9/14/2009 -- We are running Windows Server 2003 at our company. Can I export data from an organizational unit in Active Directory Users and Computers to an Excel spreadsheet?

Answer:
Yes, you can use the export feature in Active Directory Users and Computers to perform this task. You can export data to a text file, either a Tab Delimited (.TXT) or Comma Delimited (.CSV) file. You can then open the file in Excel. Here's the step-by-step procedure.

1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console.
   
   
2. Select the organizational unit (OU) you want to work with.
   
   
3. Right-click the OU and select Export List.
   
   
4. You will have the option to save the file as a text file in either.TXT or .CSV format in the "Save as type" box.
   
   
5. Select the .CSV file type so when you save the file, you can open it in Excel by simply double-clicking it. If you select .TXT, you'll have to import the file in Excel and go through some extra steps.
   
   
6. Double-click the saved .CSV file to open it and manipulate the data to configure the way you want.

If you're interested only in certain types of objects (for example: users), you can filter the list first and then export the data.

1. For example, to export only user objects in the list, select Filter Options from the View menu.
   
   
2. Click the radio button for "Show only the following types of objects."
   
   

   [Click on image for larger view.]

   
   
3. Notice that by default, "Show all types of objects" is selected. Check the box for the users object and click OK. Now when you export the list it will only include the users objects.

You can only export a list, not import it. If you want to import data into Active Directory Users and Computers, there are lots of tools available to do that. Don't forget to reset the filter options when you're done.