How to import data into the homePhone attribute within AD with a CSV file without overwriting the existing value.

Hello, yes this is possible. What you want to do is use an LDAP query to look for a user account matching the employeenumber that has an empty homephone attribute. This can be done using the following LDAP query:

(&(employeenumber=$_.employeenumber)(!(homephone=*))

Then if a match is found you can update the homephone property based on the csv file. The full code looks like this:

Do note that there will be no prompts and no confirmations, so be careful before running this.

Hi Jaap

Thank you for the quick reply.

I have entered the query in powershell as it is except for the path to my csv file. I get the following error:

Exception calling "FindOne" with "0" argument(s): "The
(&([email protected]{employeeNumber=12345678;
homePhone=38888}.employeenumber)(!(homephone=*)) search filter is invalid."
At line:2 char:6
+ if (($User =
[adsi]([adsisearcher]"(&(employeenumber=$_.employeenumber)(!(homeph ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ArgumentException

I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I am using powershell version 3, if that makes a difference.

Everything seems to be working fine in terms of the attribute being updated if its blank and the code also generates a csv file which show the users who have been updated. The only problem I have is that I also get the following error in the console:

Export-Csv : Cannot bind argument to parameter 'InputObject' because it is null.

At line:12 char:5

+ } | Export-Csv -Path C:\Users\akhtao1\Desktop\test101.csv -NoTypeInformation

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Export-Csv], ParameterBindingValidationException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationErrorNullNotAllowed,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.ExportCsvCommand

Export-Csv : Cannot bind argument to parameter 'InputObject' because it is null.

At line:12 char:5

+ } | Export-Csv -Path C:\Users\akhtao1\Desktop\test101.csv -NoTypeInformation

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Export-Csv], ParameterBindingValidationException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationErrorNullNotAllowed,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.ExportCsvCommand

I dont understand what this code is complaining about as I am getting the results that I want. Please help, thank you.

Ah sorry, assuming you are using PowerShell version 3 you could do this:

Hi Jaap

You are the man!

It all works perfect - yes I am using powershell 3. I wont need to go anywhere now for any other powershell query

thanks for all your help.

No problem, glad to be able to help.

Hi,

I have tried this script, but that with an mail address instead of employeenumber. So all I had to do was replace that with "mail" . But I did get the error that the filter was't ok.
Exception calling "FindOne" with "0" argument(s): "The (&(mail=)(!(homephone=*)) search filter is invalid

Why?

Peter

Hi,

I have tried this script, but that with an mail address instead of employeenumber. So all I had to do was replace that with "mail" . But I did get the error that the filter was't ok.
Exception calling "FindOne" with "0" argument(s): "The (&(mail=)(!(homephone=*)) search filter is invalid

Why?

Peter