An Active Directory (AD) contains detailed information about people and other objects in an organization. Quick and easy data integration from Active Directory to SharePoint is a common requirement for business environments as it adds convenience to viewing, using and maintaining employee information. Many organizations need to sync their AD information to SharePoint list such as a Contact List So how would one go about performing this type of synchronization?
Out of the box SharePoint provides two methods for user profile synchronization (profile sync): User Profile Synchronization (UPS) and Active Directory Import (ADI, also known as Direct AD Import). The two methods sync AD information to the User Information List (UIL), which is hidden and hard to extend and manage. Also, these methods are often complex to implement and have other limitations such as: runs slow, no audit trail and available only for certain SharePoint editions.
BoostSolutions SharePoint AD Information Sync has a knack of synchronizing information between Active Directory and SharePoint list based on a sync profile, without complex settings and limitations found in the aforementioned synchronization solutions. Even better, sync can either be two-way, for administrators, or one-way, for any domain users. It shakes off the necessity for high administrator account requirements for users to import information from AD to SharePoint, thus putting the power of data importing into the hands of a broader range of business users.
Comparison Chart between Different Profile Sync Methods:
