Sometimes creating accounts through scripting is a better solution than using the AD Users and Computers tool manually. This is especially true when you must create a large number of accounts. If the information already exists in another format, such as a text file or an Excel spreadsheet, the scripting process will be the ideal solution.

CSVDE

     The Comma-Seperated Value Directory Exchange (CSVDE) tool is used to import and export Active Directory information to and from comma-seperated value (CSV) text files. CSV files are commonly used to transfer information between different types of data storage systems.
To export:

	c:\>csvde -f export.csv -v -r "(objectclass=user)"
	-d "OU=Dallas, DC=bigcorp,DC=com" -m

To import:

	c:\>csvde -i -f import.csv -v
     When combined with an application that can read and format CSV files such as Microsoft Excel, the import process can be an important feature. You can use Excel's editing capabilities such and cut and paste to make changes to these CSV files.

LDIFDE

     The Lightweight Directory Accesss Protocol (LDAP) is commonly used for querying many directory sources, such as X.500 based directories and Novell Directory Services (NDS). In addition to the RFC LDAP specification, there is a specification called the LDAP Interchange Format (LDIF). The LDIF is used to provide a common data storage and transfer mechanism for working with LDAP-based data. LDIF files can contain instructions to create, modify, and delete objects.

     The LDIF Directory Exchange (LDIFDE) utility works similarly to the CSVDE utility. The primary difference is the LDIF format, as opposed to the comma-seperated format. The LDIF format is not optimized for use with Microsoft Excel or text editors such as Notepad.

The Windows Scripting Host (WSH) can also be used. To find out more, go to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/

The Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI) is based on a set of Component
Object Model (COM) structures that can be sued in a variety of environments.

ADSI can be used with multiple programming languages such as Visual Basic,
Visual C++, Java, and Active Server Pages (ASP).

ADSI also supports the use of Netware 3.x Bindery, NDS, and Windows NT 4
account databases. ADSI is very useful for migration strategies.