Bulk User Operations

AZ-104 Weight: Low - Know the concept and CSV format

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Overview

Bulk operations let you create, invite, or delete multiple users at once using CSV files. Useful for:

• Onboarding many new employees
• Migrating users from another system
• Quarterly cleanup of inactive accounts
• Inviting many external partners at once

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Available Bulk Operations

Operation	Description	Portal Location
Bulk create	Create multiple new users	Users > Bulk create
Bulk invite	Invite multiple guest users	Users > Bulk invite
Bulk delete	Delete multiple users	Users > Bulk delete
Download users	Export user list to CSV	Users > Download users

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Bulk Create Users

CSV Template Format

Name [displayName] Required,User name [userPrincipalName] Required,Initial password [passwordProfile] Required,Block sign in (Yes/No) [accountEnabled] Required,First name [givenName],Last name [surname],Job title [jobTitle],Department [department],Usage location [usageLocation],Street address [streetAddress],State or province [state],Country or region [country],Office [physicalDeliveryOfficeName],City [city],ZIP or postal code [postalCode],Office phone [telephoneNumber],Mobile phone [mobile]
John Doe,john.doe@contoso.onmicrosoft.com,TempP@ss123!,No,John,Doe,Developer,Engineering,US,123 Main St,WA,US,Building A,Seattle,98101,555-1234,555-5678
Jane Smith,jane.smith@contoso.onmicrosoft.com,TempP@ss456!,No,Jane,Smith,Manager,Sales,US,456 Oak Ave,CA,US,Building B,Los Angeles,90001,555-2345,555-6789

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
displayName	Full name	John Doe
userPrincipalName	Sign-in name	john.doe@domain.com
passwordProfile	Initial password	Must meet complexity
accountEnabled	Yes/No	No = blocked

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Portal Walkthrough: Bulk Create

1. Go to Microsoft Entra admin center
2. Navigate to Identity > Users > All users
3. Click Bulk operations > Bulk create
4. Download the CSV template
5. Fill in user data (keep the header row!)
6. Upload the completed CSV
7. Click Submit

Checking Results

1. After submit, click Download results
2. Review the results CSV:
   • Success: User created
   • Failure: Shows error reason (duplicate UPN, bad password, etc.)

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Bulk Invite Guests

CSV Template Format

Email address to invite [inviteeEmail] Required,Redirection url [inviteRedirectURL] Required,Send invitation message (Yes/No) [sendEmail],Customized invitation message [customizedMessageBody]
partner1@external.com,https://portal.azure.com,Yes,Welcome to our project collaboration!
partner2@external.com,https://myapp.azurewebsites.net,Yes,You're invited to access our partner portal.
consultant@vendor.com,https://portal.azure.com,No,

Required Fields

Field	Description
inviteeEmail	External email address
inviteRedirectURL	Where to send user after acceptance

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Bulk Delete Users

CSV Format

User name [userPrincipalName] Required
john.doe@contoso.onmicrosoft.com
jane.smith@contoso.onmicrosoft.com
temp.user@contoso.onmicrosoft.com

Important Notes

• Deleted users go to Deleted users (soft delete)
• Can be restored within 30 days
• Permanent deletion after 30 days
• Cannot bulk delete users with active admin roles

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Download Users

Export your user list for:

• Auditing purposes
• Backup before changes
• Analysis in Excel
• Input for other bulk operations

Steps:

1. Users > All users
2. Click Download users
3. Select columns to include
4. Choose format (CSV)
5. Click Start and download when ready

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PowerShell Alternative

For larger operations or automation:

# Import users from CSV
$users = Import-Csv -Path "users.csv"

foreach ($user in $users) {
    $passwordProfile = @{
        Password = $user.Password
        ForceChangePasswordNextSignIn = $true
    }
    
    New-MgUser `
        -DisplayName $user.DisplayName `
        -UserPrincipalName $user.UserPrincipalName `
        -PasswordProfile $passwordProfile `
        -AccountEnabled:$true `
        -MailNickname ($user.UserPrincipalName -split '@')[0] `
        -Department $user.Department `
        -JobTitle $user.JobTitle
}

# Bulk invite guests
$guests = Import-Csv -Path "guests.csv"

foreach ($guest in $guests) {
    New-MgInvitation `
        -InvitedUserEmailAddress $guest.Email `
        -InvitedUserDisplayName $guest.Name `
        -InviteRedirectUrl "https://portal.azure.com" `
        -SendInvitationMessage:$true
}

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Common Errors and Solutions

Error	Cause	Solution
Invalid UPN format	UPN doesn't match domain	Use verified domain
Password doesn't meet requirements	Weak password	Use complex password
User already exists	Duplicate UPN	Check for existing user
Invalid usage location	Bad country code	Use 2-letter ISO code
Quota exceeded	Too many users	Contact Microsoft support

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Best Practices

1. Always download template - Don't create CSV from scratch
2. Test with small batch - Try 2-3 users first
3. Check results file - Review every failure
4. Use consistent data - Standardize department names, etc.
5. Backup first - Download existing users before bulk delete

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Exam Tips

• Know that bulk operations use CSV files
• Understand the required fields for each operation
• Know that deleted users can be restored within 30 days
• PowerShell/Graph API is available for automation
• Operations are asynchronous - results come later

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Practice Question

Scenario: You need to create 500 user accounts for new employees starting next month. You have their information in an HR spreadsheet.

What is the MOST efficient method?

A) Create each user manually in the portal
B) Use bulk create with a CSV file
C) Use Azure CLI in a loop
D) Create users via Azure DevOps pipeline

Answer

B) Use bulk create with a CSV file

Explanation: For one-time bulk creation of many users:

1. Download the CSV template
2. Copy data from HR spreadsheet
3. Upload and create all users at once

While CLI/PowerShell works, CSV upload is simpler for one-time operations without coding. Azure DevOps is overkill for this scenario.