How to deal with automated duplicate user removal - csv

Question

I have the following:
#(Import-Csv C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs\Monday.csv) +
#(Import-Csv C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs\Tuesday.csv) +
#(Import-Csv C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs\Wednesday.csv) +
#(Import-Csv C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs\Thursday.csv) +
#(Import-Csv C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs\Friday.csv) |
sort first_name,last_name,phone1 -Unique |
Export-Csv C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs\joined.csv
Import-Module ActiveDirectory
#EDIT PATH SO IT POINTS TO DB FILE \/
$newUserList = Import-Csv C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs\joined.csv
ForEach ($item in $newUserList){
$fname = $($item.first_name)
$lname = $($item.last_name)
$phone = $($item.phone1)
$username=$fname+$lname.substring(0,1)
# Puts Domain name into a Placeholder.
$domain='#csilab.local'
# Build the User Principal Name Username with Domain added to it
$UPN=$username+$domain
# Create the Displayname
$Name=$fname+" "+$lname
$newusers1 = (New-ADUser -GivenName $fname -Surname $lname -HomePhone $phone -Name $Name -DisplayName $Name -SamAccountName $username -AccountPassword (ConvertTo-SecureString "1NewPassword" -asplaintext -force) -ChangePasswordAtLogon $true -UserPrincipalName $UPN -Path "ou=test,dc=csi,dc=lab" -Enabled $true -PassThru) |
# I need this block to check for duplicates missed by the csv sort & merge
# as well as any in the destination OU itself as the script will run daily
# with inevitable possibility that user is unique to the csv but not the AD.
$newusers1 | Get-ADUser -Filter * -SearchBase "OU=Active Users,DC=csilab,DC=local" |
Sort-Object -Unique |
Remove-ADUser -confirm:$false
However I run it and get:
Get-ADUser : The input object cannot be bound to any parameters for the command
either because the command does not take pipeline input or the input and its
properties do not match any of the parameters that take pipeline input.
At C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\Team2.ps1:40 char:14
+ $newusers1 | Get-ADUser -Filter * -SearchBase "OU=Active Users,DC=csilab,DC=loca ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (CN=Bethanie Cut...csilab,dc=local:PSObject) [Get-ADUser], ParameterBindingException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InputObjectNotBound,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.GetADUser
I also worry even if it did work that it'd delete the unique users instead of duplicates.
get-AdUser $username | Move-ADObject -TargetPath 'OU=Active Users,dc=csilab,dc=local'
}
What can I do to ensure all users are there without any originals getting deleted, just the duplicates?

Answer 1

You still have an empty pipe at the end of your New-ADUser statement, which would cause your script to fail with an "empty pipe element is not allowed" error, but oh well ...
To avoid collisions just check if an account already exists before you try to create it, and create it only if it doesn't:
$username = $fname + $lname.substring(0,1)
...
if (Get-ADUser -Filter "SamAccountName -eq '$username'") {
Write-Host "Account $username already exists."
} else {
New-ADUser -SamAccountName $username -Name $Name ... -PassThru
}
Also, you're overcomplicating the CSV handling. Simply process a list of the files via ForEach-Object:
$domain = '#csilab.local'
Set-Location 'C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\dbs'
'Monday.csv', 'Tuesday.csv', 'Wednesday.csv', 'Thursday.csv', 'Friday.csv' |
ForEach-Object { Import-Csv $_ } |
Sort-Object first_name, last_name, phone1 -Unique |
ForEach-Object {
$fname = $_.first_name
$lname = $_.last_name
$phone = $_.phone1
...
}

Answer 2

You might want to use Try/Catch:
Try {$newusers1=(New-ADUser–GivenName$fname–Surname$lname-HomePhone$phone–Name$Name-DisplayName $Name –SamAccountName$username–AccountPassword(ConvertTo-SecureString"1NewPassword"-asplaintext-force) -ChangePasswordAtLogon$true–UserPrincipalName$UPN–Path"dc=csi,dc=lab"-Enabled$true)}
Catch {
If ($_.Exception.Message -match "account already exists")
{
#do whatever here, eg $NewUsers1 = Get-ADUser $Name
}
}
Also, if you can't see the user when browsing via ADUC it could be that you are connected to a different DC.
As mentioned above, the newuser1 variable will be null if the command failed. It will not load with the other user automatically, and it would be scary bad if it did. You need to decide what to do if the account already exist, that may simply be loading the variable with the other account, or doing something like appending a "1" to $name and retrying the command.