Office 365 Gather Script

This guide will walk through the requirements and steps to succesfully generate documentation using Documentation as Code

Pre-Requisites

  • PowerShell version 5.1 (7.x is not supported yet)
  • Internet connectivity
  • Office 365 Permissions
    • Global Reader or better
  • Exchange On-Premises
    • View-Only Organization Management or better
    • Connectivity to at least one on-premises Exchange server

Downloading the latest gather script

  • Open a browser and navigate to https://DocumentationAsCode.com
  • Log in with your Softchoice account
  • On the services dashboard, under Documentation as Code, select 'O365'
  • Click the link to download the latest version of the gather script, it will be a .zip file
    • Be sure to re-download the script each time you run it to be sure you have the latest updates
  • Extract the .zip file to a location where you can run it

Running the gather script

  • Browse to where you extracted the gather script
  • Right-click on the file and select 'Run with PowerShell'.
    • If you don't have this prompt, open the file with PowerShell ISE and run the script
    • If you get a security warning, click 'Open'

  • The script will open a GUI, here you can select which services you'd like to capture

    GUI

  • If you select 'Exchange On-Premises' enter the FQDN of the server and your credentials

  • Once you've made your selection press 'Go'
  • If you selected any Office 365 services you will now be prompted to authenticate to each one > Note: You will be prompted to authenticate multiple times, this is normal
  • The script will automatically install any required O365 modules
  • Once you have completed all authentication prompts the script will begin to gather information
  • You can monitor progress in the original PowerShell window
  • Once the script has finished it will output a JSON file > Note: The script will remind you where the file is saved to help find it.
  • The script will also generate a .log file while it runs. You do not need to save this file unless you run into a problem
  • Press any key to exit the script once it has finished

Generating Documentation

  • Return to https://DocumentationAsCode.com in your browser
  • Log in with your Softchoice account again if needed
  • On the services dashboard, under Documentation as Code, select 'O365'

  • Under 'Generate Reports':

    • Enter the customer's name
    • Enter your name
    • Choose the type of document you want to generate
      • At this time the only option is 'Word'
    • Click the 'Browse' button and navigate to the JSON file that you created with the gather script.
    • Click 'Generate Document'
    • You'll see a notification that the file has been uploaded and will be delivered shortly
    • Check your email for the documentation, coming from dac@softchoice.com > Note: Check your Junk folder if you do not recieve your document within 5 minutes
    • Click the 'Download Document' button in the email to download your document.

    GUI

Common Errors/Issues

  • Missing permissions
    • Make sure you have the appropriate permissions for each environment
  • Older versions of Office 365 PowerShell modules may need to be manually removed if they cannot be updated
  • You will not be able to connect to an Exchange On-Premises server if you are not able to resolve the FQDN
    • If you are connected to a customer's environment ensure that DNS is working correctly or utilize a customer workstation to run the script