XADM: Error 291 with Exchange Bulk Import

ID: Q188649

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5

SYMPTOMS

After you edit an Exchange directory export .CSV file, some or all of the objects may fail re-import into Exchange with the following error message:

Event ID: 291
Source: MSExchangeDSImp
Type: Error
Category: None
Description: Unable to process object <alias name> because the import
line must contain the same number of fields as the header line. <number>
were expected. <different number> were found.

There will be one such error message for every object in the file that failed in this way.

CAUSE

The application in which the file was edited did not correctly preserve all fields in the original file. The most common cause of this problem is that the last column of the .CSV file contains blank values for some or all objects exported.

For example, an Exchange export file may look like this:


   Obj-Class,First Name,Last name,Hide from AB
   Mailbox,Angela,Barbariol,1
   Mailbox,Kim,Yoshida,

The second mailbox has no value defined for "Hide from AB."

After being imported to and then exported from an application for editing, the file may look like:


   Obj-Class,First Name,Last name,Hide from AB
   Mailbox,Angela,Barbariol,1
   Mailbox,Kim,Yoshida

Observe that the final comma delimiting the blank field for the second mailbox line has been removed from the edited file.

NOTE: The export header example shown here has had several required fields omitted for readability and is not actually a valid header.

Unusual characters can also cause an editor's export parser to incorrectly break fields into pieces or combine them incorrectly, thus corrupting the .CSV file.

WORKAROUND

In most cases where trailing blank fields have been dropped, the problem can be resolved by moving a field that has populated values for all objects to the end of the export header.

For example, you can make the "Directory Name" column the final one. Or you can populate the "Hide from AB" column with zeroes for all users.

NOTE: "Hide from AB" is the final field in a default Exchange mailbox export, and this field often has unpopulated values for most users. A zero value for "Hide from AB" leaves a mailbox visible in the Address Book; a 1 hides the mailbox.

If you are already experiencing this problem with a file, using the workaround described above usually corrects the problem without requiring creation of a fresh export file.

Another solution that often works is to add a comma to the end of each problem line.

MORE INFORMATION

To further troubleshoot .CSV files that fail in this way, choose an object line that failed and create a new file containing only this line and the header line. Use Notepad or a similar simple editor that reads and saves .CSV files without format conversion.

Export the object again from Exchange, and, using Notepad, create another file that contains only the header line and the object line.

Careful side-by-side comparison of the two files usually reveals where the problem lies.

Techniques such as the following examples can make it easier to see problems and differences in long export lines.

Numbering Fields

Each comma in a line designates a new field, with the exception of commas that come between double quotes (","). Therefore, you should place a number after each comma, and the highest number on each line should match.


   1 Obj-Class,2 First Name,3 Last name,4 Display Name,5 Hide from AB
   1 Mailbox,2 Angela,3 Barbariol,4 "Barbariol, Angela",5 1
   1 Mailbox,2 Kim,3 Yoshida,4 "Yoshida, Kim"

Columnar Comparison

When comparing by columns, preserve all characters from each original line in each column, especially commas.


   Obj-Class,        Mailbox,                 Mailbox,
   First Name,       Angela,                  Kim,
   Last name,        Barbariol,               Yoshida,
   Display Name,     "Barbariol, Angela",     "Yoshida, Kim"
   Hide from AB      1

Keywords : XADM
Version : WINDOWS:4.0,5.0,5.5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb