Bulk Assignment
Assign a building from a CSV, move devices between OUs in bulk, and unassign at collection. Every run is validated and dry-run before anything is written to Google.
What it does
Assigning one device at a time is fine in October. It is not fine in August, when a building’s worth of Chromebooks needs to be matched to a roster, or in June, when they all come back.
Bulk Assignment takes a CSV. You map its columns to student email and device serial (a template is downloadable if you would rather start from ours), and UserAuthGuard validates every row against your Google users and devices: unknown serials, students not in your directory, devices already assigned elsewhere. A dry run then shows exactly what would change. Only when you confirm does it write, and each row gets the same treatment as a single assignment: its own OU under your Assigned parent, the sign-in restriction naming the student, the annotated user set.
The same engine handles bulk OU moves (pick the devices in one OU and move them to another), bulk unassignment at collection, and scheduled runs for a date and time you choose. Progress is shown live while a run is in flight, and every run is kept in an operation history with its row-by-row results.
- ✓ CSV with column mappingUse your SIS export as it is. Map its headers to student email and serial; download a template if you prefer.
- ✓ Validation and dry runEvery row is checked against Google before the run, and the dry run lists what would change. Bad rows are reported, not skipped silently.
- ✓ Bulk OU movesSelect the movable devices in an OU and move them to another, with device counts shown for each OU as you choose.
- ✓ Bulk unassignClear assignments as devices come back, so the sign-in restriction releases and the device returns to the Unassigned OU.
- ✓ Scheduled operationsQueue a run for a date and time, such as the night before distribution day.
- ✓ Operation historyWho ran what, when, and the result of every row, kept for later questions.
Requires
- The Enterprise plan. Bulk operations write to Google.
- A CSV with at least a student email and a device serial per row. Other columns are ignored or mapped as you choose.
- Students and devices that already exist in your Google Workspace. Bulk Assignment matches; it does not create users or enroll devices.
Does not
- Run instantly on large files. Runs are paced to Google’s API quotas, so several thousand rows take a while. They run in the background and you can watch progress.
- Fix bad data for you. Rows that fail validation are listed with the reason, and the run proceeds with the rows that pass.
- Write anything during a dry run. Nothing changes in Google until you confirm.
Where it fits
Distribution day
Export the roster with the serials the techs taped to each lid, upload it, fix the rows that fail validation, and run it the night before. In the morning each device opens only for its student.
A building reorganizes its OUs
Move every device under one parent to another in one operation, with the device counts visible as you pick. Devices keep their own OU and allowed user; only the parent, and what they inherit from it, changes.
Year-end collection
As devices are returned, unassign in bulk so the restriction releases and the Unassigned OU fills back up. Device Return does this by scan; Bulk Assignment does it by list.
Frequently asked questions
What does the CSV need to contain?
A student email and a device serial per row. The headers can be anything; you map them on upload. A template with the expected columns is downloadable from the bulk assignment page.
What happens to rows with errors?
Validation lists each failing row with the reason: serial not found, student not in your directory, device already assigned, and so on. You can fix and re-upload, or run with the rows that pass. Nothing is written until you confirm after the dry run.
Is there a limit on how many rows I can run?
No fixed limit. Runs are paced to Google’s API quotas, so a run of several thousand rows takes time rather than failing. It runs in the background, shows progress, and the operation history records the result of each row.
Can I export current assignments?
Yes. Assignments export to CSV, and reports can open directly in Google Sheets.
Assign a building from a list
Bulk Assignment is part of the Enterprise plan, priced per student, à la carte. Start free first: the gap report lists every device with no owner and every student with no device.