I need to create an automated Powershell

Question

I need to create an automated Powershell

Tyler Johnson 100

Hello, I'm new to using Powershell and Azure Automation.

I have code that I can manually run in Powershell, but I need to create an automation process, which I think is done in Azure Automation.

Here is my code. The files are on my local drive.

It seems from my research I need to use "Hybrid Worker" due to my local files?

import-Csv -Path "C:\Users\OneDrive - Documents\Power Automate Lists\Test.csv" | foreach{Add-DistributionGroupMember -Identity "Test2" -Member $_.Email}

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Answer 1

Bharath Y P 5,720 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Tyler Johnson. It sounds like you’re on the right track with wanting to automate your PowerShell script using Azure Automation, especially since you’re working with local files. Here's how you can set this up using a Hybrid Worker:

Steps to Create an Automated PowerShell Script with Azure Automation:

Set up Azure Automation Account:
- Log into the Azure portal.
- Create an Azure Automation account by selecting Create a resource, then searching for Automation and following the prompts.
Configure Hybrid Worker:
- Since your script uses a CSV file on your local drive, you will need to configure a Hybrid Worker. This allows Azure Automation to run scripts on your local machine.
- Follow the instructions in the Hybrid Runbook Worker.
Create a Runbook:
- In your Azure Automation account, go to the Runbooks section and click Create a runbook.
- Choose a suitable name, set the type to "PowerShell", and click Create.
Edit the Runbook:
- Paste your existing PowerShell code into the editor. Since it's looking for a CSV file on your local machine, ensure it's available to the Hybrid Worker:
```
     import-Csv -Path "C:\Users\OneDrive - Documents\Power Automate Lists\Test.csv" | foreach{Add-DistributionGroupMember -Identity "Test2" -Member $_.Email}
```
Test your Runbook:
- After editing, you can test your runbook from the Azure portal.
Publish your Runbook:
- Once you are satisfied with the testing, publish the runbook to make it available for scheduling.
Schedule the Runbook:
- You can schedule the runbook to run at specific intervals if needed.

Reference: Create a Hybrid Worker

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

If the provided answer was helpful, please click Accept the Answer and upvote if the above was helpful.

Thanks

Bharath Y P 5,720 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-13T20:30:14.6866667+00:00

Hello Tyler Johnson. I just wanted to kindly follow up to check, If the provided answer is helpful, it would be great if you could accept the answer and up-vote. This not only helps us but also makes it easier for other community members who might face the same issue. Thanks
Bharath Y P 5,720 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-16T23:25:49.36+00:00

Hello Tyler Johnson. I just wanted to kindly follow up to check, If the provided answer is helpful, it would be great if you could accept the answer and up-vote. This not only helps us but also makes it easier for other community members who might face the same issue. Thanks
Tyler Johnson 100 Reputation points

2026-02-17T13:27:28.74+00:00

Hi Bharath, I have been off due to family health issues, but I'm back at work and will look at this and see if it works. Thank you for responding!

Tyler Johnson 100

Hi Bharath,

This is the error message I get once I set it all up. I downloaded PowerShell 7, but something is still not right....


[31;1mImport-Module: [0mC:\ProgramData\Microsoft\System Center\Orchestrator\7.2\SMA\Sandboxes\fmig2vla.uxl\Temp\gwvshrp4.km3\bf824ae4-a996-4d8b-bc41-4b1645fa69d6.ps1:2[0m
[31;1m[0m[36;1mLine |[0m
[31;1m[0m[36;1m[36;1m   2 | [0m [36;1mImport-Module Az.Profile[0m
[31;1m[0m[36;1m[36;1m[0m[36;1m[0m[36;1m     | [31;1m ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[0m
[31;1m[0m[36;1m[36;1m[0m[36;1m[0m[36;1m[31;1m[31;1m[36;1m     | [31;1mThe specified module 'Az.Profile' was not loaded because no valid module file was found in any module directory.[0m

Bharath Y P 5,720 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-18T20:45:54.63+00:00
Hello Tyler Johnson, The error you are seeing “Import-Module Az.Profile“The specified module 'Az.Profile' was not loaded because no valid module file was found in any module directory.” This means PowerShell searched all folders listed in $env:PSModulePath and did not find a valid Az.Profile module folder/manifest. This is not a “permission” error; it’s “module isn’t there (or isn’t visible to that host)”.

In SMA/Orchestrator sandboxes, common reasons are,

The module is not present in the sandbox/worker at all, SMA does not automatically include Az modules the way Azure Automation accounts often do. So Import-Module Az.Profile fails because the module folder/manifest isn’t there.

If the module path isn’t included in PSModulePath, PowerShell won’t discover it.

Import Az module into SMA properly (zip format)

Microsoft documents SMA’s module import mechanism:

SMA imports modules using a .zip that contains a folder that contains a .psd1/.psm1/.dll

Zip name, folder name inside zip, and the module file name must match exactly.

High-level approach

On a build/admin machine with internet access:

Install the required Az modules (recommended: Az.Accounts at minimum; if you truly need Az.Profile, ensure it exists in that version set).

Create a zip with correct structure:

Az.Accounts.zip
- Az.Accounts\Az.Accounts.psd1 (and the rest of the module contents) 1. Import into SMA using Import-SmaModule.

SMA import command

Import-SmaModule -WebServiceEndpoint "https://<your-sma-webservice>" -Path ".\Az.Accounts.zip"

Import-SmaModule (Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceManagementAutomation) | Microsoft Learn

SMA then places the module where its runbook workers/sandboxes can load it.

Hope this helps. Thanks

Tyler Johnson 100

I kinda understand, something is not there because I'm testing in a sandbox, but I'm not sure how to install it, even after your instrustions...sorry, really new to all this stuff.

I pasted that PowerShell code into my window and this is what I got:

Import-SmaModule : The term 'Import-SmaModule' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or
operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try
again.
At line:1 char:1
+ Import-SmaModule -WebServiceEndpoint "https://<your-sma-webservice>"  ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (Import-SmaModule:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

Bharath Y P 5,720 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-18T21:36:41.4533333+00:00
Hello Tyler Johnson you can confirm Import-SmaModule installed or not

Run these in the same PowerShell session where you got the error:

# Do I have the SMA module at all? Get-Module -ListAvailable Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceManagementAutomation # If it exists, does it actually contain Import-SmaModule? Get-Command -Module Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceManagementAutomation -Name Import-SmaModule

If both return nothing, the SMA module is not installed on that machine. The cmdlet can’t exist without it.

If installed, you can Import the SMA module: If Get-Module -ListAvailable shows the module, just import it:

Import-Module Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceManagementAutomation

Microsoft’s SMA guidance explicitly shows using Import-Module Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceManagementAutomation and then verifying cmdlets with Get-Command -Module Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceManagementAutomation.

Then retry your command:

Import-SmaModule -WebServiceEndpoint "https://<your-sma-webservice>" -Path ".\MyModule.zip"

If not installed, you need to install the SMA PowerShell module component. You can follow the below document to install the SMA modules.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/system-center/sma/deploy?view=sc-sma-2025
Bharath Y P 5,720 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-19T11:35:41.04+00:00

Hello Tyler Johnson. I just wanted to kindly follow up to check, If the provided answer is helpful. if you have question, please do let us know, thanks
Tyler Johnson 100 Reputation points

2026-02-19T20:21:12.6933333+00:00

Thank you Bharath for continuing to try and help me out. I'm more of a web coder/database dev, so again, not really sure on how all this Exchange/Azure stuff works.

I guess I'm confused on where all this is supposed to be set up....I have the Azure area, I have the local computer Powershell software, then I have this "Hybrid Worker" connected. I am lost on all the modules one has to have to use this product...what a pain.

Where am I supposed to import things? In Azure or on my local computer Powershell or local Powershell ISE?

Tyler Johnson 100

Bharath, from the videos I've watched, it seems I need code to connect to Exchange within the Runbook? Could we look at this a different way? Here is my code, what am I doing wrong/missing?

Import-Module Az.Profile
Import-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement
# Ensures you do not inherit an AzContext in your runbook
Disable-AzContextAutosave -Scope Process
# Connect to Azure with system-assigned managed identity
$AzureContext = (Connect-AzAccount -Identity).context
Get-AzAutomationAccount -ResourceGroupName "Exchange_Distribution_Groups" -Name "ExchangeDistributionGroups"
import-Csv -Path "C:\Users\OneDrive\Documents\Power Automate Lists\JohnsonTest.csv" | foreach{Add-DistributionGroupMember -Identity "JohnsonTest2" -Member $_.Email}

Tyler Johnson 100

Hi @Bharath Y P ,

I decided to stop using the sandbox and just publish and start using the real runbook jobs and figure out any errors from that.

I found this scripted and updated it with my folder location and DistributionGroup Name.

It does add the the log file onto my local computer, but the Azure job just hangs as "Running" and never completes.

Here is the code from the log file:

2026-02-22 16:19:58 - Connecting to Exchange Online...

Here is the code:

<#
.SYNOPSIS
    Adds members from a CSV file in a specific folder to an Exchange Online distribution group.

.DESCRIPTION
    This script connects to Exchange Online, reads a CSV file containing user email addresses,
    and adds them to a specified distribution group. It includes logging and error handling.

.REQUIREMENTS
    - Exchange Online PowerShell module
    - Appropriate permissions to modify the distribution group
    - CSV file with a column named 'EmailAddress'
#>

# =========================
# CONFIGURATION
# =========================
$FolderPath = "C:\Scripts\MembersFolder"   # Folder containing the CSV file
$CsvFileName = "members.csv"               # CSV file name
$DistributionGroup = "******@domain.com" # Distribution group email
$LogFile = "C:\Scripts\AddMembersLog.txt"  # Log file path

# =========================
# FUNCTION: Log messages
# =========================
function Write-Log {
    param([string]$Message)
    $timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
    "$timestamp - $Message" | Out-File -FilePath $LogFile -Append
}

# =========================
# MAIN SCRIPT
# =========================
try {
    # Import Exchange Online module
    if (-not (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name ExchangeOnlineManagement)) {
        Install-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement -Force -Scope CurrentUser
    }

    Import-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement

    Write-Log "Connecting to Exchange Online..."
    Connect-ExchangeOnline -ErrorAction Stop

    # Build full CSV path
    $CsvPath = Join-Path $FolderPath $CsvFileName

    if (-not (Test-Path $CsvPath)) {
        throw "CSV file not found at $CsvPath"
    }

    # Import CSV
    $Members = Import-Csv -Path $CsvPath

    foreach ($Member in $Members) {
        $Email = $Member.EmailAddress.Trim()

        if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Email)) {
            Write-Log "Skipping empty email entry."
            continue
        }

        try {
            Add-DistributionGroupMember -Identity $DistributionGroup -Member $Email -ErrorAction Stop
            Write-Log "Successfully added $Email to $DistributionGroup"
        }
        catch {
            Write-Log "Failed to add $Email: $_"
        }
    }

    Write-Log "Script completed."
}
catch {
    Write-Log "Script error: $_"
}
finally {
    Disconnect-ExchangeOnline -Confirm:$false
}

Answer 2

To automate your PowerShell script using Azure Automation, you will indeed need to set up a Hybrid Runbook Worker. This allows you to run scripts that access local resources, such as files on your local drive.

Here are the general steps you should follow:

Create a Hybrid Worker Group: You can create a Hybrid Worker Group in Azure Automation where your Hybrid Workers will reside. This can be done using the Azure Portal or PowerShell.
```
   New-AzAutomationHybridRunbookWorkerGroup -AutomationAccountName "YourAutomationAccount" -Name "YourHybridWorkerGroup" -ResourceGroupName "YourResourceGroup"
```

Install the Hybrid Worker Extension: Once you have your VM set up as a Hybrid Worker, you need to install the Hybrid Worker Extension on it. This can be done using the Azure CLI:

   az vm extension set --name HybridWorkerExtension --publisher Microsoft.Azure.Automation.HybridWorker --version 1.1 --vm-name <vmname> -g <resourceGroupName> \
       --settings '{"AutomationAccountURL" = "<registration-url>";}' --enable-auto-upgrade true

Create a Runbook: In Azure Automation, create a new Runbook where you can paste your PowerShell script. You will need to modify the script slightly to ensure it runs correctly in the Azure Automation context. For example, you may need to adjust the file path to point to the location accessible by the Hybrid Worker.
Publish and Schedule the Runbook: After creating the Runbook, publish it and set up a schedule if you want it to run automatically at specific times.
Test the Runbook: Finally, test your Runbook to ensure it works as expected. You can do this from the Azure Portal.

By following these steps, you will be able to automate your PowerShell script using Azure Automation and Hybrid Workers, allowing you to access local files as needed.

References:

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I need to create an automated Powershell

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