Reading a CSV using Powershell Script

Sine thus far I seem to be the only reply to your post, I can only that this…

“Didn't expect to get someone who was going to be so condescending about things. But this is the age of the internet.”

.. as directed at me.

At no point when I respond to anyone over the years I been in IT and work to help folks, have I ever made any effort to be condescending. I have no proclivities to do that and has no value to anyone in exchanges. However, what I do strive for is to states the facts and request information and clarity.  If that comes off as condescending, then, mea culpa.

You say that …

“But I came here since I am relatively new to powershell coding”

… and that’s all well and good, and we all have been here / there. Yet, you should also spend some time ramping up before diving in, so, that you can limit any confusion, frustration, misconceptions you will encounter. Trust me you will find things that are really cool, and really frustrating, and you’d just have to work around the later. See the list of resources at the end of this post.

My points in my earlier response is that what you are doing is not valid, and because you did not show a sample of your csv, we’d have no idea what you are passing into your script and syntax-wise, it has some additional issues beyond the whole compare thing.

So, the questions / observations still stands.

Import-Csv -Path S:\threat_intelligence\scripts\"collection33.csv"

What is in this file, and single list of use names, as SamAccounts, or a multi-column file. Also, the double quotes are not in the right place. In your case, since you don’t have any spaces, or variables, they are not needed at all, or should be this..

Import-Csv -Path “S:\threat_intelligence\scripts\collection33.csv"

… or this

Import-Csv -Path S’:\threat_intelligence\scripts\collection33.csv’

You only need double quotes, when you need variable expansion, and or special formatting needs. Further this…

| Foreach-Object  { $PSItem | Get-Member }

… if this is a single column, file, then this is fine for passing in that single column item. Yet, if this is a multi-column file, then this is not valid, and you have to specify the property name you want to use, and if you want all the other code to be in the loop for process, then that ForLoop is not correct.
For example, it should be this:

Foreach-Object  {
$PSItem.UserName
# Other code to run
 }

Doing things the what you have them, means that ForLoop will read the entire list before ever hitting the pipe, because you cannot send a collection down the pipe that way.

Event that means, your file has to have column names, or you have to add them on the import.

Import-Csv -Path S’:\threat_intelligence\scripts\collection33.csv’ -Header Name

PowerShell, will only match columns by PropertyName or by value, by design. However, this Get-Member, should not be used for this. Again, Get-Member return all properties and methods for a passed in object, not any values at all. So, it does not provide information about the user. You use Get-Member to only discover properties the you need to know about and methods you’d need to know about and may need to use, in order to get information.

| Get-ADUser -Filter * -Searchbase "DC=xxx,DC=xxx" -Properties ipPhone,EmailAddress

Here, you are asking for every user in ADDS, not the $PSItem, which I assume is a username only, which makes passing that in moot, since you are not using it at all.

| Where-Object {$_.Enabled -eq $true}

This is fine, since you are asking for all enabled users

| Select-Object SAMAccountName,ipPhone,EmailAddress
This is fine, since you are only asking for these property values for all user in ADDS.

| Export-Csv -Path S:\threat_intelligence\scripts\Results -NoTypeInformation
This is fine as an export, but it’s again going to be for all users in ADDS only, because you are not using any code to address that $PSItem you passed at the beginning.

Also, your second posted code block would not run at all, because you have the pipe command to the left without a terminator before it. You need to use the ‘grave yard character often called a backtick. You will see many complain about it’s use, but I personally use it for line breaks because it’s quick, easy, and I prefer my pipes to be left aligned. Except when I am on project where the team is against it.

IF you are really trying to get only the users on the csv, you need to change this…

Import-Csv -Path S:\threat_intelligence\scripts\"collection33.csv"
| Foreach-Object  { $PSItem | Get-Member }
| Get-ADUser -Filter * -Searchbase "DC=xxx,DC=xxx" -Properties ipPhone,EmailAddress
| Where-Object {$_.Enabled -eq $true}
| Select-Object SAMAccountName,ipPhone,EmailAddress
| Export-Csv -Path S:\threat_intelligence\scripts\Results -NoTypeInformation

… to this (I took out the search base thing – just to keep it simple)

Import-Csv -Path 'C:\temp\TargetUsers.csv' `
| Foreach-Object  {
    Get-ADUser -Identity $_.UserName -Properties ipPhone,EmailAddress `
    | Where-Object {$_.Enabled -eq $true} `
    | Select-Object SAMAccountName,ipPhone,EmailAddress
} | Export-Csv -Path 'C:\temp\Results.csv' -NoTypeInformation

Get-Content -Path 'C:\temp\Results.csv'

No worries. Glad that it will get you going.

After being in IT for 4+ decades (teaching it for the last 2+ decades as well) and messing with all types of environments and languages, it is always a challenge to get up to speed on what’s next.

Just know that when you hit the forums and Q&A sites, like this one. Folks are generally kind and people providing help/guidance for free on their own time.

Sometimes, responses can be terse, but they are not meant to be negative / condescending, but trying to get to the concise / informative / educational way to deliver an acceptable answer, and guide more informative question exchange. Well, don’t get me wrong, on many of the forms/Q&A side, there are real some real Jerks, and are Jerks on purpose. There are also those, who just try to make you believe their answer is the only answer and that, in most cases is simply not the case. I’ve seen this over the years I’ve participated in the forums / Q&A site, and it still boggles the mind.

Any language, can and often does provide multiple ways to achieve a give goal. You have to choose what works for you. Don’t let the responses from anyone rile you. Just come to expect some of that, and just ignore it, take from the response what is useful and throw away the rest.

In IT today. There is really not a legitimate question, that one can ask, that more than likely has not already been asked and answered somewhere on the internet. It’ just a matter of knowing, you may not find your complete answer in one spot or even from one person, but if you break you use case in to bite sized pieces, and attack them one at a time to make sure you are on the right track and getting what you’d expect, it’s far easier to put it all together.

Rule of thumb, always, always, start with the Examples the language / products gives you in the built-in help.

Here is a snippet of code I give to all my students to help them find help, text examples, and often leads them to better understanding and questions:

### Begin Help Options

    # Get parameters, examples, full and Online help for a cmdlet or function

    # Get a list of all functions
    Get-Command -CommandType Function |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Available functions'

    # Get a list of all commandlets
    Get-Command -CommandType Cmdlet |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Available cmdlets'

    # Get a list of all functions for the specified name
    Get-Command -Name '*ADGroup*' -CommandType Function |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Available named functions'

    # Get a list of all commandlets for the specified name
    Get-Command -Name '*ADGroup**'  -CommandType Cmdlet |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Available named cmdlet'

    # get function / cmdlet details
    (Get-Command -Name Get-ADUser).Parameters
    Get-help -Name Get-ADUser -Examples
    Get-help -Name Get-ADUser -Full
    Get-help -Name Get-ADUser -Online

    # Get parameter that accepts pipeline input
    Get-Help Get-ADUser -Parameter * |
    Where-Object {$_.pipelineInput -match 'true'} |
    Select *

    # List of all parameters that a given cmdlet supports along with a short description:
    Get-Help dir -para * |
    Format-Table Name, { $_.Description[0].Text } -wrap

    # Get Powershell Version info per cmdlet / function
    # Errors displayed can be ignored
    $TargetCmdlets = (Get-Command).Name -match 'process'
    $CmdletSupportedPowerShellVersion = ForEach($Command in $TargetCmdlets)
    {
        $Command
        (Get-Module (Get-Command -Name $Command).Module) |
        Select-Object -Property ModuleType,Name,PowerShellVersion,
        @{Name = 'CmdletName_FinctionName';Expression = {$Command}}
    }
    $CmdletSupportedPowerShellVersion |
    Select-Object -Property ModuleType,Name,CmdletName_FinctionName,PowerShellVersion |
    Sort-Object -Property Name,PowerShellVersion |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Show list of supported PowerShel version for modules/cmdlet/functions'

    Get-Help about_*
    Get-Help about_Functions

    # Find all cmdlets / functions with a target parameter
    Get-Command -CommandType Function |
    Where-Object { $_.parameters.keys -match 'credential'} |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Available functions which has a specific parameter'

    Get-Command -CommandType Cmdlet |
    Where-Object { $_.parameters.keys -match 'credential'} |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Results for cmdlets which has a specific parameter'

    # Get named aliases
    Get-Alias |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Available aliases'

    # Get cmdlet / function parameter aliases
    (Get-Command Get-ADUser).Parameters.Values |
    where aliases |
    select Name, Aliases | Out-GridView -PassThru -Title 'Alias results for a given cmdlet or function.'

    # All Help topics locations
    Get-Help about* | Select Name, Synopsis

    Get-Help about* |
      Select-Object -Property Name, Synopsis |
      Out-GridView -Title 'Select Topic' -OutputMode Multiple |
      ForEach-Object {
        Get-Help -Name $_.Name -ShowWindow
      }

    explorer "$pshome\$($Host.CurrentCulture.Name)"

    # Get any .NET types and their static methods from PowerShell.
    # Enumerate all that are currently loaded into your AppDomain.
    # 
    [AppDomain]::CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies() |
    foreach { $_.GetTypes() } |
    foreach { $_.GetMethods() } |
    where { $_.IsStatic } |
    select DeclaringType, Name |
    Out-GridView -PassThru -Title '.NET types and their static methods'

    # Instantiate the types using new-object and call instance methods.
    # You can use get-member on an instance to get the methods on a type.