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Troubleshoot Errors When Importing Users

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Applies to: Office 365 for professionals and small businesses, Office 365 for enterprises, Live@edu

When you import new users in the Exchange Control Panel, most problems result from data errors in the CSV file you submit. To minimize or avoid these problems, review the following:

  • Types of errors
  • Fix critical errors
  • Fix data validation errors
    • What happens when data validation errors are found?
    • Suggested solutions for data validation errors
    • Use the ImportErrors.csv file to fix data validation errors
  • Fix miscellaneous errors

Types of errors

After you submit the CSV file, Microsoft Exchange checks it for two types of errors:

  • Critical errors   A critical error prevents the import process from starting. Microsoft Exchange terminates the import process and displays an error that explains the reason for the failure. You have to fix all critical errors and restart the import process.
  • Data validation errors   A data validation error results when data in the rows of a CSV file doesn't meets the property definition for the corresponding attribute in the header. The import process isn't terminated if data validation errors are found, but new user accounts won't be created for rows that contain data validation errors.

Even when there are no critical or data validation errors and the import process completes successfully, you may find that user accounts for some rows in your CSV file haven't been created. These miscellaneous errors often result from problems with the Windows Live ID or password, or from using values that already exist in your organization.

Fix critical errors

Here are the critical errors that terminate the import process and how to fix or avoid them.

Error Suggested solution

The file isn't formatted as a CSV file.

Make sure that your files uses comma separated formatting. The file can have a .txt suffix as long as the file is formatted correctly.

The file is empty or it contains more than 50,000 rows.

Make sure the CSV file isn't empty and contains less than 50,000 rows. If you want to provision a large number of users, consider using several smaller batches instead of one large batch.

A required attribute is missing from the header row.

Make sure the CSV file contains the following attributes:

  • Name
  • EmailAddress
  • FirstName
  • LastName
  • Password or FederatedIdentity

The CSV file can contain additional optional attributes, but it must contain the required attributes.

The file contains the Password attribute and the FederatedIdentity attribute.

You can only import one type of user at a time in a CSV file. That means you can include the Password attribute or the FederatedIdentity attribute, but not both. Remove one of these columns, resubmit the CSV file, and when the user import process is complete, submit a new CSV file with the other column.

The header row contains an attribute that isn't supported by the import process.

For a list of the optional attributes that are supported, see Import New Exchange Online Users with a CSV File.

One or more rows don't contain the same number of attributes (columns) as the header row.

Make sure that every row contains the same number of attributes as the header. This error often results from missing commas, so verify that each value in a row is separated by a comma.

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Fix data validation errors

After you submit a CSV file, the Microsoft Exchange import process validates the data in the CSV file before it prompts you to continue importing new users. This process is called preliminary data validation. The import process checks the rows for each column in the CSV file to verify that your data meets the property definitions for its corresponding attribute. For example, the import process checks the e-mail address in each row of the EmailAddress column to verify the address uses a valid SMTP address format.

Important   During the import process, a new user account can fail even after the row is successfully validated during preliminary data validation. This happens when an attribute value in the CSV file meets the preliminary data validation requirements but doesn't meet other requirements that are verified during the import process. For example, an e-mail address will pass preliminary data validation if it's a properly formatted SMTP address but will cause a failure during the import process if it's already being used for another user in the organization.

What happens when data validation errors are found?

As mentioned earlier, the import process isn't terminated if errors are found during the preliminary data validation, but new user accounts won't be created for rows that contain validation errors. Rows with errors and the reason for the error are included in the ImportErrors.csv file that is attached to the status e-mail message sent after the import process is complete.

You have two choices when data validations errors are found:

  • Cancel the import process, fix the errors, restart the import process, and resubmit the fixed CSV file.
  • Start the import process anyway, fix any errors after the import process is complete, and start a new import process to create the user accounts that failed.

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Suggested solutions for data validation errors

The following table describes the preliminary data validation checks for attributes and suggested solutions to fix an error.

Attribute (Column) Validation check Suggested solution

CustomAttribute1-10

The length is between 0 and 1024 characters.

Verify that the length is no more than 1024 characters.

CustomAttribute11-15

The length is between 0 and 2048 characters.

Verify that the length is no more than 2048 characters.

DisplayName
  • The length is between 0 and 256 characters.
  • It doesn't contain leading or trailing spaces.
  • Verify that length is no more than 256 characters.
  • Remove leading or trailing spaces.

EmailAddress

It is formatted as a valid SMTP address.
  • Make sure the address contains the at (@) sign, for example, student@contoso.edu.
  • Make sure the domain portion is formatted correctly, for example, contoso.edu.

FederatedIdentity

The field isn't empty.

Make sure the FederatedIdentity field isn't empty.

FirstName

The length is between 1 and 64 characters.

Verify that the length is between 1 and 64 characters.

Initials

The length is between 0 and 6 characters.

Verify that length is no more than 6 characters.

LastName

The length is between 1 and 64 characters.

Verify that the length is between 1 and 64 characters.

Name
  • The length is between 1 and 64 characters.
  • It can't contain leading or trailing spaces.
  • Some special characters aren't permitted.
  • Verify that the length is between 1 and 64 characters.
  • Remove leading or trailing spaces.
  • Verify that the CSV file is saved with UTF-8 or other Unicode encoding, and remove special characters if an error persists.

Password

The field isn't empty.

Make sure the password field isn't empty.

Tip   To prevent password-related errors during the actual import process, verify that password length is between 6 and 16 characters, which is the requirement for Windows Live IDs.

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Use the ImportErrors.csv file to fix data validation errors

If you decide to continue the import process even if you have validation errors, you can use the ImportErrors.csv file to fix those errors and import the rows that failed. For each row, use information in the Failure Reason column to resolve the problem that caused the row to fail. Then use that same ImportErrors.csv file to submit a new import user request. The import process ignores the Failure Reason column. You can also delete the Failure Reason column before you resubmit the fixed CSV import file.

Fix miscellaneous errors

As mentioned earlier, you may find that user accounts for some rows in your CSV file haven't been created, even when there were no critical or data validation errors and the import process completed successfully. Examples include an e-mail address that is formatted as an SMTP address but already exists in your organization, or a password that passes data validation but doesn't meet the Windows Live ID requirements.

Here are the common errors and how to fix or avoid them.

Error Suggested solution

The password is too long or too short.

Windows Live passwords must be between 6 and 16 characters long.

The Windows Live ID is already being used.

The value for the EmailAddress attribute, which becomes the new user's Windows Live ID, must be unique in your organization.

The value of the Name attribute is already being used.

The value for the Name attribute must be unique in your organization.

The domain portion of the e-mail address isn't an accepted domain for your organization.

Verify that domain portion of the e-mail address is formatted correctly and uses an accepted domain for your organization.

Special characters aren't displaying correctly.

Save the CSV file with UTF-8 or other Unicode encoding.

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