How to search for an AD account using PowerShell script.
The following is a comparison between searching for an AD account with Windows PowerShell and ADManager Plus:
Windows PowerShell
Steps to search for AD accounts based on specific requirements using PowerShell:
- Identify the domain from which you want to retrieve the report.
- Identify the LDAP attributes you need to fetch the report.
- Identify the primary DC to retrieve the report.
- Compile the script.
- Execute it in Windows PowerShell.
- The report will be exported in the given format.
- To obtain the report in a different format, modify the script accordingly to the needs of the user.
Sample Windows PowerShell script
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Search-ADAccount -PasswordExpired | FT Name,ObjectClass -A
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ADManager Plus
To obtain a report :
- Select a desired report from the Reports tab.
- Select the domain and OU. Click Generate.
- Choose any of the preferred formats (CSV, PDF, HTML, CSVDE and XLSX).
Screenshot
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Following are the limitations to search for AD user(s) based on certain conditions using native tools like Windows PowerShell:
- We can run this script only from the computers which has Active Directory Domain Services role.
- Adding even minor details to the report—such as adding additional attributes—require scripts to be modified and executed again, which is time-consuming.
- Exporting a report in a specific format requires a script to be modified accordingly, which increases the complexity of the scripts.
- Troubleshooting is not easy in case of errors
ADManager Plus will retrieve details of multiple users in any desired format in a simple and intuitively designed UI.
