As IT administrators we're frequently asked to provide a report related to one thing or another.  As an Exchange administrator, for example, it's a rather common occurrence to receive a request from management requesting something like a list of inactive mailboxes for license reconciliation.  Perhaps an inquiry sourced from the audit team requesting a list of employees capable of accessing corporate data on mobile devices?  Maybe you're the source.  You have a reporting need for some task you're performing.  Examples here could be a PowerShell script where you're performing some maintenance or bulk changes and you want a report making it easier to monitor its activity.

Although many organizations leverage reporting tools like SCOM/SCCM, a 3^rd party product or Office 365 Reporting services to handle their reporting needs.  I've found myself in many of these ad-hoc situations where there was no reporting tool available that met my requirements or the overhead involved to create a custom report using SCOM/SCCM tools available outweighed the effort involved with just working with the PowerShell results myself.  Still, this left me with some text files or Excel spreadsheets to manipulate, manually, into a usable report.  NOT IDEAL...

Setting off to solve the problem at hand, I found some examples on TechNet, used Visual Studio to explore HTML and CSS a bit deeper then refined a process that has served me well for some time now.  I wanted to share what I've been using and hopefully you'll find this approach is easy to use, easy to reproduce and it fits in your toolbox nicely.

With that said, Exchange has been my primary technology focus for many years and the context of this post is aligned to Exchange related tasks.  However, the process outlined here is agnostic in that any PowerShell results, regardless of source, can be used to generate the same simple report.

Overview

The examples here are very basic. We are creating a solid base where we can build more elaborate solutions from later on and this will also make it easier to navigate through the steps. That said, the CSS file and script examples here are fairly lean and that is the intent. In a follow up post, we will explore creating a Function out of our reporting script, adding multiple tables to a single report and perhaps a sortable table? Also, a special thank you to Dustin Dortch for providing some suggestions that allowed for even more refinement. More on that later.

Ok - let's get right into it.

The steps required to get a nice report like the one above is as follows:

• PowerShell cmdlet: Build a PowerShell cmdlet to gather some set of data.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) file: A CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) file contains predefined HTML styles you can reference.  This is the key that makes this simple.  A CSS file can contain many style definitions.  For example, you may have several table styles defined where one style would be called when you want your table to be colored black and white while another style is defined with blue and white.  You can think of this file as a list of predefined and reusable templates and you can reference these styles throughout the HTML document to get the desired formatting effect and results.
• ConvertTo-HTML cmdlet: Using this cmdlet allows you to build an HTML page. That's it!

   

To generate a report like the one pictured above, I used the following CSS style.  Save this to a file named table.css.

Next, I need some data right?  I've decided to gather some migration statistics from an Office 365 mailbox migration to.  I've connected to Exchange Online using Remote PowerShell and here is the Cmdlet I'll run to preview my results:  

And the results.  Nothing super exciting here but I wanted to note that I'm not using any output formatting like Format-Table or Format-List with my cmdlet.  I just run the cmdlet and select the objects I want returned.

Now, let's form a basic script and use the ConvertTo-HTML cmdlet to generate the HTML code needed for the report.  I've highlighted some key talking points that pertain to the parameters I used. 

The parameters are pretty straight forward.

• CSSUri – A reference to the table.css style sheet.
• Title – Give the HTML document a title. This is not required but a nice touch. We reference our previously defined variable.
• Body – Adding a Title for the table itself then (`n) generates a new line which is followed by a time stamp when the report is run using another variable.

If we execute the $ResultSet variable from PowerShell we can see a fully function HTML document with a reference to the CSS Style Sheet, title, body and some table data.

Finally, the script is very straight forward. Stepping through it:

 And that's that!  Simple, clean, nice looking report. Part II we will talk about using a Function to make this even easier; adding multiple tables to a single report and sortable tables! Stay tuned.

The script can be downloaded from TechNet Gallery and you’ll find it’s well documented and commented throughout.

Check out the full article and walkthrough over on the EHLO Team Blog site.

Update - 5/11/2015 - Added new link for Office 365 URLs and IP Address Ranges.

Update - 5/11/2015 - Office 365 Knowledge Base Library

News, Blogs and Important URLs

These URLs are great places to frequent to stay up to date on Office 365 news and updates.

Exchange Team Blog:  This should be your homepage. Really, it should.  Is it your homepage yet? https://aka.ms/ehlo

Office 365 Community Portal:  Community Portal site with a wealth of knowledge and self-help. Always check here second! https://community.office365.com/en-us/default.aspx 

Office 365 Blog Site:  Another fantastic resource allowing you to stay current on Office 365. https://blogs.office.com/?filter=true&filter-product=office-365

Office Updates:  News about security updates, public updates, service packs and product lifecycle from the Microsoft Office sustained Engineering team. https://blogs.technet.com/b/office_sustained_engineering/ 

Exchange Server Updates:  A patched Exchange Environment is a happy one! https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh135098(v=exchg.150).aspx

IP Addresses and URL firewall exclusions:  Microsoft publishes a list of URLs and IP addresses that MUST be allowed through your firewall.  This list is updated frequently and I highly suggest you keep an eye on this.  The URL has changed -- Office 365 URLs and IP address ranges  I suggest subscribing to the RSS feed and note you can now access the IP addresses programmatically... via XML.

Office 365 Knowledge Base Library - Wow.  Really... wow.. Thanks to Patrick Murray for the link!   https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/13276.office-365-knowledge-base-library.aspx 

Training

Office 365 Guide on Office Ignite Online: Short, topic specific training sessions. https://officeignitelabs.cloudguides.com/Office%20365%20Guides.htm

End User Training Resources for Office 2013 and Office 365: You wanted resources? Here you will find TONS. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj871004.aspx

Office 365 for IT Pros: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dn788774.aspx

Deployment and Troubleshooting

Guided walkthroughs for Exchange, Lync, SharePoint, and Office 365: https://support2.microsoft.com/kb/2934107 

Office 365 DIY Troubleshooter: https://community.office365.com/en-us/p/troubleshooting.aspx#31609269-0 

Office 365 Deployment Center: Another great place to start for general information if you're just starting out. https://deploy.office.com/

Office 365 System Requirements: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office-365-system-requirements.aspx 

Office365 Deployment Guide: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh852466.aspx 

The Cloud On Your Terms: The Exchange Team Blog (EHLO) posted this fantastic overview for a hybrid deployment.  Part II talks about managing your Hybrid deployment. https://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/20/the-cloud-on-your-terms-part-i-deploying-hybrid.aspx

Autodiscover: This is not a deployment guide, guided walkthrough nor is it a troubleshooter.  However, a functional and healthy Audosicover configuration is critical should you want that stress free migration.  Know Autodiscover.  Ensure your Autodiscover implementation works. Here is a great article that describes client connectivity and how Autodiscover plays a role in it. https://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2014/03/12/client-connectivity-in-an-exchange-2013-coexistence-environment.aspx

Exchange Deployment Assistant: The Exchange Deployment Assistant allows you to plan deployments and upgrades. It's a fantastic troubleshooting tool. REPEAT, it's a fantastic troubleshooting tool. Use it as a baseline reference to check health or configuration during a break/fix situation. It also provides great references through each step should you have more questions regarding the step details. https://aka.ms/exdeploy

        
** The following tools are available from your tenant within the Office 365 Admin Center under "Tools"

Office 365 Best Practice Analyzer:  Check your on-premises Exchange Server with the Office 365 Best Practices Analyzer (beta). https://community.office365.com/en-us/w/deploy/office-365-best-practices-analyzer-for-exchange-server-2013.aspx

Office 365 Readiness checks: The readiness checks for Office 365 are part of an automated tool that gathers configuration requirements for the services you want to set up and performs readiness checks against your on-premises environment to ensure that requirements are met. https://community.office365.com/en-us/w/deploy/office-365-readiness-checks.aspx

ECPA Exchange Client Performance Tool: You can use the Exchange Client Performance Analyzer (ECPA) tool to identify issues that affect performance between your company's client PCs and Office 365. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Dn774958(l=en-us,v=EXCHG.150).aspx

Microsoft Connectivity Analyzer: The Microsoft Connectivity Analyzer Tool is a downloadable client program that is used to identify connectivity issues that occur between email clients and a server that is running Microsoft Exchange Server. The tool can also be used to identify connectivity issues between email clients and Office 365. The tool can be used both by email users, to identify common problems, and by IT Administrators, to troubleshoot issues that are affecting their Exchange Server deployments. https://technet.microsoft.com/library/jj851141(v=exchg.80).aspx  

Common Questions

Q: We use Forefront Threat Management Gateway. Do I have to configure it for Exchange Online and Office 365?

A: Yes, you sure do! More details can be found here: https://community.office365.com/en-us/w/exchange/1042.how-to-configure-tmg-for-office-365-exchange-hybrid-deployments.aspx

If you want more information on Reverse Proxies with Office 365 here is the droid you seek: https://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2013/07/19/reverse-proxy-for-exchange-server-2013-using-iis-arr-part-1.aspx

        
Q: How do I migrate Mailboxes?

A: Use the following resources to get you started. 

• Start here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj863291(v=exchg.150).aspx

• Overview: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj200581(v=exchg.150).aspx

• Step-by-step: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj906432(v=exchg.150).aspx 

        
Q: What is ADFS and Single Sign On or should I use Directory Sync (Dirsync)?

A: This really varies depending on your organization's needs. See the following for more information.

• Overview of single sign-on for Office 365 - https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh852486.aspx

• Checklist: Use AD FS to implement and manage single sign-on - https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj205462.aspx

• Prerequisites for SSO - https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj151786.aspx

• Deployment Options - ADFS -- https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj573653.aspx

• Install and Configure - https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj205462.aspx 

        
Q: What attributes are synchronized when Dirsync runs?

A: Check out the following link. I want to note a handy reference at the bottom of the page. Direct your attention to the section noted: 'How directory synchronization determines what isn't synced from the on-premises environment to Windows Azure AD'.  Here are some defined methods where object filters are applied.  This is a great thing to know when troubleshooting and say you want to exclude an object from the next synchronization schedule. https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/19901.dirsync-list-of-attributes-that-are-synced-by-the-azure-active-directory-sync-tool.aspx

    
Q: How do I initiate a full Directory Sync from PowerShell and is there a GUI for Directory Sync? 

A: For a full synchronization from PowerShell execute:

Import-Module DirSync

Start-OnlineCoexistenceSync –FullSync

To access the GUI for Azure Active Directory Sync, you will want to create a shortcut for the following:

"C:\Program Files\Windows Azure Active Directory Sync\SYNCBUS\Synchronization Service\UIShell\miisclient.exe"

        
Q: How do I connect to Azure Active Directory with PowerShell?

A: Details can be found here: https://aka.ms/aadposh

First install both the Microsoft Online Services Sign-In Assistant for IT Professionals (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=286152) and Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=236297). 

Once you have read the information above and installed the two pre-requisites, open Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell and type:

$msolcred = get-credential

connect-msolservice -credential $msolcred

Let's test. The following example will list all unlicensed users in Azure Active Directory.

Get-MSOLUser | where {$_.Islicensed –eq $false}

        
Q: How do I connect to Exchange Online with PowerShell?        

A: Details can be found here - https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj984289(v=exchg.150).aspx   

Open Windows PowerShell and execute the following:

$UserCredential = Get-Credential

$Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://outlook.office365.com/powershell-liveid/ -Credential $UserCredential -Authentication Basic –AllowRedirection

Import-PSSession $Session

 

Let's test by listing some of our Office 365 Mailboxes.

Get-mailbox

                  
That's it for now!