Introduction

In this article, you will learn how to efficiently bulk update Google Group settings using xFanatical Foresight. Managing large organizations or educational institutions often requires creating and managing multiple Google Groups for various teams, departments, or classes. Manually setting up each group can be a time-consuming task, especially when you need to update settings of dozens or even hundreds of groups. 

Illustration of bulk updating Google Groups settings in Google Workspace with xFanatical Foresight Automation Illustration of bulk updating Google Groups settings in Google Workspace with xFanatical Foresight Automation

Manually updating these settings for individual groups becomes impractical, especially during policy changes or compliance updates. For example, if a company needs to restrict all groups to internal visibility, manually applying this setting to hundreds of groups would be a daunting task. Without a bulk update feature, administrators risk inconsistencies, which could lead to privacy issues, security risks, or ineffective communication workflows.

You can update settings of one group at a time natively from Google Admin Console. Updating Google Group settings in bulk from Google Admin Console can be time consuming. Here xFanatical Foresight comes in the picture, where you can update Google Groups settings in bulk within some clicks, while maintaining data integrity and security. 

Introducing xFanatical Foresight Automation

xFanatical Foresight is a powerful platform which helps automate and streamline the Google Workspace workflows. In today’s fast paced business environment, efficiency is the key. xFanatical Foresight automation permits administrators and users to create intricate business workflows, which consumes a lot more time doing it natively. It simplifies the process of bulk updation of Google Group settings in Google Workspace, so you can take care of more important tasks.

Google Group Settings

Google Group has a wide number of settings, which includes controls, collaboration, and the privacy of the group. For setup of xFanatical Automation you might need to create a CSV file of settings to be updated. Check out this Sample CSV for group settings and their values reference.

Automation Setup Instructions

In this section, we guide you through the automation setup in xFanatical Foresight. We have 2 ways to set up automation rules, Set up automation from a template and Set up automation from scratch. After completing the automation rule, verify whether the automation meets your requirements.

To demonstrate the automation we are using only Who Can Post, and Who Can Contact Group Owners settings. You can customize the CSV file as per your requirement with the available group settings.

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 Bulk update group settings template, and click on it.
    Bulk update group settings template on xFanatical Foresight templates page
  4. In the Templates > Bulk update group settings page, click Copy rule.
    Bulk update group settings template page with copy rule button
  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. Upon authorization, a dialog titled Copy of bulk update group settings will display.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Click Review.
  9. In the Review screen,
    1. Customize the Rule name.
      Copy of bulk update group settings rule review screen
    2. Click Create.
  10. The rule is created in the Rules page.
    Copy of bulk update group settings rule on xFanatical Foresight rules pageCopy of bulk update group settings rule on xFanatical Foresight rules page
    xFanatical Foresight workflow for bulk updating Google group settings in Google Workspace.
Set Up Automation From Scratch

Set Up Automation From Scratch

Supported plans: xFanatical Foresight Elite and Professional (Legacy).

Prior to implementing an automation rule, it is advisable to examine the configurable settings of Google Groups. To demonstrate the automation we are using only Who Can Post, and Who Can Contact Group Owners settings. 

  1. Download the Sample CSV file for the automation rule creation process.
    Sample CSV file for Bulk update google group settings.
  2. Sign into xFanatical Foresight with your Google Admin account. 
  3. Go to the Rules page, and click the new rule button at the bottom right to create a new rule.
  4. In the Select a trigger screen, select Data uploaded.
    Select the data uploaded trigger for the rule.
  5. Select the CSV file you’ve created in Step 2.
  6. Click Next.
  7. In the Select an action screen, select the Update group settings.
    On the Select an action screen, click the Update group setting action
  8. In the Edit actions > Update group settings screen,
    1. If you’re using this action for the first time, you will see Sign in with Google button. Click on it, and authorize xFanatical Foresight the necessary permissions to automate on behalf of your Google account.
      Sign in with google button on Update group setting edit action screen
    2. In the Group email field, select the Group Email variable from the Data uploaded trigger.
      : Configuring Group email field with Group email variable
    3. In the Who Can Post field, select the Who Can Post variable from the Data uploaded trigger.
      Configuring Who can post field with Who can post variable
    4. In the Who can contact group owners field, select Who Can Contact Group Owners variable from the Data uploaded trigger.
      Configuring Who can contact group owners field with who can contact group owners variable
    5. Click Review.
  9. In the Review screen,
    1. Customize the Rule name.
      Bulk update group settings rule review screen
    2. Click Create.
  10. The automation rule is created.
    Bulk update group settings rule on xFanatical Foresight rules page
    xFanatical Foresight workflow for bulk updating Google group settings in Google Workspace.
Verify Automation

Verify Automation

To ensure that your rule setup automates as expected, it’s essential to conduct a simple test. The following instructions demonstrate how to bulk update google group Who Can Post, and Who Can Contact Group Owners settings using xFanatical Foresight in Google Workspace. 

  1. Before updating the settings of google group from Google Admin Console, check the existing group settings.
    Group access settings page before settings update on Google Admin console
  2. We are updating Who can post settings to ALL_MANAGERS_CAN_POST, and Who Can Contact Group Owners setting to ALL_OWNERS_CAN_CONTACT.
    CSV file for group settings update.
  3. Go to the Templates page of xFanatical Foresight.
  4. Search Bulk update group settings template, and click on it.
  5. Click the Download Sample CSV File button, or if you set up Automation from scratch, just use the CSV file which you have created.
    Bulk update group settings template with download sample csv file button
  6. Customize the CSV file with Group emails, Who can post, and Who can contact group owners, as per your organisation requirements.
    Sample CSV file for Bulk update google group settings.
  7. Go to the Rules Page.
  8. Click on the upload-button. icon of Copy of bulk update group settings rule.
    Copy of bulk update group settings rule with upload icon
  9. Upload the CSV file customized in Step 6.
  10. Wait momentarily, and you will get a notification on the top right of xFanatical Foresight. In the notification message, click View log.
    Notification of Copy of bulk update group settings rule with view log button
  11. In the log screen, you can see the CSV file name you’ve uploaded, group email, and changed setting details.
    Log of successsful execution of bulk update google group settings rule
  12. Confirm the updated group settings in Google Admin Console.
    Group access settings page after settings updated on Google Admin console

Notes

  • Don’t add any non-existing group details in the CSV, the automation will fail on groups not found in the action history.
  • Max of 5000 rows CSV can be processed at a time. So be cautious while creating the CSV files.
  • Some group settings have inter-dependencies. A setting's value determines another setting's value. For example,  The Who can post field must be NONE_CAN_POST when the Group archived field is true. Ensure to read the Update group settings action's help when preparing the CSV file columns. Otherwise, such conflict may lead to automation failure.
  • To minimize disruptions from mistakes, it's suggested to conduct a small scale test in 5 groups before bulk updating settings for hundreds of groups. 

Conclusion

Bulk updating Google Groups settings in Google Workspace using xFanatical Foresight is a game changer for your organization's efficient productivity and management. By leveraging its intuitive interface and powerful automation capabilities, you can streamline your automation process and ensure effective collaboration in your teams. With xFanatical Foresight, you can effortlessly create, manage and organize your groups, and invest valuable time for more important tasks.

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

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