Here's how the user import process works:

1. Make sure you're signed in to https://www.outlook.com/ecp. In the Web management interface, select My Organization > Users & Groups > Mailboxes > Import users to submit a CSV import file. Only one import process for your domain can run at a time. If an import process is running when you submit your request, you'll get an error that explains that the current import process must finish before a new one can be started.
   
2. The Web management interface displays a message that says the CSV file is being uploaded and verified. During this process, Microsoft Exchange checks the CSV file for the following:
   
   • It uses comma separated formatting.
     
   • It isn't empty, but doesn't contain more than 50,000 rows.
     
   • It includes the required attributes in the header row.
     
   • It contains only attributes that are supported and recognized by the import process.
     
   • It contains rows with the same number of attributes as the header.
     
   If any of these conditions isn't true, Microsoft Exchange terminates the import process and displays an error that explains the reason for the failure.
   
3. When the CSV file is validated, the verification message closes, and the import process starts. There may be a delay before the import process starts because the server process running on Microsoft Exchange may be busy processing import requests for organizations.
   Note   In this release, no status information is displayed on the Mailboxes tab during the import process. You can click Refresh periodically to view new mailboxes.
   
4. When the import process is finished, Microsoft Exchange sends the administrator who submitted the CSV import file an e-mail that contains the final results of the import process. This information includes:
   
   • The start time of the import process.
     
   • The total duration of the import process.
     
   • The total number of users processed, the number of users successfully created, and the number that failed.
     
   • An attached CSV file (named ImportErrors.csv) that contains a row for each user that couldn't be imported and the reason for the failure. If there are no failures, the e-mail doesn't include this file.
     

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It takes about 10 seconds to import one new user. This means you can create about 2,900 new users in 8 hours. These are only estimated times because the load on the computers running Microsoft Exchange in the datacenter, network traffic, and other factors can affect how long it takes to import new users. The actual time it takes to import users may be longer than these estimates.

As explained earlier, there may also be a delay before the import process starts because the server process running on Microsoft Exchange may be busy processing import requests for other organizations.

You can use any text editor, or an application like Microsoft Office Excel, to create the CSV file. Format the file as described later in this section and save the file as a .csv or .txt file.

The first row, or header row, of the CSV file lists the names of the attributes, or fields, specified in the rows that follow. Each attribute name is separated by a comma.

Each row under the header row represents one user and supplies the information that will be used to create that user. The attributes in each row must be in the same order as the attribute names in the header row. Each attribute value is separated by a comma.

To get a sample CSV file that you can use as a template to create your own CSV import file, click the sample CSV file link in the Import Users dialog box.

CSV file format

Here's an example of the format for a CSV import file, which contains the required attributes. In this example, three new users are imported:

Name,EmailAddress,FirstName,LastName,Password
adamsta0109,terrya@contoso.edu,Terry,Adams,1091990
beebeab0211,annb@contoso.edu,Ann,Beebe,2111991
cannocc0328,chrisc@contoso.edu,Chris,Cannon,3281986

Columns in the CSV file

The same attribute in each row makes up a column. In the example, the columns names are the same as the attributes in the header row. The example has five columns: Name, EmailAddress, FirstName, LastName, and Password. The EmailAddress column, for example, includes the e-mail address for each new user: terrya@contoso.edu, annb@contoso.edu, and chrisc@contoso.edu.

Here’s the same CSV file shown in Excel.

File encoding

If the CSV file contains non-ASCII or special characters, make sure to save the CSV file with UTF-8 or other Unicode encoding. Depending on the application, saving the CSV file with UTF-8 or other Unicode encoding may be easier when the system locale of the computer matches the language used in the CSV file.

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As explained earlier, if errors in the CSV file prevent users from being imported, Microsoft Exchange attaches an ImportErrors.csv file to the e-mail that is sent to the administrator who submitted the import request. The file contains a row with the submitted attributes for each failed user. It also contains an attribute in the header row named Failure Reason and a corresponding field in each row that explains why that row failed.

Here's an example of an ImportErrors.csv file:

Failure Reason,Name,EmailAddress,FirstName,LastName,Password
"The e-mail address 'terrya@contoso.edu' is already in use by the user ./Microsoft Exchange Hosted Organizations/contoso.edu/terrya'.",adamsta0109,terrya@contoso.edu,Terry,Adams,1091990
"The user 'beebeab0211' already exists in the organization.",beebeab0211,annb@contoso.edu,Ann,Beebe,2111991
"Password is too short.",garciadg0726,debrag@fineartschool.edu,Debra,Garcia,72719
"In row number 4, column 'lastname' is blank. This column is required. Please edit the CSV file and submit it again.",kolak1123,aylak@fineartschool.edu,Ayla,,11231988

Consider these best practices when using the Web management interface and a CSV file to import new users.

• Use your CSV file to test the import of a small batch of users and user data before you import a large number of users   This lets you:
  
  • Troubleshoot potential problems to minimize mistakes when you import a large batch of users.
    
  • Test any optional attributes that you want to use in the header row.
    
  • Verify that you are using the correct data format for each attribute.
    
  • Verify that you can export data in the appropriate format from your student records database and that you have mapped it correctly to the appropriate attribute in the header row.
    
• Verify that attribute values appear in the shared address book the way you intend   After you import a small group of test users, sign in to your account, and see how the attribute values for each user are displayed in the shared address book. You may want to make changes, or add or remove an optional attribute from the header row.
  
• Run smaller batches instead of one large batch   Although a CSV file can contain up to 50,000 rows, it could take up to seven days or longer to import this many users in one batch. If you want to provision a large number of users, consider using several smaller batches instead of one large batch. This approach lets you validate results, and if necessary, re-submit, in smaller batches instead waiting for one large batch to be processed.
  
• Require users to change their password   It's a good idea to use the ForceChangePassword attribute when you import new users. This will create a Windows Live ID that requires new users to change their password after they sign in for the first time. This is a security best practice to help ensure only users know the password for their accounts.
  
• Use the DisplayName attribute   Unless you have a policy of excluding users' display names in the shared address book and the Outlook Live Web management interface, consider using the optional DisplayName attribute in the CSV import file. By setting a specific display name for each user, you ensure that each user is easy to identify in the shared address book. The Name attribute that Microsoft Exchange uses as the display name if you don't set the optional DisplayName attribute may not be clearly recognizable by users.
  Tip   If you want to use LastName, FirstName as the format for display names, do the following when you prepare the CSV import file:
  
  • If you are using a text editor, include double quotation marks in the DisplayName attribute value. For example, use "Adams, Terry" for a user named Terry Adams.
    
  • If you are using Excel, don't include double quotation marks because Excel automatically adds quotation marks when you save it as a CSV file. If you add quotation marks in Excel, quotation marks are included in the user's display name in the shared address book.
    

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