Q155414: XADM: Bulk Import/Export FAQ

Article: Q155414
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): 4.0,5.0,5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbusage exc4 exc5 exc55
Last Modified: 27-OCT-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5 
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SUMMARY
=======

The Microsoft Exchange Administrator program has the ability to import and
export mailboxes, custom recipients, and Distribution Lists (DLs). This article
covers the most frequently raised issues related to Bulk Import and Export.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Exporting mailbox data does not export all data fields

  By default, the Microsoft Exchange Administrator program does not export all
  of the data fields associated with a mailbox, custom recipient, or DL. If you
  need a particular field that is not exported by default, the following are
  your two available methods:

1. Create a header file that contains all of the headers that you want to
  export. You can do this in the following two ways:

  a. Use the Header.exe program in the Microsoft Exchange Resource Kit to
     create a file with the data field names that you want to export.

  b. Manually create a file with the data fields you want to export.

2. To export all of the data fields associated with an object, instead of
  creating a header file with all the data field names, use one of the sample
  header files available on the Microsoft Exchange Server CD-ROM 4.0 in the
  Support\Samples\Csvs directory. There are subdirectories that contain header
  files for mailboxes, custom recipients, and DLs. Copy the relevant .CSV file
  from the CD to your hard drive, remove the Read-Only attribute on the file,
  and then run the Export command from the Microsoft Exchange Administrator
  program, specifying the file that you copied from the CD. The Export command
  will read all the headers in the file specified and will export those
  attributes.

How to modify attributes using Bulk Import

  You can use the Bulk Import program to modify attributes associated with
  mailboxes, custom recipients, and DLs. To modify the value of an attribute,
  export the existing data to a .CSV file, change the value of the attributes
  in the data file, and import the file. All existing objects will be modified
  with the new values.

How to modify the value of Custom Attributes

  Each mailbox, custom recipient, and DL has 10 Custom Attributes that the
  administrator can use to specify custom data. These Custom Attributes can
  also be modified using the Directory Import program. There are 10 Custom
  Attributes which are named "Custom Attribute 1" through "Custom Attribute
  10".

  To change the value of a particular Custom Attribute for mailboxes, follow
  these steps (for Custom Attribute 1):

1. Use Header.exe to create a header file (Cust.csv) with the required fields.
  Custom Attribute 1 should be included.

2. From the Microsoft Exchange Administrator program, run the Directory Export
  command specifying the header file created in step 1. This will populate the
  header file with data.

3. Edit the modified header file using a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel.
  Modify the values in the Custom Attribute 1 column.

4. From the Microsoft Exchange Administrator program, run the Directory Import
  command specifying the header file modified in step 3. This will modify the
  Custom Attribute 1 field for all the objects that were exported in step 2.

Error Importing data into Custom Attributes

  When you import data into a Custom Attribute, the following error is
  received:

  The attribute Custom Attribute 1 is unknown

  This error might be received if the Custom Attribute 1 has been renamed.

  To determine what the Custom Attribute names currently are, follow these
  steps:

1. In the Microsoft Exchange Administrator program, double click on the
  Configuration container.

2. Get Properties of the DS Site Configuration object.

3. Select the Custom Attributes page.

4. The Custom Attributes names should be displayed. The names can also be
  renamed on this page.

How to clear data attributes using Bulk Import

  Please refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

  Q152854 XADM: Using Bulk Import to Remove Data

  Q152727 XADM: Importing Blank Value Won't Modify Mailbox Value

Exporting mailbox information does not export the Secondary E-mail addresses

  By default, the Secondary E-mail (Proxy) addresses are not exported. For
  information about how to export these addresses, please refer to the
  following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

  Q153028 XADM: How to Export Multiple (Secondary) E-mail Addresses

How to import multiple E-mail addresses

  The following Microsoft Knowledge Base article describes how to associate
  more than one E-mail address with a mailbox:

  Q148339 XADM: How to Import Multiple SMTP Addresses

On exporting, Custom recipients are not exported

  The following Microsoft Knowledge Base article describes a possible reason
  why the export only contains header fields:

  Q147854 XADM: Custom Recipients DIR Export Creates Headers-Only CSV

How to run Import/Export in a batch mode

  The directory import/export can be run from the command line and, therefore,
  can be run as part of a batch process. For more information on running
  import/export from the command line, please refer to Microsoft Exchange
  Administrator's Guide, pages 479-487.

How to specify the delimiter to be used

  Please refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

  Q152472 XADM: How to Specify a Tab or Space as Separator in .csv File

ExportObject entry in the options file not working

  The following Microsoft Knowledge Base article provides more information
  about the ExportObject setting:

  Q152300 XADM: ExportObject in Command-Line Export Options File Only

How to export the entire GAL using the command line Import program

  The following Microsoft Knowledge Base article describes how to perform a
  command line Directory Export of the Global Address List (GAL) using the
  Microsoft Exchange Administrator program:

  Q149447 XADM: How to Perform a Directory Export of the GAL

Issue with opening .CSV files containing Exchange DL data in Microsoft Excel

  Microsoft Excel has a limit of 255 characters per cell. When you open a .CSV
  file containing DL data, it is very likely that the Members field, which
  contains the members of the DL, will be larger than 255 characters in length.
  If you use Microsoft Excel to modify the data in the .CSV file, when you save
  the file any field with more than 255 characters will be truncated. This
  could cause problems when this data is imported back into the Microsoft
  Exchange system via the Directory Import command. It is possible that the
  members of large DLs will not have all the original members that were present
  when the data was exported. It is also likely that sending mail to these DLs
  will generate errors.

How to export subcontainers

  When you use the Directory Export command interactively from the Microsoft
  Exchange Administrator program, there is an Include Subcontainers check box
  on the Directory Export dialog. If this check box is set, subcontainers of
  the selected container will be exported.

  When you run the Directory Export program from the command line, there is a
  setting in the Export Options file that you need to be set:

     [Export]
     Subcontainers=Yes

"Unable to process object"

  When you import data from a .CSV file, the following error might be received
  in the Event Log:

  Event ID: 291
  Source: MSExchangeDSImp
  Type: Error
  Category: None
  Description:
  "Unable to process object TestUser because the import line must contain the
  same number of fields as the header line. 10 were expected, 8 were found."

  As the error message indicates, this error is generated if the data supplied
  in the .CSV file is incomplete. In other words, if there are 10 fields
  specified in the header of the file, each record in the file should have 10
  data fields, even if the fields are empty. This problem can easily occur if
  commas are missing from a line in the .CSV file. It may not be possible to
  detect this problem by viewing the data in Microsoft Excel because Microsoft
  Excel does not display the data delimiters (commas, in this case). You will
  need to update the .CSV file using a text editor like Notepad.


Additional query words: faq

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Keywords          : kbusage exc4 exc5 exc55 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange500 kbExchange550 kbExchange400 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : :4.0,5.0,5.5
Issue type        : kbhowto

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