How to update field in AD from import csv file

aliciamorgan · 2017-09-25T16:38:32.000Z

Hello guys, its me again. Thanks in advance for all your help. I am working on a project where I am updating all user Titles in AD. I have a imported file from which I am getting the corrected Titles.

Attached you will find a copy of my code as well as the error that is being received. When executing the code I receive a error indicating that $._name is not defined. I feel like I’m close. What am I doing wrong?

Write-Host "processing"
#Imports information from CSV file

$Users = Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" 

#grabs information from imported Csv file
Get-Content "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" |

#For each user updated the old description with the new Description from CSV file
foreach-object {$_ -replace "Description", "new.Description"}

Get-AdUser -filter{name -eq $_.name}|Set-ADUser -Description $_.Description  | 

#Set-Content "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv"| 

#Exports results back to desired location
Export-Csv "C:\WSOL_Open_Migration\Updated_AD.csv" -whatif

Neally · 2017-09-25T17:13:36.000Z

It’s important to know what your CSV looks like, does it have headers?

You do both import content and import-csv, that’s redundant.

I don’t see the error message you mentioned?

Neally · 2017-09-25T17:16:32.000Z

This assumes the CSV to look like this:

samaccountname,description
jdoe,supercool description

foreach($ADUser in (Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv")){
    Set-aduser -Identity $aduser.samaccountname -Description $ADUser.description -Verbose
}

aliciamorgan · 2017-09-26T13:11:00.000Z

Hey Neally, I tried your suggestion. I am receiving a error ( see screenshot below). I am flabber-gasted. I have tried this code 6 ways to Sunday and everything continues to error out. yes there are headers on my csv file. (Country, Name, Preferred Name, Description, Supervisor, Primary Address). I didnt realize Powershell had such a steep learning curve. What am I doing wrong?

errorstatus.PNG800×375 115 KB

Write-Host "processing"
#Imports information from CSV file

$AdUser= @()

$AdUser = Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" 

Foreach ($AdUser in (Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" ))
{Set-aduser -Identity $Aduser.name -Description $AdUser.Description}

#Exports results back to desired location
Export-Csv "C:\WSOL_Open_Migration\TestResults.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Neally · 2017-09-26T13:25:30.000Z

You CSV has the full name, not a samaccount

“Morgan, Alicia” is the name, “amorgan” could be a samaccountname.

I’d highly recommend do rather go of the samaccountname, than the actual name.

if(get-aduser -filter "name -like '$($aduser.samaccountname)'"){
    set-aduser #yadi yada
}
else{
    write-output "User '$($aduser.samaccountname)' not found."
}

aliciamorgan · 2017-09-26T15:46:49.000Z

Hey Neally thanks again. I have followed your suggestions and this is the error code I’m receiving now.

Write-Host "processing"
#Imports information from CSV file

$AdUser= @()

$AdUser = Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" 

Foreach ($AdUser in (Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" ))
{Set-aduser -Identity $Aduser.name -Description $AdUser.Description

if (Get-AdUser -filter "name -like '$($AdUser.samaccountname)'"){
Set-aduser -Identity $Aduser.name -Description $AdUser.Description -WhatIf

}
else{
    Write-Output "User '$($AdUser.samaccountname) 'not found."

}}

#Exports results back to desired location
Export-Csv "C:\WSOL_Open_Migration\TestResults.csv" -NoTypeInformation

neally.PNG710×124 6.36 KB

@powershellman8045 @jitensh

Neally · 2017-09-26T16:00:48.000Z

-like is a wildcard, so you want to add *

Foreach ($AdUser in (Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" )){
    if (Get-AdUser -filter "name -like '*$($AdUser.samaccountname)*'"){
        Set-aduser -Identity $Aduser.name -Description $AdUser.Description -WhatIf
    }
    else{
        Write-Output "User '$($AdUser.samaccountname) 'not found."
    }
}

Neally · 2017-09-26T16:05:58.000Z

What does your CSV look like? Can you post the first 2 rows (sanitized), that might help.

aliciamorgan · 2017-09-26T16:11:37.000Z

Neally1.PNG800×40 17.7 KB

Neally · 2017-09-26T16:25:18.000Z

Ugh… it has no username in your CSV…

try like so

Foreach ($AdUser in (Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv" )){
    if (Get-AdUser -filter "name -like '*$($AdUser.name)*'"){
        Set-aduser -Identity $Aduser.name -Description $AdUser.Description -Verbose
    }
    else{
        Write-Output "User '$($AdUser.name) 'not found."
    }
}

jitensh · 2017-09-26T20:53:24.000Z

you should have samaccountname in CSV can you do this you will

get a new csv just put the description here against all copying from the csv you have, it should be easy if it comes in order select the entire column

$list = (import-csv C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD.csv|select -exp name) -replace ',',' '
ForEach($user in $list){    
Try{
Get-ADUser -Filter { displayName -like $user } -ErrorAction stop | Select samaccountname,name |export-csv C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD2.csv -nti 

}
Catch
{$_ |Out-File c:\notfound.txt -Append}

aliciamorgan · 2017-09-26T21:02:54.000Z

JitenSh, can you private message me please?

@jitensh

jitensh · 2017-09-26T21:50:59.000Z

now you wil get a new csv name Active_Employees_AD2.csv with samaccountname,name after adding description

you can set it very easily using

edited: copied neally’s to save time

foreach($ADUser in (Import-Csv  "C:\Users\AliciaM\Documents\APFM_Projects\Active_Employees_AD2.csv")){
    Set-aduser -Identity $aduser.samaccountname -Description $ADUser.description -Verbose
}

psophos · 2017-09-26T22:30:32.000Z

In your csv file, are the ntries under name in this format?:

surname, firstname

If so, is that the format that the data is stored in the name property in AD?

If not, the searching will fail until the input data is re-ordered.