Definition

The "Update User" action in the Google Directory category allows administrators to modify user details within their organization's directory. This action enables updates to various user attributes, such as contact information, organizational details, recovery settings, and custom fields, ensuring that directory records remain accurate and up to date.

Key Capabilities:

• Modify user attributes using either the user’s ID or email address.
• Update only selected fields, reducing the risk of unwanted changes.
• Ensure seamless synchronization of user data across Google Workspace.
• Maintain compliance with organizational policies by keeping user details current.

Example Use Cases

1. Updating Job Titles After a Promotion

When an employee is promoted or changes roles, administrators can update their job title and department in Google Directory to reflect the change.

2. Modifying Contact Information

If a user gets a new phone number or secondary email, this action ensures their contact details remain up to date within the organization.

3. Changing Organizational Unit Assignments

Administrators can move a user to a different organizational unit to update their access permissions based on department changes.

4. Resetting User Preferences and Security Settings

Modify security-related settings, such as enabling 2-Step Verification (2SV) or requiring users to change passwords at their next login.

5. Updating Custom Attributes for User Management

Organizations with custom schemas can modify additional user attributes like employee ID, manager name, or project assignments for better internal tracking.

Inputs

1. Connection

This field establishes a connection to the Google Directory API. It is required to authenticate and execute the update request.

2. ID or Email of the User

• The unique User ID or primary email address of the user whose details need to be updated.
• The ID is assigned by Google Directory, while the email is the user's primary email in the domain.
• Either of these identifiers must be provided to locate the user account.

3. Select Fields for Update

This field allows administrators to specify which attributes of the user profile should be updated. The following are some of the key fields that can be modified:

Contact Information:

• Addresses:

Users can have one or more physical addresses added to their profile. These can be home, office, or any other relevant locations. Each address contains the following details:

Address: The full structured address of the user.

Type: Defines the category of the address (e.g., work, home, other, custom).

Custom Type: If "custom" is selected as the type, specify a custom category name.

Country: The country associated with the address.

Country Code: The ISO 3166-1 standard country code.

Extended Address: Additional address details such as apartment, suite, or sub-region.

Locality: The city or town of the address.

Post Office Box Number: The P.O. Box number if applicable.

Postal Code: The ZIP or postal code of the address.

Primary: Indicates whether this is the user's primary address (Yes/No).

Source is Structured: Specifies if the address is formatted in a structured way (Yes/No).

Region: The province or state of the address.

Street Address: The full street address, such as "123 Main St."

• Emails (Secondary Emails):

Additional email addresses can be assigned to a user for communication outside their primary email. Each email entry includes:

Secondary Email: An alternate email address linked to the user’s account.

Email Type: Specifies the type of email (e.g., Work, Home, Custom, Other).

Custom Type: If "custom" is selected as the type, specify a custom category name.

• Phones:

Users can have multiple phone numbers stored in their profile, including personal and work-related numbers. Each phone entry includes:

Phone Value: The actual phone number in a human-readable format.

Type: Specifies the type of phone number (e.g., Assistant, Callback, Car, Company Main, Custom, Grand Central, Home, Mobile, Work, Other).

Primary: Indicates if this is the user's primary phone number. A user may have only one primary number.

Custom Type: If "custom" is selected as the type, specify a custom category name.

Personal Account:

• Archived: Specify whether the user account should be archived.
• Change Password at Next Login: Indicate if the user must reset their password upon their next login.
• Suspended: Set the account as suspended if the user is temporarily not active.
• Employee Information: Building Id: Input the ID of the building where the employee works.
• Cost Center: Assign a cost center for departmental or financial tracking.
• Department: Specify the user's department within the organization.
• Manager’s Email: Include the email address of the user’s manager for organizational hierarchy.
• Employee Id: Enter the user's unique employee identification number.
• Floor Name: Provide the name of the floor the user works on
• Floor Section: Further specify the section or area of the floor.
• Job Title: Enter the user's job position or title.
• Type of Employee: Indicate the type of employment (e.g., full-time, part-time, contractor).

Other:

• Custom Schema:

Allows for the addition of custom fields specific to your organization's needs.

Erase Current Custom Schema (Checkbox): If enabled, removes the existing custom schema data.

Schema Name: Defines the name of the schema that holds custom attributes.

Custom Fields: Each schema consists of key-value pairs, where the key is the schemaName and its values are fieldName: field_value. The maximum allowed data size is 32 KB.

• Relations:

Specifies relationships the user has with other people.

Related Person’s Email: The email address of the related person.

Type: Specifies the type of relation (e.g., manager, spouse, child, parent).

Custom Type: If a custom type is selected, specify a custom category name.

• Include in Global Address List: Choose whether to include the user in the organization’s global address list.
• IP Whitelisted: Indicate if the user’s IP address is whitelisted for security purposes.

• Keywords:

Defines keywords associated with the user for searchability.

Keyword Value: The keyword assigned to the user.

Type: Defines the type of keyword. Acceptable values include:

Mission, Occupation, Outlook, Custom (if selected, a Custom Type must be specified)

Custom Type: If "custom" is selected as the type, specify a custom category name.

• Languages:

Specifies the user’s preferred languages for communication.

Language Code: The ISO 639 string representation of the language. If set, Custom Language cannot be used. Invalid values may cause schema errors.

Custom Language: If a specific language code is not available, enter a custom language name.

• Notes: Add any additional notes or details regarding the user.
• Parent Org Path: Provide the organizational unit path the user belongs to.

• Websites:

Lists any websites associated with the user (e.g., personal, work-related).

Website URL: The full URL of the website.

Type: Defines the type or purpose of the website. Acceptable values include:

App Install Page, Blog, Custom (if selected, a Custom Type must be specified), FTP, Home, Home Page, Other, Profile, Reservations, Resume, Work

Primary: Marks this website as the user’s primary site.

Custom Type: If "custom" is selected as the type, specify a custom category name.

Recovery Information:

• Recvery Email: Set an email address to recover the account if the user forgets their password.
• Recovery Phone: Specify a phone number for account recovery purposes.Each of these optional fields allows for more detailed and personalized user profiles, enhancing how users are managed within your organization.

Outputs

When the "Update User" action is successfully executed, it returns updated user details from Google Directory. The output consists of various user attributes, which are documented in a separate Google Directory User Information document

Detailed User information (Output)

Example Scenario:

A company’s IT administrator needs to update an employee’s details in Google Directory after they receive a promotion. The employee, Jane Doe, has been promoted to Senior Marketing Manager and has moved to a different department.

Steps to Use the Action:

1. Select the "Update User" action in the system.
2. Enter Jane’s user ID or email address to identify her profile.
3. Choose the fields to update:
   • Job Title: Senior Marketing Manager
   • Department: Marketing Leadership
   • Phone Number: Add new office extension
   • Organizational Unit Path: Move to the "Marketing Leadership" org unit
4. Execute the update.

Once the action runs, Jane’s profile in Google Directory is updated with her new details. This ensures that her contact information, job title, and department are reflected correctly across the organization.