Learn how to create CSV templates for bulk assignment management - manually or by exporting from your reference tenant.

Create Assignment Templates

Assignment Manager uses CSV files to define your desired assignment state. You can create these templates in two ways: manually from scratch or by exporting from an existing reference tenant.

Method 1: Manual CSV Creation

Create your own CSV file from scratch using any spreadsheet application or text editor.

Download Blank Template

Start with a ready-to-use template: Blank Template CSV

When to use manual creation

New standardization projects - Building fresh assignment patterns
Custom requirements - Need specific assignment combinations
Template-driven approach - Creating reusable templates for multiple tenants
Precise control - Want to define exact assignment states

Getting started

Create a new CSV file with semicolon separators (or download here: Blank Template CSV)
Add the required column headers
Define your desired assignment states row by row
Save and upload to Assignment Manager

CSV File Format

Required Columns

Column Name	Description	Required	Example
`PolicyName`	Name of the Intune policy	Yes	"Windows Security Baseline"
`GroupName`	Azure AD group name or special target	Yes	"All Users", "All Devices", "Finance Team"
`AssignmentDirection`	Assignment direction	Yes	"Include", "Exclude"
`AssignmentAction`	Action to perform	Yes	"Add", "Remove", "Replace", "NoAssignment"
`Filter`	Name of assignment filter (optional)	No	"Windows 11 Devices"
`Filter Type`	Filter direction (optional)	No	"Include", "Exclude"

CSV Example

PolicyName;GroupName;AssignmentDirection;AssignmentAction;Filter;Filter Type
Windows Security Baseline;Finance Team;Include;Add;;
Windows Security Baseline;All Users;Include;Replace;;
Compliance Policy 1;Sales Team;Include;Add;Windows 11 Devices;Include
Compliance Policy 1;Marketing Team;Include;Add;Test Devices;Exclude
Old Policy;Finance Team;Include;Remove;;

Method 2: Export from Reference Tenant

Use this method to create templates based on existing, properly configured tenants.

Navigate to Assignment Overview

Go to Assignment Overview in your reference tenant
Click Load Assignments to fetch current assignment data

This loads all current policy assignments from your tenant, including assignment filters and exclusions.

Export to CSV

Click the Export button
Under "Export for Bulk Assignments", choose Export to CSV
The file downloads with all current assignments in the correct format

The exported CSV includes:

All current policy assignments
Assignment filters (if any)
Proper column formatting
Ready-to-use structure

Review and Modify

If needed, edit the downloaded CSV to match your target requirements:

Example: Change assignment actions:

Change Add to NoAssignment for cleanup assignments from a policy
Add Remove actions for policies you want to unassign

Update target groups:

Replace specific groups with All Users or All Devices for standardization
Add or remove exclusion groups

Adjust filters:

Update filter names to match your target tenant
Remove filter columns if not needed

When to use export method

Existing reference tenant - You have a properly configured tenant to model
Quick standardization - Want to replicate current assignments across tenants
Incremental changes - Need to modify existing assignment patterns
MSP workflows - Deploying proven configurations to customer tenants

Template Modification Examples

Converting Export to Standardization Template

Scenario: You exported assignments from a pilot tenant and want to create a standardized template for all customers.

Original export (multiple specific groups):

PolicyName;GroupName;AssignmentDirection;AssignmentAction;Filter;Filter Type
Security Baseline;IT Admins;Include;Add;;
Security Baseline;Finance Team;Include;Add;;
Security Baseline;Sales Team;Include;Add;;

Modified for standardization: This replaces all specific group assignments with a single assignment to All Users.

PolicyName;GroupName;AssignmentDirection;AssignmentAction;Filter;Filter Type
Security Baseline;All Users;Include;Replace;;

Adding Safety Exclusions

Scenario: Add test user exclusions to prevent policies from affecting test accounts.

Original assignment:

PolicyName;GroupName;AssignmentDirection;AssignmentAction;Filter;Filter Type
Compliance Policy;All Users;Include;Add;;

Modified with exclusions:

PolicyName;GroupName;AssignmentDirection;AssignmentAction;Filter;Filter Type
Compliance Policy;Test Users;Exclude;Add;;

Removing Unwanted Assignments

Scenario: Remove assignments from legacy policies during cleanup.

Template for removing all assignments:

PolicyName;GroupName;AssignmentDirection;AssignmentAction;Filter;Filter Type
Legacy Policy;;;NoAssignment;;
Old Compliance Policy;;;NoAssignment;;

Scenario-specific examples

Check out the Scenarios page for detailed CSV examples for common use cases.

Best Practices

For MSPs

Create master templates for each customer type or service tier
Use Replace actions to ensure consistent state across customer tenants
Test templates on a pilot customer before wide deployment
Version control your templates for change tracking

For Enterprises

Export from production reference environments when possible
Modify gradually - don't change everything at once
Document templates with clear naming and versioning
Test in development before applying to production

General Guidelines

Start small - test with 1-2 policies first
Validate before upload - check policy names, group names, and filters exist
Keep templates organized - use descriptive filenames
Plan rollback - know how to reverse changes if needed (see Backup and restore guide)[/docs/extensions/assignments-manager/backup-and-restore]

Template Validation

Before uploading your template, verify:

Policy names match exactly (case-sensitive)
Group names exist in the target tenant
Filter names exist and match the policy platform
Actions and directions use valid values
No conflicting operations in the same batch

Validation happens during upload

Assignment Manager validates your template during upload and shows you exactly what issues need fixing before proceeding.

Next Steps

Ready to upload?

Once your template is ready, head to Extensions → Assignment Manager to upload and preview your changes.

How it works

The workflow: template → deploy → monitor → maintain across environments.

Common Scenarios

Detailed CSV format requirements and scenario-specific examples.

Create Assignment Templates

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