Comparison by task
How Bulk Changes Compare
Changing many users, mailboxes or devices 3 ways: a PowerShell script, the admin centres, and Altivane. How each makes the change, and what it records.
Bulk changes with PowerShell, the admin centres and Altivane
| What matters | PowerShell | Admin centres | Altivane |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it can change | Whatever the account or app registration you connect with is allowed to do. | Whatever your admin roles allow. | It depends on the tenant's access setting: Reports is read-only; Helpdesk adds changes on the Users page; Manage adds the rest except SharePoint site changes; Everything includes those too. |
| Choosing the items | A filter in the script, or a CSV file it reads. | Select items in a list, where the page allows more than 1. | Filter an Explore page, then select individual items or use the column header to select all. |
| Making the change | A cmdlet or Graph request in a loop you write. | The page's own action for the items selected, or 1 item at a time. | Choose a change from the toolbar, More or the right-click menu. Its window asks for any settings, such as a licence from the tenant's products. |
| From a CSV file | Import-Csv and a loop. |
Bulk operations for some tasks, such as creating users or adding group members in the Entra admin centre, from Microsoft's CSV template. | Choose New from a change to create a workflow that reads a CSV file, applies the change to each row and exports the results. Create users from your own CSV file or the admin centres' template. |
| When some fail | What your script catches and logs. | The admin centre's notification, or a results file for a bulk operation. | The message bar says why a change on 1 item failed, and the Output pane does for several. When Altivane can't tell whether a change went through, it never sends it again: it shows as failed, and the record stands. |
| A record of changes | What your script logs, and the tenant's audit log. | The tenant's audit log. | A change log on your computer for each tenant: the change, its target, the values before and after, the command, and who made it. Plus the tenant's audit log. |
| Doing it again | Run the script again, or schedule it with Task Scheduler. | Repeat the required steps in the admin centre. | Run the workflow again, or schedule it with Task Scheduler. A scheduled workflow makes its changes only when its command line asks it to. |
| Working with several clients | A loop in your script over the tenants it can connect to. | A separate sign-in or browser profile for each, or delegated admin links from Partner Center. | 1 tenant at a time, chosen in the Tenant box and named in every change window. A scheduled workflow goes through the tenants you select, 1 after another. |
| Best for | Logic of your own, or a change only a cmdlet makes. | A 1-off change to a few items in a tenant you're signed in to. | Routine changes to many items, recorded and repeatable as a workflow. |
Altivane doesn't replace PowerShell or the admin centres. They still cover tasks without a ready-made change. Every guide on this site shows its task all 3 ways.