Formatting your CSV Input File

Updated October 08, 2026 20:19

Sucy Vero

Previous Topic: Importing through CSV Overview

Prepare a comma-separated values (CSV) file to create groups, update user attributes, or change user status in SnapComms Content Manager. Each row links a user or machine to a group.

The accompanying CSV template contains the field names only. Add your own rows before importing it. Keep the five required columns and remove optional columns you do not need. For status changes, use the status field appropriate to your installation.

Download the CSV import template (.csv)

Required fields

Include these five column headers in every file, including files that only update user attributes or status.

Field	Value or format	Purpose
`userName`	Username	Use the existing user identity when updating a user.
`userDomain`	Base domain	Retain this field even when matching by user principal name (UPN).
`userType`	user or machine	Use user for a person and machine for a computer.
`groupName`	Group name	Each row associates a user with a group.
`groupDomain`	Group domain	Keep consistent for the same group in the same User Category.

Use a header row followed by at least one data row. Separate fields with commas. Put values containing commas inside double quotes, for example "Taylor, Alex". Keep the same number of fields in each row.

Optional fields

Include optional columns only for information you intend to manage through CSV import. Empty cells do not have the same effect for every field, so remove unused columns rather than assuming blank values preserve existing information.

Field	Value or format	Purpose
`userStatus`	Active or Disabled for the documented use cases	Only include when intentionally setting status; userStatus takes precedence over userActive when valid.
`userActive`	TRUE or FALSE	Legacy status field; FALSE means Inactive, not Disabled. Prefer the status field appropriate to your installation.
`groupActive`	TRUE or FALSE	Do not rely on this column to deactivate groups during import.
`userFullname`	Full name	Remove unused optional columns rather than assuming empty cells preserve existing values.
`userFirstname`	First name	User attribute.
`userLastname`	Last name	User attribute.
`userDN`	Distinguished name	For example CN=Alex Taylor,OU=People,DC=example,DC=com.
`userOU`	Organisational unit	User attribute.
`groupOU`	Organisational unit	Use consistent values for all rows belonging to the same group.
`mobileUsername`	Mobile app login username, in an email format	Include only when intentionally managing mobile credentials.
`mobilePassword`	Mobile app login password	Include only when intentionally setting or changing the password.
`email`	Email address	User attribute.
`sms`	International phone number	For example +64211234567; preserve the plus sign when editing in a spreadsheet.
`userPrincipalName`	User principal name	For example alex.taylor@example.com; used for matching when matchbyUserPrincipalName is TRUE in a full import.
`matchbyUserPrincipalName`	TRUE or FALSE	TRUE enables UPN lookup in a full import; memberships-only matching uses userName and userDomain.

For cloud hosted Content Manager, use userStatus with Active or Disabled for the use cases below. The legacy userActive field accepts TRUE or FALSE; FALSE sets the user to Inactive. It does not set the user to Disabled. If both fields are supplied, a valid userStatus takes precedence.

Match users to Content Manager

To update an existing user, use the user's existing identity. For username and domain matching, set userName and userDomain to the username and base domain shown for that user in Content Manager. Using the displayed base domain is especially important for a memberships-only import.

Example CSV showing username and domain matching

Users page showing username and base domain

For UPN matching in a full import, add userPrincipalName and matchbyUserPrincipalName. Enter the user's existing User Principal Name and set matchbyUserPrincipalName to TRUE. Retain all five required columns, including userName and userDomain.

If the UPN does not match an existing user, the import can fall back to username and domain matching. A full import can create a user when no existing user matches. If the matching flag is omitted or set to FALSE, the UPN can be stored as a user attribute without enabling UPN matching.

Example CSV containing UPN matching fields

Users page showing a user principal name

Memberships-only imports: Selecting Process Memberships only (do not create users) matches existing users by username and base domain. It does not use the UPN matching flag, create users, update user attributes, or change user status. Rows that do not match an existing user are skipped when assigning memberships.

Use cases for CSV import

Create groups

To add a user to several groups, repeat the user's row once for each group and change the group fields. Keep the user's details consistent across these rows. Keep group details consistent for all rows belonging to the same group.

Within a User Category, the combination of groupName and groupDomain identifies the group. CSV groups are managed through their selected User Category and are separate from groups collected from Active Directory.

Reimport the complete membership list for the selected User Category. Importing replaces memberships for the groups being processed. Existing active groups in that category that are absent from the new file have their memberships removed and are deactivated. Removing a user from the file is not a substitute for explicitly setting that user's status to Disabled.

You can use one file for several groups or separate files for separate User Categories. Using the same name for a file and its User Category can help you identify which file to update and reimport.

Example CSV assigning users to groups

Add user attributes

Add the optional columns for the attributes you want to maintain, such as names, email, SMS number, UPN, distinguished name, or organisational unit. Keep the required user and group columns. Clear Process Memberships only (do not create users) so that user information can be updated.

If Active Directory also supplies these attributes, check the Include User Attributes settings in your Windows App Profile to avoid competing sources. See Windows App Management: App Profiles.

Example CSV adding user attributes

Additional example CSV adding user attributes

Offboard users

Include the user in the complete CSV for the intended User Category, using the matching identity and required group fields.
Add userStatus and enter Disabled for the user you want to offboard.
Clear Process Memberships only (do not create users) in Users & Groups Sync.
Import the file, check that the import succeeds, and confirm the user's status in Content Manager.

Use Disabled explicitly. Deleting the user's row or setting userActive to FALSE does not perform the same status change. The status change is applied during import processing.