Introduction

This blog explains how to bulk update user custom attributes in Google Workspace using xFanatical Foresight. Custom attributes are commonly used by organizations to store additional user information such as employee IDs, department codes, office locations, employment types and other business-specific data. As organizations grow, maintaining these attributes across thousands of user accounts becomes increasingly challenging.

Manually updating custom attributes through the Google Admin Console can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Administrators often need to update employee information after organizational restructuring, department changes, compliance requirements or HR data updates and updating one user at a time can be problematic.

With xFanatical Foresight, administrators can automate bulk updates of user custom attributes using a CSV file. This automation eliminates repetitive manual work, ensures data consistency across user accounts and enables organizations to efficiently manage large-scale user information updates.

Illustration of how xFanatical Foresight automates bulk updates of user custom attributes in Google Workspace.

Introducing xFanatical Foresight Automation

xFanatical Foresight is a powerful automation platform designed specifically for Google Workspace. It enables administrators to automate user management tasks that would require extensive manual efforts.

Using xFanatical Foresight, administrators can upload a CSV file containing user primary emails and corresponding custom attribute values. The template automatically processes the file and updates the specified custom attributes for all listed users. This automation improves accuracy, reduces administrative workload and helps maintain consistent user information across the organization.

Automation Setup Instructions

In this section, we guide you through the template automation setup in xFanatical Foresight. After completing the automation rule, verify whether the automation meets your requirements.

Set Up Automation From a Template

Set Up Automation From a Template

Supported plans: xFanatical Foresight Elite plan.

  1. Sign into xFanatical Foresight with your Google Admin account. 
  2. Go to the Templates page.
  3. Search for Bulk update user custom attributes and click on it.
    In the Templates > search for Bulk update user custom attributes template in xFanatical Foresight.
  4. In the Templates > Bulk update user custom attributes page, click Copy Rule.
    In the Templates > Bulk update user custom attributes, click the Copy rule to duplicate the automation in xFanatical Foresight
  5. For the first time use of the template rule, an dialog Action needed will display requesting necessary permissions required to copy the rule. Click Connect with Google and authorize the permissions.
  6. After authorization, a Setting up your rule dialog will appear.
    Setting up the rule by checking permissions and so on
  7. Next, in the Select custom attributes to update dialog –
    Select custom attributes to update.
    1. Select at least one or more custom attributes that you want to update in bulk.
      For Examples – Employee ID, Employment Type etc.
    2. Click Continue.
  8. Wait while xFanatical Foresight automatically configures the rule based on your selected custom attributes and prepare CSV file. 
  9. Once the setup is complete, a CSV file will be downloaded automatically and the Copy of Bulk Update User Custom Attributes rule edit dialog will open.
  10. In the dialog, click Next to continue. 
  11. Click Review.
  12. In the Review screen,
    In the Review page, provide rule name and create the rule.
    1. In Rule name, customize the automation rule name.
    2. Click Create.
  13. The rule is created in the Rules page.
bulk updates of user custom attributes using an auto-generated CSV file.

xFanatical Foresight rule graph illustrating bulk updates of user custom attributes using an auto-generated CSV file.

Verify Automation

Prepare the downloaded CSV file

  1. Open the auto-downloaded CSV file and enter the user’s primary email and custom attributes, which you selected while rule setup. Learn more about editing CSV file in Google Sheets.
    Add custom attributes to auto downloaded CSV file.
  2. Follow the below CSV validation requirements for custom attributes values according to info type.
    1. Text custom attributes accept any text value. Multi-valued text attributes support multiple text values. For Example – IT, Sales, Marketing
    2. Email custom attributes require valid email addresses. Multi-valued email attributes support multiple valid email addresses. For Example – [email protected], [email protected]
    3. Phone custom attributes require valid phone numbers in E.164 format, such as +14155552671. Multi-valued phone attributes support multiple phone numbers. For Example – +14155552671, +442071838750
    4. Whole Number custom attributes accept numeric values. Multi-valued number attributes support multiple numeric values. For Example – 1001, 1002, 1003
    5. Decimal Number custom attributes accept integer or decimal values. Multi-valued decimal attributes support multiple values. For Example – 99.95, 149.50
    6. Yes or No custom attributes only accept true or false. Multi-valued boolean attributes support multiple true or false values. For Example – true or false.
    7. For multi-valued custom attributes, enter multiple values within the same CSV cell separated by line breaks. 
    8. If a value does not match the expected format for the selected custom attribute type, the row may fail validation and will not be updated.
  3. Download the prepared CSV file. Learn more about exporting Google Sheets into CSV.
  4. To clear an existing custom attribute value, leave the cell blank.

Verify Automation

To ensure your rule setup automates as expected, it’s crucial to perform a simple test. The following instructions demonstrate how xFanatical Foresight bulk updates user’s custom attributes in Google Workspace.

  1. Before starting the automation, go to Google Admin Console > Directory > Users > {User Name} and review the user’s current custom attribute values.
    Review the user's custom attribute values before automation.
  2. Go to xFanatical Foresight.
  3. Go to the Rules Page.
  4. Click on upload-button. icon of Copy of Bulk update user custom attributes rule.
  5. Upload the edited auto downloaded CSV file. Wait for a few moments till CSV is fully processed.
  6. Once processing completes, you’ll receive a notification in the top-right corner of xFanatical Foresight. Click View log.
    A notification on the completion of rule execution.
  7. In the Logs > Log details page, review the Rule history section.
    Logs detailed page for bulk change preferred language for users rule.
  8. Return to Google Admin Console > Directory > Users > {User Name}.
  9. Verify that the custom attribute values have been updated according to the CSV file.
    Verification of successful automation.

Notes

  • This template uses a single automation rule.
  • The generated CSV file is customized based on the custom attributes selected during template setup.
  • Custom attributes must already exist in Google Workspace before using this template.
  • Up to 25 custom attributes can be selected during configuration.
  • Each rule execution generates a log entry that can be reviewed from the Logs page.
  • Updating custom attributes does not affect user access, licenses or account status.
  • CSV processing time depends on the number of users being updated.
  • If new custom attribute schemas are added or existing attributes are deleted in the Admin Console, it may take a few minutes for the changes to appear in the Select custom attributes to update dialog. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, xFanatical Foresight simplifies one of the limitations of Google Workspace administration by enabling bulk updates of user custom attributes. Instead of manually editing individual user records, administrators can generate a customized CSV file, populate the required values and update multiple users in a single operation. This reduces administrative effort, improves data consistency and makes user management more scalable for growing organizations.

Try a 14-day free trial with xFanatical Foresight and manage your tasks.

Related Articles

For more article please visit our website: Articles