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	4096	4096	Sellers	Ryan	Regular User	Local User	1
2	4658	4658	Thomas	Zoey	Regular User	Local User	1
3	4899	4899	Brown	Peter	Regular User	Local User	1
4	4790	4790	Johnson	Anne	Regular User	Local User	1
5	3024	3024	Brown	Mike	Regular User	Local User	1
6	3017	3017	Green	Anne	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
RyanSellers	Ryan Sellers	Ryan	Sellers	VoiceMailUserTemplate	4096	1
ZoeyThomas	Zoey Thomas	Zoey	Thomas	VoiceMailUserTemplate	4658	1
PeterBrown	Peter Brown	Peter	Brown	VoiceMailUserTemplate	4899	1
AnneJohnson	Anne Johnson	Anne	Johnson	VoiceMailUserTemplate	4790	1
MikeBrown	Mike Brown	Mike	Brown	VoiceMailUserTemplate	3024	1
AnneGreen	Anne Green	Anne	Green	VoiceMailUserTemplate	3017	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
RyanSellers,Ryan Sellers,Ryan,Sellers,VoiceMailUserTemplate,4096,1
ZoeyThomas,Zoey Thomas,Zoey,Thomas,VoiceMailUserTemplate,4658,1
PeterBrown,Peter Brown,Peter,Brown,VoiceMailUserTemplate,4899,1
AnneJohnson,Anne Johnson,Anne,Johnson,VoiceMailUserTemplate,4790,1
MikeBrown,Mike Brown,Mike,Brown,VoiceMailUserTemplate,3024,1
AnneGreen,Anne Green,Anne,Green,VoiceMailUserTemplate,3017,1

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.