Import Multiple Users

Unity's Bulk Administration Tool (BAT) can import a text file with comma-separated values (CSV) to create multiple mailboxes at once. This is extremely handy if upgrading from another Voicemail system, such as CallPilot. How easy this is depends on your Excel/Numbers and Copy/Paste dexterity, but it's worth spending some time on it, as a bulk import is huge time saver when it works!

Get some Data!

The source could be an extension list, or an export from another system. Name & extension is enough to start with. Fields must be plain text, and comma separated which may require some preliminary work in a text editor. Open the CSV file in Excel or Numbers, and make sure it looks good, with the correct data in the correct columns.

Eg, mailbox users exported from CallPilot, opened in Excel or Numbers:

1	3422	3422	Smith	Anita	Regular User	Local User	1
2	3135	3135	Simpson	Claire	Regular User	Local User	1
3	3687	3687	Sellers	Mike	Regular User	Local User	1
4	4961	4961	King	Mike	Regular User	Local User	1
5	3665	3665	Green	Claire	Regular User	Local User	1
6	3397	3397	Johnson	Mike	Regular User	Local User	1

Converting:

At a bare minimum, Unity requires 7 fields:

Alias	DisplayName	FirstName	LastName	TemplateAlias	Mailbox	ListInDirectory

Therefore, we need to edit the columns and fields to look something like the following...
With some column duplication, fill down, and 'Find & Replace', this actually isn't too hard!

Alias	DisplayName	FirstName	LastName	TemplateAlias	Mailbox	ListInDirectory
AnitaSmith	Anita Smith	Anita	Smith	VoiceMailUserTemplate	3422	1
ClaireSimpson	Claire Simpson	Claire	Simpson	VoiceMailUserTemplate	3135	1
MikeSellers	Mike Sellers	Mike	Sellers	VoiceMailUserTemplate	3687	1
MikeKing	Mike King	Mike	King	VoiceMailUserTemplate	4961	1
ClaireGreen	Claire Green	Claire	Green	VoiceMailUserTemplate	3665	1
MikeJohnson	Mike Johnson	Mike	Johnson	VoiceMailUserTemplate	3397	1

Export the final table as a CSV (comma separated values) file: File ➤ Export to ➤ CSV...

It should then look as follows when opened in a text editor, where any final tweaking can be done (if necessary).
Ensure that the first row contains the column headings, these are the minimum headings required for Unity Mail:

Alias,DisplayName,FirstName,LastName,TemplateAlias,Extension,ListInDirectory
AnitaSmith,Anita Smith,Anita,Smith,VoiceMailUserTemplate,3422,1
ClaireSimpson,Claire Simpson,Claire,Simpson,VoiceMailUserTemplate,3135,1
MikeSellers,Mike Sellers,Mike,Sellers,VoiceMailUserTemplate,3687,1
MikeKing,Mike King,Mike,King,VoiceMailUserTemplate,4961,1
ClaireGreen,Claire Green,Claire,Green,VoiceMailUserTemplate,3665,1
MikeJohnson,Mike Johnson,Mike,Johnson,VoiceMailUserTemplate,3397,1

Note that Numbers will separate values with Semi-colons if the decimal separator is a comma (eg, in Europe).
This can be fixed by changing your Region to UK/US in System Preferences, or with 'Find & Replace' in the text editor.

Importing:

In Unity, from the left menu select: Tools ➤ Bulk Administration Tool, choose your CSV file, and click Submit

If an import fails, open the the ''failed objects report file' by clicking the link. Make the necessary changes, and try again.

Rules:

The first row in your CSV file must contain column headings
Ensure that commas separate the data in each row in your CSV file
Although the data must be arranged in the same order as the column heading, the column order is unimportant
If the CSV file includes a column that you want BAT to ignore, use the column heading "Junk"
If any data includes a space, quotes, or commas, contain it within quotes *. Your data should not include double-quotes
Column headings are not case sensitive, but they must be spelled as indicated in Required and Optional CSV Fields section

* Works without quotes in Unity, but may cause problems interacting with external servers, so be aware.