn,

displayname,

samaccountname,

telephonenumber,

mail,

department,

title

FROM ''LDAP://domainobfuscated''

WHERE

objectClass = ''USER''

and objectCategory = ''person''

and givenName = ''Sanjay*''')

--Also, IT PRINTS:

declare @name nvarchar(100)

set @name = 'Sanjay'

PRINT

'SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY (

ADSI,

''SELECT givenname ,

sn,

displayname,

samaccountname,

telephonenumber,

mail,

department,

title

FROM ''''LDAP://domainobfuscated

WHERE

objectClass = ''''user''''

and objectCategory = ''''person''''

and givenName = ''''+@name+'''''')'